"I must go to Iraq. This is my good dream."

There are so many touching and inspriring stories coming out of this war. This is one of the best. It's about some Iraqi expatriates who are comprise the Free Iraqi Forces chosen and trained to go in with coalition troops. They were trained at an air base in Taszar, Hungary, presumably to serve as liaisons to Iraqi civilians and as ambassadors of democracy. Following their training they were interviewed by U. S. government public affairs people. The answers are a great rebuttal to those who think that Arabs can't handle democracy, and a welcome reassurance of what America is about, especially when we think of the spoiled arrogant anti-war protesters and privileged snots like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.
Here are some clips:

In fact my mission started 26 years ago, I never lay down, I never sleep. But the training within the last four weeks has just bringed that dream back to reality. And the closer I come to the mission, the more I get fired up and the more I get emotional.
. . .
"I must go to Iraq," said al Saedy. "This is my good dream."
. . .
Interviewer: So tell me about the training. Was it a surprise to you or was it what you expected?

Hamdy: It's a little above my expectation. I mean, I felt that civilized nations cared about their people and their countries and their nations only. But I see an American army and all these units and working for U.S. to go for the civil military operation and all of our training is for the duty of taking care of civilians in Iraq. And that was a little above my expectation. But there is nations that care about other nations' civilians more than their own government, like Saddam's government who kill a lot, like their own civilians, use chemical weapons and mass destruction weapon against our people, in 1988 and 1991, after the uprising as well.

Interviewer: How did you tell your family--what did you tell your family?

David: Well, actually before I volunteered I set me and my wife, and we discussed it and she knows it's a noble job. And when my country called me, I'm also your citizen, and when my chief and commander want me to serve I am happy to do it and willing to do it as long as it takes.

Interviewer: Have you had any prior military experience?

David: No I don't have no military experience.

Interviewer: Tell me about the training--was it what you expected?

David: Well, I am overwhelmed, I am overwhelmed by these beautiful young men and womens who left their loved ones in the United States and they came here to train me, I feel so small (hand gesture for smallness) compared to what they're doing.

(Italics are mine)

This afternoon I heard a call to Hugh Hewitt from Joseph Williams whose son, a Marine, was killed in Iraq. It still brings tears to remember it. But then I read these stories on Best of the Web:

Daughters of Freedom


The Associated Press reports on one of the first babies born in free Iraq:

Wednesday, U.S. forces spotted a 20-year-old Iraqi woman in labor in a pickup truck. The woman's family had been displaced from another city and was living in tents in Nasiriyah.

"I got the ambulance and sent her to the battalion aid station and delivered a healthy baby girl and named her America. It was a pretty cool way to start the day," said Navy Hospitalman First Class Kyle Morris, 39, of San Clemente, Calif.

Another girl was born at a Marine camp near Nasiriyah, Reuters reports:

The [mother], Jamila Katham, approached a U.S. military ambulance in a patrol in the Nassiriya area of southern Iraq early on Wednesday to seek help, U.S. Marine surgeons said. . . .

Surgeons Lieutenant Sean Stroup and Lieutenant Michael Humble delivered her of a healthy six-pound girl only 20 minutes after the ambulance had brought her to a U.S. Marine camp.

The baby, Katham's first child, has been named Rogenia. "I think they wanted an American-sounding name," Stroup said.

I think it might give some comfort to grieving parents to know that two little girls might never have to know about Saddam, except as a scary fairytale, due in part to the sacrifice of some young people from a country far away from them.

But don't mind me, I'm just a sentimental fool. I've been getting kind of angry lately about all the cheap shots in the media lately toward Donald Rumsfeld, General Franks, and the President. One of the first things the Savior taught when he appeared to his other sheep in this hemisphere after his resurrection, was "he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, . . ." So much for all of my rants. The thought of lost sons and new babies kind of makes the rest of it unimportant.

Thank the Lord our president know better than to waste his time on fruitless arguments with his critics. I hope I can remember America and Rogenia along with the names of our fallen.