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December 11, 2006

Listen to the Soldiers

I have run across two deeply moving stories about the experiences of soldiers in Iraq that I recommend you read. The first is the story of Damian Fernandez, a once happy, creative young man with big dreams for his future who was broken by his service in Iraq. Among his experiences there was the witnessing of the blowing up of a group of children, watching their body parts rain down around him, and accidentally stepping on one of their organs. He has been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and rated 70% disabled. He has even been hospitalized to prevent suicide. And now, believe it or not, he is being called back to serve another tour of duty in Iraq.

The other story is by Major Bill Edmonds, a true patriot who has tried to learn the customs of the Iraqi people and show them respect while he is in their country. His observations put a human face on the Iraqi people. He has also come to some interesting conclusions about what we are doing wrong in Iraq and how it could be better handled.

Posted by Becky at December 11, 2006 11:21 AM