I'm in awe!

This month had a hectic but absolutely amazing start! Today I went to 2 promotion ceremonies, a going a way dinner, and a “foreigner dinner” amidst daily tasks. Let me explain some of them… Promotion ceremonies are absolutely amazing. Seeing 2 army enlisted people get promoted was so neat. They work so hard, and the gratification of getting promoted means so much to them. It means even more when officers show up to give them support. The second guy sorta knows me, but when he saw me in line to congratulate him, his eyes got really big, and he thanked me for coming. I’m just barely beginning to grasp the power that officers have to encourage troops. The other amazing thing today was the dinner held by the chow hall workers. They’re from India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, all over! They invited a select few of the military to their special dinner. I almost didn’t go b/c I thought it was just a bbq for them, and I didn’t want to intrude. I went and was in complete awe of what I saw! The meal was in between the employees trailers, and they had set up tables with table clothes, chairs, schaffing dishes with food, a huge grill to warm food, cold pop in ice, decorative fake trees, and music! The guys work so hard to prepare food for us all day long, and then to see them creating another outdoor banquet just floored me. At that moment I felt so blessed to be over here and to have the opportunity to meet new people. There were a lot of translators at the meal, so we were able to communicate and even though in Iraq, I feel like a spoiled brat here. These guys have smaller living spaces, less benefits while here, and have risked so much more by being here than I have. One of the guys now lives in California, but he escaped from Sudan 25 years ago. Now he’s over here helping the cause and really enjoys working with Americans. Another guy is Iraqi and told us about the Saddam regime and how if you disagreed with Saddam, he just killed you. He didn’t care what religion you were, if you were against the Ba’ath party, you died. I feel fear over here, mostly because I’m still learning about the culture and how things work. I can’t imagine living daily with a dictator who’d kill you if you looked at him wrong! I was so humbled after dinner with all of them. So many cultures with so many life long experiences. It was neat to see how they know what’s truly going on here, and they support the US troops. They know that we’re making a difference, even if it is small. If only the American press would represent what we’re doing over here honestly. Iraqis now have a fair voting system, running water, people can go out of their homes without fearing someone will shoot them, women can vote, schools are being set up, there is better healthcare, new judicial systems run by the Iraqis are being emplaced… I feel so blessed to 1 - be here and help, and 2 - know that in a few months I get to go back to the States where I'm free! I only wish there was a way that I could do more while here.