A Different Look at Iraq
by: Alex Levine and Brittani Springmeyer
The headline reads "Soldiers Die in Iraq by Another Suicide Bomber" in the Courier and Press. It is really hard to read this as a family member to a soldier in a distant nation that most of us will never see in our lives. Soldiers are family members, even if you do not know them; their deaths hit us hard in the community and in the United States. Right now, people at our school have family members in foreign lands fighting in the war. All I know is that these family members deserve to be recognized with Veterans Day having recently passed.
My Uncle Jonathan Douglas, or J.D. for short, is a member in the Army and is currently stationed in and undisclosed place in Iraq. This is my uncle's second time in a foreign land. Some people do not understand the feelings that these people feel. People think just because they watch a movie about the war then it means that they know what the soldiers are going through. They have no idea. I have to tell you that it is terrifying wondering every day if your family member is still alive after they aren't allowed to call everyday and only allowed to get on the computer to e-mail you about once every two weeks. When you do get their e-mails, it is like every thing in the world is okay. It is the best feeling in the world to know that your personal soldier is still alive and no one can take that feeling away.
J.D. is a specialist, sometimes abbreviated to SPC, meaning he is in one of the four enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. It shares the same enlisted pay grade as the Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers (NCO). He will be gone for about 15 months. He is supposed to return home around Christmas 2008. J.D. does receive some R. & R. time, which means that he will be able to come home for about two weeks then he will have to return to Iraq.
Sometimes we are so occupied with the soldiers that we forget about the people still in America. There is much controversy about those from Iraq and Iran living in America. Many believe they are here as terrorists or spies, and many treat them with disrespect in restaurants, airports, and even on the streets. In an interview, Faris Fadheel, a neurologist residing in Newburgh, reveals his true motives for moving to America and the obstacles he meets while living here in Indiana.
Fadheel, born in Pakistan, moved to Baghdad, Iraq where he married and had a son, Faryad. His wife, Hiero, and he decided to move to America in 1992 to protect Faryad from the turmoil in their hometown. Although the rules and regulations made it difficult to immigrate here, they were determined to get Faryad to America to maximize his opportunities for a safer, more fulfilling life. "America is more organized; here, there is constant availability to services and infrastructure. In Iraq, our lives were dominated by the constant need of food and materials. We had no electricity, no gas, no clean water, and no health services; there was absolutely no security," comments Faris. "I kept thinking, 'How is this possible in a country so rich from oil?'"
When asked if he misses Iraq, Fadheel comments, "Yes, I do. It was difficult to leave my friends and family there, and I still talk to them regularly, but if I had the choice, I would not go back. It is far too dangerous." Currently, the Faheels, Faris, Faryad, Heiro, and their youngest son, Feeraz, are housing a family that recently fled from Baghdad. Due to the sensitivity of the subject and the language barrier, I was unable to interview them.
Faris comments, "I want everyone to know that the Iraqi people are suffering. There is nothing on the news about the large fraction of those at home without freedom and food and water. The fighting is caused by only a small fraction of groups; the rest are a simple people. Those suffering in Iraq are in this state of terror not because they did anything wrong but because there is too much oil in Iraq. I wonder if there would be no oil at home if there would be any news coverage there."
Clearly, we need to open our eyes in America and realize that there is more to this war than what is shown to us. Innocent people, Iraqis and American soldiers, are suffering every day.