Posted on 08/30/2003 3:49:22 AM PDT by RockChucker
Iraqi girlfriends capture GI hearts
By LARRY KAPLOW The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- In the 20 weeks since the fall of Baghdad, two U.S. soldiers and two Iraqi women won each other's hearts.
The American men and Iraqi women courted, fell in love and decided to marry, but they had to battle disapproving senior American officers and fears of retribution by militant Iraqis.
When they finally held their double wedding ceremony Aug. 17, the nuptials were carried out with the secrecy and synchronization of a commando operation.
The two brides -- one in a print dress, the other in slacks -- and a few family members came to a city street corner at mid-morning. From there, an Iraqi intermediary led them to the route of their fiancés' foot patrol.
The grooms, carrying M-16 rifles, marched up in their Army uniforms, complete with bulletproof vests. A nervous Iraqi judge arrived, and the group ducked into the grassy courtyard of a dilapidated restaurant, where the vows were exchanged.
The couples met after the Iraqi women, both English-speaking, took jobs with the Americans who have been trying to pacify the war-torn nation since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
No one minded that the Iraqi women and U.S. soldiers flirted with each other. But as the friendships deepened into romance, U.S. officers decided the relationships posed a security problem and prohibited the men from "fraternization" during "combat."
In spite of the prohibition, the soldiers -- National Guardsmen from the Florida Panhandle -- converted to Islam in an Iraqi court a couple of weeks before the ceremony. The double wedding, including the exchange of rings and recitation of vows, was carried out with an American reporter watching.
Honeymoon delayed
The weddings illustrate the gray areas of the American-Iraqi relationship in this capital, where troops function as both liberators and occupiers, hoping to win over most Iraqis while still fighting those who preferred the old regime.
The weddings-on-patrol were necessary because the soldiers' superior officers were trying to block them.
"We are accomplishing a mission on the street and protecting our forces," Capt. Jack McClellan, a spokesman for the Florida Army National Guard, said. "We cannot develop relationships with the locals unless they are mission-related. If it's true love, in a few months . . . they can pursue it. They are not allowed to see them."
Yet Sgt. Sean Blackwell, 27, and Cpl. Brett Dagen, 37, were determined.
"I've done two years overseas on active duty, and I never thought this would happen," Blackwell said. "I love her."
Now, he is trying to figure out how to bring his wife -- they are married under Iraqi, but not yet under American, law -- to the Pensacola area......
Why is it so many people are unaware that pizza IS Middle-Eastern? Like even Sicily was under Turkish rule for a while, and through the centuries, under North African and Arab rule for extended periods.
Oh, yes, use only halal beef and sheep. Pizza, Arab style, is not going to be kosher due to the mixing in of cheese with the meat, but it seems to me you cuold modify it to meet the demands of kosher.
Sumac, olives, and anchovies finish off a good pizza.
These Arab girls will be very happy to live in America!
In spite of the prohibition, the soldiers -- National Guardsmen from the Florida Panhandle -- converted to Islam in an Iraqi court a couple of weeks before the ceremony.
What I wonder is how often do these guys slack off during their patrol? I mean, sneaking off into a court yard and getting hitched doesn't strike me as your normal patrol duties. Not to mention that little thing about not following what your superiors tell you to do. Perhaps they weren't ORDERED to not marry, but they certainly aren't doing this to make points with their CO.
Then it's a done deal, because there is no "American law" concerning marriage, only state law. And from both the federal and the state perspective, a legal marriage in Iraq is as valid as a legal marriage in Illinois (doesn't the AJC have fact checkers on staff?).
"The validity of marriages abroad is not dependent upon the presence of an American diplomatic or consular officer, but upon adherence to the laws of the country where the marriage is performed....In general, marriages which are legally performed and valid abroad are also legally valid in the United States."
U.S. State Dept., Validity of Marriages Abroad
As military personnel, they can file their paperwork now - directly from Iraq - and have their wives back in the States within 6 to 9 months, perhaps sooner.
I suspect those conversions to Islam will drift away once their wives are safely out of Iraq.
I simply entered 'Iraqi' (the lead word of the article) in the search engine and BOOM, I had the original article!
BAATH party which was secular and promoted Christians is gone. Iraqi Christians will share the fate of Serbs in Kosovo and Bosnia.
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