sandbag detail

tonalwar 2004-06-23 01:35:12 ET Yesterday I was on a detail guarding Iraqis who were fortifying our LSA with sandbag walls. It was a really interesting experience. All of them live in subpoverty conditions and most don't even have decent shoes. I met one young man named Ali. He told me that he was 24 and that Saddam had his father killed. He also had a scar on his neck from where one of Saddams soldiers shot him. He said that he was happy that the U.S. was here and that he hated Saddam. I gave all of the workers some water and some snack food. They were roudy, but it made me sad because I don't believe they were used to anyone being nice to them. I saw a complete change in them just from being kind to them. I really wish there was more I could've done for them. One of the men I gave water to, stared at me in suprise for a minute and then said "I will remember this, thank you sir". I have to hold onto the hope that, regardless of the motive that got us here, we may be able to bring about some good here and give these people a good life that they haven't experienced before.

nuclear fallout 2004-06-23 03:59:01 ET I hope you guys can too.

SubSonik 2004-06-23 05:44:07 ET =)

stormzealot 2004-06-23 06:29:29 ET that's really rad. mind if i repost this to a blog and a couple other places??

stellarblues 2004-06-23 07:19:03 ET I let my mom read this bc her b/f is in the air force and we are always having conversations about things going on over and such . She said she wishes the media paid more attention to these things bc she knows that there are good ppl over there .She also wanted me to tell you that you are a brave and kind person and to tell you that you are going to be in her prayers.

industrialyte 2004-06-23 07:28:01 ET wow that's really cool. my friend's boyfriend is heading over there in a month or two--if it's okay, i'm going to show this to her and him.

huskarl 2004-06-23 12:33:38 ET If we have any hope at all in that country it will be thanks to good men like you doing the right thing at the right time. How much does a pair of shoes for an Iraqi cost?

tonalwar 2004-06-24 06:54:37 ET Storm: no I don't mind at all Huskarl: thank you! that means a lot! I'm not sure about shoes. I know that none of them make enough money to afford them though. Jessika: sure no problem. tell him I wish him the best of luck and to keep his head down and keep wired tight

tonalwar 2004-06-24 06:55:32 ET stellar: tell your mother i said "thank you very much!"

Courtney 2004-06-24 07:31:21 ET :-) Nothing short of amazing.

huskarl 2004-06-24 16:15:36 ET Seriously, it just seems like no matter what buttons and levers can be pushed in Washington, they screw it up routinely. I just hope that somebody with real in-country knowledge can decide what to do.

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