Our Week in Iraq, an Overview

When we went to Iraq, The Gold Star Mothers were unsure of what to expect.We were told we would do service projects, work one on one with the people, unite women from the U.S. with Iraqi women, help the orphans and widows, and teach about service and volunteerism. A pretty tall order and all of it undefined. My hope was to quietly get into the country and do something that was meaningful for the people, and get out. My idea was to “blend in” as much as possible as to not alert too many people of our presence. We did anything but blend in. We were big news in Iraq, with high level and high profile events the entire week. TV cameras awaited us everywhere we went.There was a groundswell of excitement over our visit and genuine love and gratitude for our son’s sacrifice in their country. We were honored guests in Iraq.

Our visit centered around the Kurdish city of Suliamaniyh in the north. The Kurds were heavily persecuted by Saddam Hussein and they are especially grateful for all the American’s have done for them. The area is considered quite safe as compared to other parts of Iraq. Little in the way of insurgent attacks take place there. However we were given a large security detail, a few with our group and the others were local Iraqi security agents and all were outstanding.

Kurdish, Sunni and Shia women from various parts of Iraq joined us and spent most of the week with us. Over the week, we grew close to these women for we shared a common bond. Whether through the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein or from the insurgent attacks that followed, these women had lost loved ones. Many women shared stories in which as many as eight men from their family, brothers, fathers, children, husbands had been killed or simply vanished, never to be heard from again. Because these situations are not all that uncommon in Iraq, very large numbers of women have been left without men, and must provide for their families on their own. Boys taken by the regime, left a population of girls growing up who would have no one to marry as the female population was much larger than the male population.

The goal of Families United Toward Universal Respect (FUTURE) who hosted the trip, is to empower women in Iraq by teaching self reliance, networking with other women, and volunteerism by bringing women from the United States and Iraq together who have suffered similar loss and share a common goal.While working with the women throughout the week, we attended conferences where women who were widowed and knew loss, told their stories and expressed their deep gratitude for the sacrifice our children had made in their country, for them. Repeatedly our fallen sons were referred to as their martyrs. They considered our sons as their own and tried to convey their deep love for these young men and women who were willing to sacrifice so much to liberate their people. The bond formed between the Gold Star Mothers and the Iraqi women was deep, strong and lasting. As mothers whose children died in their land helping free and stabilize their nation, our common goal was the success of their nation and their people. Our sons did all they could do, now mothers working with mothers to help strengthen their communities, was the next logical step.

Together we spent time in the cancer hospital visiting with children in treatment. Cancer rates high due to chemicals that were used by Saddam Hussein to attack the people. Some time was spent determining the medical needs, and ways both American and Iraqi women could help the hospital and the people in need. A visit to the maternity hospital revealed significant needs of common medications that could save the lives of premature babies. Iraqis do not pay for their medical services as it is all provided by the government, and sadly many basic needs are lacking. Infant kits and baby blankets were distributed at this stop. The Women’s Center, a place where women can go for counseling, family planning, legal services, shelter or whatever needs or crisis they are facing, was our next stop. While women in Iraq face some needs similar to American women in crisis, they face many other issues that thankfully American women will never deal with. We left supplies that had been gathered in the U.S. for the Iraqi women and came away with specific needs the center has and ways American women can help.

Halabjah. Is the site of Saddam Hussein’s 1988 chemical weapons bombing in which 5,000 people were killed in five minutes. Although I’d seen pictures and knew of the attack, it was overwhelming to be in the exact place where it all happened. We saw horrific pictures of men, women and children lying dead in the streets. We visited the graveyard where the victims are buried, saw the mass graves, and the families sections in which several members of a single family were buried. We also had the chance to meet a few people who had survived the attack. Again, deep love and appreciation was showed to our Gold Star Moms not only for coming, but for the sacrifices made by our children to rid them of the man who had perpetrated this evil upon them.

Many in America still debate the need for the U.S. going into Iraq in 2003.Standing in the place, and seeing the documentation of the horror inflicted on humanity, I believe the world is a safer place because of the efforts of the U.S. Military and a government willing to do what needed done.

As we left Iraq we were relieved as there were a few times our safety was in question. But we came away with a new understanding for the country, the culture and the people who had benefited from the U.S. presence in Iraq and more specifically, our son’s sacrifice. As mother’s of sons who had died in this land, we would now carry on by helping the people strengthen their communities and ultimately, their nation.