One of Demopolis’ local residents got his Christmas present early this year, when he found out that he was chosen to come home from Iraq on a mid-term leave. This is a well-earned leave for Sgt. Charles Singleton, who has been in Mosul, Iraq with the Alabama Army National Guard for the last seven months. Singleton is one of the lucky ones that get to come home for the Christmas holidays to be with his wife and son, even if it is for only two weeks.

Sgt. Singleton serves in the Alabama Army National Guard 877th Engineering Battalion, Combat Heavy from Hamilton, Alabama. His battalion has been in Mosul, Iraq, which is 250 miles north of Baghdad for the past seven months and has successfully completed over 400 missions ranging from small to large. Some of these completed missions have been repairing schools, churches, orphanages and many other buildings in Iraq.

Sgt. Singleton has served in the Alabama Army National Guard for the past 12 years. The battalion Singleton is in has over 500 soldiers in it. They are linked to the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The battalion hasn’t suffered a single casualty since being in Iraq.

Singleton thinks that the media is just showing the negatives of this war and not the positives.

He also thinks that the people of Iraq have been getting a bad wrap from the media.