Home | This is the kind of discussions I had last year before the start of the war, now read them once again and make up for yourself who was right, me and other people who condemned the war, or ibrodsky and others who were ranting about Saddam's WMD's and the great blow to terrorism the fall of Saddam would generate...
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...q&pagenumber=2
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...iraq#post32684
Oh give it a rest!
Come June 30th, I would imagine that the Iraqi's themselves will be far better equipped to deal with the "terrorists" with in their borders.
I doubt they will be hampered by world opinon and proabably have a far better understanding of how to deal with them more effectively than the West does.
I wouldnt be so quick to assume you were right!
Theres a long way to go yet!
Your only companion is your shadow.Originally posted by takeo
This is the kind of discussions I had last year before the start of the war, now read them once again and make up for yourself who was right, me and other people who condemned the war, or ibrodsky and others who were ranting about Saddam's WMD's and the great blow to terrorism the fall of Saddam would generate...
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...q&pagenumber=2
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...iraq#post32684
The rest of us live in the real world where radical islam is in an expansionist mood and wants to bring a bomb to every neighborhood. You might not mind living under a system like that. We don't wish to and will continue resisting it.
the Iraqi "government" troops were given full controll over Falludja, guess what, they joined the resistance! many also joined the insurgency of Al-Sadr (who by the way STILL is in power in many southern Iraqi cities) instead of fighting it. If the occupation force wouldn't be there the handpicked government wouldn't stand a chance, and even today almost every week some government member gets killed... it doesn't look like 30th june will make any difference, not in reality and not in the perception of the Iraqi's, nor in the determination of the insurgeants.Come June 30th, I would imagine that the Iraqi's themselves will be far better equipped to deal with the "terrorists" with in their borders.
They will just surrender or join the insurgeancy, like they did on every occasion they had to defend a city. most have joined the so-called Iraqi army because they needed the money badly.I doubt they will be hampered by world opinon and proabably have a far better understanding of how to deal with them more effectively than the West does.
of course the us has lots of money to invest in Iraq, but it doesn't look like the rebels will give up easily and Americans will get it their way... after more than one year the political situation has only deteriorated a lot. Let's see what happens if the democrats win the elections in the us.I wouldnt be so quick to assume you were right!
that's exactly what I said last year, attack real terrorism and not Iraq, an attack on Iraq will only help to expand radical islam. And unfortunately I was right and you were wrong...The rest of us live in the real world where radical islam is in an expansionist mood and wants to bring a bomb to every neighborhood. You might not mind living under a system like that. We don't wish to and will continue resisting it
Psst, takeo... as much as you would like a chance to pull your head out of the sand, the war isn't even close to over yet. Call us in 20 years and we'll see if it was worth it. Second guessing now is gratuitous. Someone had an idea for what to do - you sure didn't. Enjoy the coward's roost, and critique away the actions of men far greater than you.Originally posted by takeo
This is the kind of discussions I had last year before the start of the war, now read them once again and make up for yourself who was right, me and other people who condemned the war, or ibrodsky and others who were ranting about Saddam's WMD's and the great blow to terrorism the fall of Saddam would generate...
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...q&pagenumber=2
http://www.israelforum.com/board/sho...iraq#post32684
From what I recall, it was Fallujah's police forces that were given control - not Iraqis from elsewhere.Originally posted by takeo
the Iraqi "government" troops were given full controll over Falludja, guess what, they joined the resistance!
How many is many?many also joined the insurgency of Al-Sadr (who by the way STILL is in power in many southern Iraqi cities) instead of fighting it.
How many Sadr terrorists have been killed to date?
What do the residents of Najaf think of Mr. Sadr?
Why is Sadr thinking of putting down his weapons and going into politics and who allowed this?
That's what happens in war. C'est la vie!If the occupation force wouldn't be there the handpicked government wouldn't stand a chance, and even today almost every week some government member gets killed...
As seen through the shades of Le Monde, no doubt.it doesn't look like 30th june will make any difference, not in reality and not in the perception of the Iraqi's, nor in the determination of the insurgeants.
This war is still on an it's taking a heavy toll on the Iraqis, from Saddam and Islamic terrorists from the inside and out.
Hopefully, the good will triumph over evil once more. Who knows! Maybe France will be able to sell the new Iraq some nuclear reactors when it's all over.
I wonder what these Al-Queda recruits would have done with their productive lives had Saddam still been in power. What would they have been expending their energies and efforts on instead? Basket weaving, perhaps?that's exactly what I said last year, attack real terrorism and not Iraq, an attack on Iraq will only help to expand radical islam. And unfortunately I was right and you were wrong...
Somehow, I think it's a big blessing in disguise that so many of them are being drawn into Iraq and kept busy their instead of in the infidel western world.
You are, as usual, a mouthy ignoramus hoping beyond hope that jihadists will kill those whom you hate because YOU sure don't have the balls to do it.Originally posted by takeo
the Iraqi "government" troops were given full controll over Falludja, guess what, they joined the resistance! many also joined the insurgency of Al-Sadr (who by the way STILL is in power in many southern Iraqi cities) instead of fighting it. If the occupation force wouldn't be there the handpicked government wouldn't stand a chance, and even today almost every week some government member gets killed... it doesn't look like 30th june will make any difference, not in reality and not in the perception of the Iraqi's, nor in the determination of the insurgeants.
They will just surrender or join the insurgeancy, like they did on every occasion they had to defend a city. most have joined the so-called Iraqi army because they needed the money badly.
of course the us has lots of money to invest in Iraq, but it doesn't look like the rebels will give up easily and Americans will get it their way... after more than one year the political situation has only deteriorated a lot. Let's see what happens if the democrats win the elections in the us.
that's exactly what I said last year, attack real terrorism and not Iraq, an attack on Iraq will only help to expand radical islam. And unfortunately I was right and you were wrong...
At least now Iraqis will have a chance to fight the kinds of people under whose heel they have suffered for so long. But all of us are aware that you don't think they should have ever had that chance, that in your vision of how the world should be, no one would ever have come to the rescue to provide them with that chance.
Your hatred has warped your mind. You're a gutless little french fry with no answers.
PRECISELY !Originally posted by Oh Jerusalem
I wonder what these Al-Queda recruits would have done with their productive lives had Saddam still been in power. What would they have been expending their energies and efforts on instead? Basket weaving, perhaps?
Somehow, I think it's a big blessing in disguise that so many of them are being drawn into Iraq and kept busy their instead of in the infidel western world.
I'll ask you this, Frenchies: whay aren't there 500,000 people easy taking to the streets of Paris, supporting the vast majority of Iraqis in their fight for freedom and democracy against the Islamic terrorists that the US, UK and a handful of coalition countries, are keeping at bay from knocking down the cardboard doors of Europe?Originally posted by MichaelC
PRECISELY !
Plain and simple. You're traitors to humanity. Nothing's changed since sixty years ago. Consistant France.
.Psst, takeo... as much as you would like a chance to pull your head out of the sand, the war isn't even close to over yet. Call us in 20 years and we'll see if it was worth it. Second guessing now is gratuitous. Someone had an idea for what to do - you sure didn't. Enjoy the coward's roost, and critique away the actions of men far greater than you
20 years?
the war in Vietnam took more than 20 years...
I can see already that the whole war was a failure from every angle you look at it.
1) terrorism: there is much more terrorism than ever before in Iraq, Iraq has become the focus point of Al-quaida while 2 years ago it didn't even had local representatives. It it didn't make the rest of the world safer either, there are more alerts than before in the West and all neighbouring countries are facing much more terrorism and destabilisation than 1 and a half year ago.
2) democracy: it looks like the new strong leader allawi, who has been appointed by the occupation forces, will rule hardhanded and crack down on independant press and political parties. But he will have no autority over the foreign troops in Iraq, so in fact all the us did is to replace one dictator by another one more loyal to them.
3) WMD: no comment needed
of course all of this was expected and predicted, but surprisingly:
4) material wellbeing of the Iraqi people: even in this respect the situation has not improved a lot, despite the lifting of the embargo and billions of American aid. Bagdad still only has little more than one hour electricity a day, most people are still unemployed, social and medical facilities are still in a worrying state, etc.
So I can already say with certainty that your mission has failed and almost a 1000 American young lifes and many billions of money have been sacrificed for nothing. Noone to blame but your own president...
We had an idea too of what to do, a much better one than yours: just lift the embargo and integrate Iraq into the world community, as happened with Lybia recently.
From what I recall, it was Fallujah's police forces that were given control - not Iraqis from elsewhere
false, not only from Fallujah
a lot, but most just resignedHow many is many?
a lot, but nowadays they're firmly in controll of Najaf and other cities. sadr was branted as a criminal and terrorist and both bremer and Bush pledged to get him, alife or dead. Well nowadays he's still not captured but he controlls most southern cities of Iraq.How many Sadr terrorists have been killed to date?
at least he's certainly more popular than the occupation forces, who are hated troughout Iraq. It appears Sadr had a lot of support in his shiite strongholds.What do the residents of Najaf think of Mr. Sadr?
The Us did so because they didn't have a choice really, couldn't fight an insurgeancy on two fronts. By the way he is handing over his weapons as the Falluja insurgeants did: he didn't, he only agreed to a temporary cease-fire which suited him best, the us had to accept his conditions, could it be more humiliating? But indeed he's gone into politics, his party appears to have a serious base of power in southern Iraq.Why is Sadr thinking of putting down his weapons and going into politics and who allowed this?
c'est la vie en IraqThat's what happens in war. C'est la vie!
But it didn't have to be that way, people are dying every day in Iraq because Bush decided to start a war in Iraq
and the New York Times, and pretty much the rest of the world opinion...As seen through the shades of Le Monde, no doubt.
everything is possible right nowHopefully, the good will triumph over evil once more. Who knows! Maybe France will be able to sell the new Iraq some nuclear reactors when it's all over.
there would be far less Al-Quaida recruits, Bush gave Al-Quaida an incredible new recruitment tool.I wonder what these Al-Queda recruits would have done with their productive lives had Saddam still been in power. What would they have been expending their energies and efforts on instead? Basket weaving, perhaps?
there are more of them all over the world, not only in Iraq, the war in Iraq gave the "Jihad" new energy.Somehow, I think it's a big blessing in disguise that so many of them are being drawn into Iraq and kept busy their instead of in the infidel western world.
it's not my country, I told you already, if they would have invaded France, I swear I would right now either be death or planning or executing attacks on occupation forces. However the only thing I can do is explain the arguments of those people who are fighting the occupiers, not only on internet but in publications as well.You are, as usual, a mouthy ignoramus hoping beyond hope that jihadists will kill those whom you hate because YOU sure don't have the balls to do it.
Most Iraqi's prefere Saddam over the new rulers, this is at least the general mood of people who are randomly interviewed on the streets. At least there was security they said, no crime, and at least Iraqi values and independance were respected is the most common answer.At least now Iraqis will have a chance to fight the kinds of people under whose heel they have suffered for so long. But all of us are aware that you don't think they should have ever had that chance, that in your vision of how the world should be, no one would ever have come to the rescue to provide them with that chance.
What chance did you give them? A chance to get killed and suffer! lifting the sanctions without a war on the other hand would have offered them a chance to improve their economic situation, you didn't want to give them this chance, obsessed as you were with Saddam.
because the very existance of those "coalition troops" encouraged terrorists instead of keeping them at bay from the doors of Europe, and currently the "coalition countries" (to use your euphimism for the us, GB and a few dependant countries) are occupying Iraq against the opinion of the vast majority of Iraqi's, that's why no people are taking to the streets to defend us-policy in the middle East.I'll ask you this, Frenchies: whay aren't there 500,000 people easy taking to the streets of Paris, supporting the vast majority of Iraqis in their fight for freedom and democracy against the Islamic terrorists that the US, UK and a handful of coalition countries, are keeping at bay from knocking down the cardboard doors of Europe?
You're too funny, the us is protecting humanity in Iraq??????????????Plain and simple. You're traitors to humanity. Nothing's changed since sixty years ago. Consistant France.
This sums it up nicely. No, not every Iraqi agrees but it's the silent majority that Le Monde wouldn't dare print.Originally Posted by takeo
I just found this Iraqi blog site in a link on the LGF blog. Here's a little note about them.
Happy teeth gnashing, Takeo!
GO IRAQ GO....
It’s a great day for all the freedom lovers. No doubt is left now that we’re winning while the forces of darkness and evil are losing a key round in this war.
With great delight we received th news. this is the right and important step to build the free Iraq and
It’s a painful strike for terrorism and its allies.
They really missed this surprising and brilliant timing. And I guess they’re deeply shocked right now.
their luck couldn’t help them to scar this glorious day with a crime of theirs.
Most Iraqis met this news with happiness and hope about the new government’s performance and who walks in a Baghdad now can feel relaxation in the atmosphere.
What happened this morning will have a deep effect on the future of Iraq and the region as well. It has confirmed that America is serious regarding the handover and the creation of a democratic example in the ME through the change in Iraq.
It also confirms the readiness and will of Iraqis to take their part in rebuilding Iraq as fast as possible.
We, the people of Iraq, see and feel the active and potential dangers that threaten our country and the time has come for us now to stand side by side with our government to go through the coming period.
Our hope and our goal is to see the day when we can elect our representatives freely and more important is to be aware that the process is moving as we wish and there will be no room for those who dream of bringing back the past.
I can see only one bright road and I believe that going to the end is worth the sacrifice and we’ll never be discouraged by the dark pictures shown by the evil propaganda machines.
To me, we didn’t get rid of a military occupation today as I never considered the coalition’s presence as an occupation even if the whole world told me that I’m wrong.
Today we were freed for ever from the fear that a man and his family might once again control Iraq.
We believe that we have common interests and it’s necessary to keep a high level coordination between the US and Iraq and anyone who thinks that we can reach our goals without this coordination is totally wrong. We’re surrounded by a some neighbors who don’t want to see the change succeed and we’re being watched by angry eyes that will not let this newborn democracy grow easily. That’s why a strategic alliance between our countries is an important factor for stability and will provide the necessary protection for the new model.
Iraq didn’t seek to have enemies after the liberation but it’s the others who targeted Iraq and made her their opponent not because Iraq doesn’t have a strong army right now nor because they have ambitions in Iraq but obviously because the found a great danger in the new idea and the new Iraq that threatens the core of their ideology which today’s step has made its end closer.
A big greeting to the courageous and noble man; Mr. Bremer whom we saluted this morning. He proved that he’s the right man for the tough times. He struggled together with his Iraqi brothers to overcome the hardships in a critical era for this country and the whole world. I’m going to miss his presence and so are many other Iraqis because we feel that who left today is one of Iraq’s sons.
A big greeting to the men who decided to bear the responsibility of Iraq’s safety and Iraq’s future.
They needed courage and faith to decide to work for Iraq in this hard time. May God help them guide this country with wisdom until the day when elections come.
It’s hard to appreciate the efforts of all those who helped us to get our freedom and rebuild our country. We will never forget them. We will keep them in our hearts.
God bless Iraq and her people.
God bless America and her people.
God bless all the coalition forces who supported operation Iraqi freedom.
May God bless the souls of all those who sacrificed their lives to free Iraq.
By Mohammed.
don't make your wishes reality please, this certainly doesn't represent the silent Iraqi majority, what the silent majority thinks you won't know because you don't get to see images of everyday Iraqi life.
Iraqi's are very divided on a lot of issues,but what's for sure is that only a very small minority supports us-presence. Yesterday I saw a documentory of a crew that followed some army-unit in the north-east of Iraq, they found weapons in a house and decided to take the 4 women present in the house, since the owner has fled. the next day all the inhabitants of the village took to the street, armed with guns, screaming anti-american slogans, demanding the release of the women. The local Iraqi's who accompanied the unit all resigned because they feared the crowd, and finally the Americans released the women. tHIS is everyday life in Iraq, and this is how the silent majority thinks about the US. Besides, the resistance as well as Al-Sadr could never be so succesfull without the support of the silent majority.
I give this new stongman a couple of weeks before he too will either flee, be shot or resign in shame. Everyone knows that the handover of autority was so early because they feared the reaction of the Iraqi resistance, the extremely unpopular and incompetent bremer left as a thief in the night. very few people really think it will make a big difference, since the occupation forces will just stay in the country and rule Iraq.
And you're telling me all this from downtown France? I see............
And to stress, these are an Iraqi's wishes and he does live in downtown Baghdad, unlike you and me.
Not supporting the US presence is very understandable. I would even be happy to assume to 100% of them want the US to leave. Now let's ask them when. Tomorrow? A month? Half a year? Year? Make sure they understand the implications of the US packing up and shipping out tomorrow. They might want to think this over when you put it to them all of a sudden.Iraqi's are very divided on a lot of issues,but what's for sure is that only a very small minority supports us-presence.
But that's all beside the point because fact of the matter is Iraq would collapse into chaos and strife if the coalition took the next plane out and it's just not going to happen.
Yet it's not the coalition that's making life difficult for Iraqis. It's those guys with the suicide vests and cars that are trying to destroy the decent life the vast majority of Iraqis never had, have now gotten a taste of and do not want to return to a new Saddam or the next best thing to Iran's Ayatollahs.
Sounds like everyday documnetaries pointing out nothing but the negative in Iraq to me. Read my following post. I bet they didn't air any of that in French TV land.Yesterday I saw a documentory of a crew that followed some army-unit in the north-east of Iraq, they found weapons in a house and decided to take the 4 women present in the house, since the owner has fled. the next day all the inhabitants of the village took to the street, armed with guns, screaming anti-american slogans, demanding the release of the women. The local Iraqi's who accompanied the unit all resigned because they feared the crowd, and finally the Americans released the women. tHIS is everyday life in Iraq, and this is how the silent majority thinks about the US.
Iraq's a big country. They have safehavens. Fallujah, Najaf, neighborhoods in Baghdad. They have their fans but they're despised by the rest of Iraq.Besides, the resistance as well as Al-Sadr could never be so succesfull without the support of the silent majority.
And which Iraqis are thrilled about the reconstruction of the economy, the oil industry and essential services being hindered. Oh yeh, the majority just love it!
Ooh. So much demagoguery in one paragraph!I give this new stongman a couple of weeks before he too will either flee, be shot or resign in shame. Everyone knows that the handover of autority was so early because they feared the reaction of the Iraqi resistance, the extremely unpopular and incompetent bremer left as a thief in the night. very few people really think it will make a big difference, since the occupation forces will just stay in the country and rule Iraq.
We shall see. We shall see.
WARNING: The following article has been rated hazzardous to the health of French TV documentary viewers:
We’re doing the right thing
From the front lines of Iraq: Stories of honor, faith and courage
June 27, 2004
Amber Bollman
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
When Army Reserve Maj. James Manzanares returned from a four-month deployment in Iraq, he threw away his three pairs of khaki-colored boots that were stained black with blood.
"I just wanted to forget," said the 38-year-old pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children's Clinic in Pensacola who served with the Army's 629th Forward Surgical Team.
But he hasn't forgotten.
When he hears a loud noise, he braces for a mortar blast. When he showers, he remembers the sides of his shower tent that once shook from the force of a nearby explosion. He thinks of soldiers "who didn't look old enough to shave" lying before him with serious injuries, pleading with him to make them better.
But along with his painful recollections of the war's human toll, Manzanares also holds a sense of pride in America's mission in Iraq and a belief that the outcome will be a positive one.
"This is truly a war," he said. "There was nothing nice or subtle about it, but I have to believe that we're doing the right thing. I have to think that people are dying for a reason and that eventually, Iraq is going to be more prosperous, more self-sufficient and more free."
With Iraq's interim government set to assume sovereignty on Wednesday, many of those who have risked their lives to help that nation and its people say that progress is being made.
The steps might be small. The victories might be largely unseen by the world.
But America's mission is a worthwhile one, furthered on a day-to-day basis by men and women who serve with integrity, pride and compassion, say many Pensacola Bay Area residents who have been there.
Capt. Peter O'Connor, the executive officer of Pensacola Naval Hospital who headed operations at a combat hospital during the first months of the war, recalls how excited Iraqi physicians and nurses were to learn from people trained in current Western medicine.
Gary Bergosh of Pensacola, a major in the Marine Corps Reserves and a Navy attorney, cherishes his memories of Kuwaitis who expressed their gratitude to American military personnel.
Army Spc. Rolanda Murray of Milton, a hospital laboratory technician in Baghdad's "Green Zone,'' speaks of the thankful words from Iraqi civilians who had horrible stories about life under Saddam Hussein's reign.
Navy Lt. Maria Alberto, stationed at Pensacola Naval Hospital, fell in love with a 4-year-old girl in Iraq.
Local residents in touch with loved ones in Iraq also recounted stories sent home through e-mails and phone calls.
Marine Master Sgt. Scott Clanton, a resident of Lucedale, Miss., and graduate of Pine Forest High School, is working with locals near the Syrian border to set up a police force.
"He believes it's going to make a difference," said Clanton's father, Henry, of Pensacola.
Gary Lowe, a Navy petty officer first class from Corry Field in Pensacola and an electronics technician, is at a training facility in KirKush, working with the new Iraqi Army to get an electrical system up and running.
"When I talk to him, he's very upbeat and said they're getting a lot of support and the Iraqis are working very hard," said a close friend, Theresa Gonzalez of Milton.
Capt. Peter O'Connor:Building trust
O'Connor's unit became the Navy's first Expeditionary Medical Facility to conduct operations in a combat zone, venturing into the desert of southern Iraq to set up the 116-bed Fleet Hospital 3.
O'Connor and his staff provided around-the-clock care in 21 different medical and dental specialties to soldiers, enemy prisoners of war and displaced Iraqi civilians who streamed in for treatment of war injuries.
Initially, the reaction was one of distrust, O'Connor said.
"But that would dissipate quickly when they saw that we were going to help them and care for them in the same way we would one of our own," he said.
At one point during the first weeks of combat, a large dust storm in the area grounded medical helicopters.
On the night the storm finally subsided, the 53-year-old O'Connor walked outside.
"It must have been about 3 a.m.," he said. "The sky was clear, the stars were bright, and there was a line of helicopters above us waiting to come down."
As patients flooded into the hospital, surgeries began simultaneously on four operating tables.
It was a moment that O'Connor remembers as the proudest of his stint in Iraq.
"Everyone just sort of fell in to their duties," he said. "Everyone was doing exactly what they had been trained to do, and it all seemed to be clicking."
O'Connor's staff also delivered $900,000 worth of medical supplies to several Iraqi civilian hospitals.
They worked side-by-side with Iraqi physicians and nurses in hospitals that had long lacked modern supplies and equipment.
"They were so excited to be learning," O'Connor said. "They were starving for folks who were trained in current Western medicine.
In addition, O'Connor said, fleet hospital staff members conducted three relief missions into local communities, providing food, clothes, medical supplies and children's toys to residents.
"You'd be amazed at how far a smile and friendly face go toward building trust," he said.
Maj. Gary Bergosh:Words of gratitude
Bergosh, 37, an Escambia County School Board member, joined the Marine Reserve to back up his own words.
"A lot of people pay lip service to things like the military," said the father of one. "But I didn't want to be someone who just talked about it."
With a father who served in Vietnam and a grandfather who served in World War II, Bergosh felt a sense of pride and duty when he was deployed to Iraq in February 2003 before the war started.
Several weeks later, he was called to lead a team delivering 20 amphibious assault vehicles from Kuwait to the front lines north of Al Nassariah in Iraq.
On the return trip, Bergosh helped escort three Kuwaiti interpreters out of Iraq and back to their native country. The trio, who were educated in the United States, had volunteered to assist the Marines as they worked their way through Iraq.
Bergosh's conversations with the interpreters made him realize the value of his work.
The interpreters had been living in Kuwait when Saddam's forces invaded during the first Gulf War.
"It truly was a conquest," Bergosh said. "They raped and murdered and pillaged and tried to destroy Kuwait."
The three men spoke in glowing terms about American efforts to rebuild Kuwait's infrastructure after the war.
"Their hope was that the same thing might happen in Iraq," Bergosh said.
(continued)
One of the interpreters was president of the Kuwaiti Harley-Davidson club -- and gave Bergosh several Harley T-shirts.
"These guys just embraced the American culture," Bergosh said. "You see them wearing blue jeans and riding around on American motorcycles, and they loved it."
Bergosh said that any doubts or questions he has had about the war always circle back to one question: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
"I don't know if I am," he said. "But I do feel like there is something good and noble about trying to free a people. You see these ordinary people who live in such poor circumstances, and for years they've been in fear of Saddam, afraid that he would do something even worse than the things he has already done. And now they have some hope. I like to believe that's what we're fighting for."
Spc. Rolanda Murray:Healing wounds
On Murray's first morning in Iraq, a car bomb exploded at a nearby coalition checkpoint.
"I almost fell out of my cot," the 23-year-old said. "The building we were sleeping in literally shook."
Since then, the laboratory technician has gotten accustomed to the sound of explosions as well as Iraq's heat, the long hours and the nightmares that sometimes come when she sleeps.
"She's called me crying a time or two," said Murray's mother, Anita Moss of Milton. "But she's been so brave. I don't think I could be more proud of her."
Murray, a 1999 Milton High School graduate, joined the Army because nobody believed she would.
"Nobody took me seriously," she said. "That motivated me."
In the process of proving everyone wrong, she found a job that she loves.
In the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, she treats American soldiers, Iraqi civilians and enemy combatants with the same level of care. Her job is to help those in need, regardless of wartime allegiances or beliefs, she said.
"Maybe one of the 'bad guys' to whom we've administered care will undergo a change of heart and maybe develop a different view of Americans," she said. "Maybe not, but knowing that there are people in our care who respect our presence in this country and depend on us to help rehabilitate them is one thing that keeps me motivated to do the right thing."
During trips into the Baghdad streets and nearby bazaars, women and children often wave at her and thank her.
Though she realizes there are things she is missing at home, Murray says those sacrifices are for a worthy cause.
"My belief is that if we are here pursuing terrorists and people who want to harm our fellow Americans, I and other soldiers just like me are doing all we can to ensure that our families can do the things that we are missing out on," she said. "Knowing that my little sister got to graduate from (Milton) High School last month without the sounds of gunshot fire and mortar rounds landing makes it all worthwhile."
Murray said she has cried over lost lives, but the lives saved reinforce the purpose of the work she has done.
"About a year ago, I felt ambivalent about this war," she said. "Now that I've witnessed 'war' firsthand, I feel it is necessary to preserve freedom, not only for our people, but for those who have never experienced freedom."
Lt. Maria Alberto:The joy of a child
Alberto probably will never know the name of the young girl who won her heart in Iraq.
"We thought she was probably about 4, but no one really knew for sure," Alberto said. "We didn't know who she was."
The young Iraqi girl was separated from her family after she was struck in the foot with shrapnel and sent to Fleet Hospital 3 for treatment.
It didn't take long for staff members to fall for her smile and sweet demeanor. They gave her candy, toys and stuffed animals.
"We had at least 10 or 12 people who said, 'If you can't find her family, I'll adopt her,' " Alberto said. "We just loved having her there."
Alberto is a mother of two who wrote to her own children every day. She said she "grew very attached" to the young girl and to other patients.
"Seeing how much these people depend on you makes you realize how important your job is," Alberto said. "You do get attached and want to see everything work out for them.''
The girl, like many other injured children who were treated at the fleet hospital, eventually was transferred to the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship where children could receive more thorough care in less hazardous conditions.
Time and again, Alberto witnessed the joy of families who were reunited when their children were returned from the USNS Comfort.
"It just reinforces how much we have in common," Alberto said. "Seeing that always makes you feel like you're doing something good for people."
Master Sgt. Scott Clanton:Working for children
From the time he was a boy, Clanton wanted to be a Marine.
"I guess we started it by buying him all those G.I. Joes," said his mother, Hilda Clanton of Pensacola. "It's all he's ever wanted to do, and I guess he found his calling."
Since January, Clanton, 39, has been stationed in Al Qa'im, Iraq, working to establish a true police force in the area.
"It has been a real cowboy land in the past," said his father, Henry. "But he works very closely with the Iraqis to get things stable."
Clanton ventures often into nearby towns and sends home photos of the children he meets. He told his mother that children seem in awe as they flock to American soldiers.
"They want to get close to him," she said. "I think the older people, their parents, sometimes aren't so sure and try to pull their kids back. But who can blame them, with the kind of system they've lived under all these years?"
Maybe it's the "gung-ho Marine" in him, but Clanton is undaunted by the skepticism he encounters, his mother said.
"He thinks we're doing the right thing for the children and for all the older people who have never known any freedom," she said.
Petty Officer Gary Lowe:A sense of optimism
A yellow ribbon hangs in the front of Lowe's house in Pensacola, alongside a Texas state flag.
The big friendly Texan, who celebrated his 40th birthday in Iraq, has been in the Navy for 11 years.
"He sometimes feels like a fish out of water being a sailor stuck in the middle of the desert," said his friend, Theresa Gonzalez.
Lowe, an electronics technician, is stationed in northeastern Iraq, where he trains recruits for the new Iraqi Army.
When he writes home, Lowe is optimistic about the potential for the country and its people, Gonzalez said.
"He is very positive about what they are doing and how hard the Iraqis are working to better their country," she said. "He's teaching them to lay power grids and get a real modern power system set up."
The number of Iraqi troops in Lowe's classes continues to grow, and the troops' performance during exercises has improved dramatically in recent months, Lowe wrote to Gonzalez in May.
"From what he can tell, the Iraqis are very happy to have us there," Gonzalez said. "And I think what he wants, more than anything, is for the children there to be able to play like children here, without having to worry about going outside."
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