A local man who is serving with the United States Army in central Iraq is only getting two to three hours of sleep a day as he patrols the country to quell signs of uprising in temperatures topping around 130 degrees.

Bob DiGiacomo and his wife Margaret received the first letter they have had in months from their 22-year-old son Jason, a corporal with the US Army's Third Armoured Cavalry Regiment, on June 19, and learned of the awful conditions in which troops have to operate in the war torn country.

Twenty-two US soldiers, and six from Britain, have died after being attacked since US President George W. Bush declared major fighting had ended on May 1. Mr. DiGiacomo told The Royal Gazette: "It is like having a knife put into you and having it twisted. You never know what is going to happen."

Although Cpl. DiGiacomo spent the invasion manning a large artillery gun called an M109, he has now been drafted into the infantry to help maintain order in the volatile and dangerous aftermath of the war.

Mr. DiGiacomo, himself a former major in the US army, said: "What people need to understand is that the war is not over. It's probably only just begun. Now is the time for the guerrilla warfare."

Asked if the coalition forces' failure to find weapons of mass destruction made him wonder whether the war was justified, Mr. DiGiacomo said: "Saddam Hussein definitely needed to be taken care of. I feel he is personally responsible for a lot of problems elsewhere in the world.

"I truly believe that the weapons of mass destruction are so well hidden that it'll take a while to find them."

He added: "I support the whole thing and they need to get the job done. Too often things get started and don't get finished."

Mr. DiGiacomo described how he was even more concerned about his son now than he was during the actual invasion of Iraq in March and April. "When the troops were going in, you knew where the enemy was. Now you just don't know where the bullet is going to come from. We are very concerned. Every day we are constantly watching the news and I keep saying to my wife, 'I don't want to see him on television'."

He continued: "It's going to get worse before it gets better. Things can be expected to start happening that have been planned for by the other side. They are supporters of Saddam Hussein and until he can be proven to be dead or alive there are too many Iraqis who are afraid to take a stand."

Mr. DiGiacomo said his son was stationed to the west of Baghdad, but added that communications had been so poor that his family only get news sporadically.

On the most recent letter, he said: "It was just short and sweet. We were excited just to get it. We'd much rather have this letter than one from the federal government. He's been hearing rumours about when they are coming home and he says they sound good. But he knows he has a job to do too."

He added: "We get an occasional phone call in the middle of the night when he can get near a phone. Being in the service in the past myself I'm always wondering if someone will show up on the doorstep or if a will telegram will arrive. We are real proud of him. I want him home but he has a job to do. If it isn't him then it'll just be someone else."