Posted on 01/11/2005 6:39:42 PM PST by GoldenOrchid
Iraq: The other side of the story
Teddybear clutching Iraqi girl saves American convoy Monday, January 10, 2005
Good works by American troops and their allies protecting our freedom in Iraq never find their way to the mainline media. Although virtually ignored by news outlets such as CNN and the New York Times, some of the out-of-the-news stories inspire a well of hope and inspiration.
One such moving story came from an ASA veteran in a regular letter written to a friend back home.
"…Just wanted to write to you and tell you another story about an experience we had over here," he wrote. "As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box."
On each patrol some American troops take through the city, they take as many toys as will fit in their pockets, handing them out as they can.
It’s heartening for the young men and women of American forces to see the children take the toys and then run to show them off as if they were worth a million dollars.
Often ignored and harshly criticized by a liberal media, the troops are often homesick and missing their own kids.
Even so, they are as friendly as they can be to everyone they see–especially the often bewildered and frightened children.
"Most of them don’t have any idea what is going on and are utterly innocent in all of this," the Marine wrote his friend.
"On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle came to a stop in the middle of the street. This is never normal, and can be very unsafe, so the operators of vehicles lined up behind began to make radio inquiries of the personnel in the stopped vehicle.
"Troops in the stopped vehicle reported that there was a little girl sitting on the road, who was incredibly refusing to budge.
"The operator of the command vehicle instructed the lead to simply go around her, and to be kind and patient about it as they did.
"The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so soldiers waved to the little girl as they drove around her.
"As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little teddybear that we had handed her a few patrols back," the Marine wrote in his letter. "Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed back that we were going to stop.
"The rest of the convoy paused and I got out to make sure she was okay. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was warmth in her eyes towards me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road. Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed."
A teddybear is a symbol of love the world over.
In his letter, the marine pointed out that "It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine.
"Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountains’ majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace–even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved the convoy from hitting that mine.
"Those attributes are what keep American hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free.
"Isn’t that what Americans are, the free and the brave?
"If you sent over a toy, or if you are a Marine (U.S. Service member), you took part in this. You are the reason that Iraq has to believe in a better future.
"Thank you so much for supporting us and for supporting our cause over here.
"Semper Fi."
The letter, which arrived through the mail on December 18, 2004, was, as far as is known, never published anywhere in the mainline media.
Yet deeds like this carried out by the American Service and their allies feed the human soul.
God bless America!
Watch for more stories from the troops in Iraq in this special corner of Canada Free Press.
This is an old story, but a good one!
Snopes should include it whether it is genuine (and mark it TRUE) or not (and mark it FALSE or INDETERMINATE).
The lefties at Snopes don't like good news...
Impossible. The Iraqis hate us. <\moveon.org>
The MSM buries stories like this six feet deep. When you read the Rathergate report, you wonder how we get any honest news unless it's republican/GW/negative. The MSM drips away, scandal, scandal, death, mines, pink panties, PC baloney, Chinese water torture. It worked for Vietnam, why not Iraq. How stupid are they? Don't they consider what would happen if Iraq were to fail? Don't they remember Cambodia, two million boat people? Four million lives lost. No conscience, no morality, no ethics. Lying scum. Traitors, every last one.
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