Stories Away From The Mainstream

Word from Iraq:

The following e-mail was sent by 1st Lt. Robert Grabowski of the U.S. Marine Corps to his mother Denise Grabowski in Jeannette. Robert, 25, grew up in Jeannette and has been training the Iraqi army since Thanksgiving 2006.

This may be a little sappy, but I just wanted to show a side of this war that you don't see on the news.

Today I was sitting and talking with an old Iraqi lieutenant colonel. He is very smart and speaks really good English, so sometimes I just stop by his office to shoot the breeze. Somehow we got on the topic of patriotism and what it takes to be dedicated to a cause.

He began describing to me how dangerous his home in Baghdad was. He told me that he couldn't even go outside his house without fearing for his life. He is raising a family in a city that is torn by war and his neighborhood is particularly dangerous, especially for an Iraqi army officer.

Then he went on to say that he was receiving death-threat text messages on his cell phone that basically said: "Quit the army or we will kill you."

The Iraqi colonel's response was one of the most amazing things that I've experienced so far over here. He said to me, "I don' t care if they kill me. I know that I am doing the right thing and I know I am a good man. If they kill me I know that God will be on my side and that is all that matters."

He went on to say the only thing he would be sad about if they kill him would be his family being without a husband/father. There were tears in his eyes. That is courage.

This country is full of people just like this colonel. There are privates in the Iraqi army who go without food, pay or a warm or dry place to sleep just to serve their country. Not to mention that death is around every corner for the average Iraqi soldier. All that the people of this country want is a peaceful home in which to raise a family, just like us. They are true patriots who deserve freedom and peace a hell of a lot more than half of the people in the U.S.

Don't let the media fool you. There are good people in this country.

Robert Grabowski
Iraq

I just thought you should know.



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