My Iraq Experience in 2003 دكتور عدلى حسنين حله فى العراق

My Iraq Experience in 2003

  My deployment to Iraq in 2003/4 by USAID and The Department of Defense (DoD) as a human rights and democracy education Advisor changed me in many ways. It opened my eyes to poverty, oppression, and human need. I saw Iraqi children standing barefoot on the burning sand of the desert. I saw old villagers afraid of both American soldiers and terrorist extremist groups. I saw families of Americans providing toys, school supplies and clothing to poor Iraqis. I saw bravery, kindness, and evil on both sides up close. I saw suffering on a scale I had never encountered before during my 30 plus years as US Government and United Nations development expert all over the world.

People asked me whether I made a difference being deployed or sent to countries like Iraq, Bosnia, Yemen, Lebanon, Mali or Palestine I would say, “A very small difference, but if everyone makes a very small difference, in time it will make a large difference.” I have learned to strive for large differences, but to be content with small ones. Trying to be humane and just in a war is difficult, but it differentiates us from despots, dictators and hate groups. I am proud I serve in institutions with rules of engagement that seek to protect innocent life without any distinction for race, religion, social association or sex orientation. I am proud to have served with people who joined our missions for the right reasons.

Many people ask questions about what I did in Iraq - was I in combat zone, did I wetness the killing of anybody, etc. While plenty of military personnel engage the enemy, there are more people like me in support roles than on the front line. These support personnel also risk their lives, but their tasks are different. Surprisingly, even support personnel can get Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - there are horrifying events and memories that can affect us as human beings. Vets want and need community, just like everybody else.

A person I admire is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany who actively worked against the Nazi regime, which led to his execution in a concentration camp. He began as a pacifist, but then came to believe it was necessary to kill Adolf Hitler in order to stop the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis. If I could ask him a question, it would be what he thought about America today - he lived briefly in New York in the 1930’s, and I wonder what he would think of our society now after the shocking election of Donald Trump and his horrifying picks for the current administration.

So many vital issues! We must learn to work together to safeguard our world and each other; education is the key. Learning together, working together, playing together - these create relationships which allow us to live in peace together. Many people think people in the military want war. They are wrong Mr. President - almost all of us really want peace. It’s why I believe kind relationships create peace.

My wife and I are art and music lovers! And we raised our children to be a third culture kids with love and respect for all human and other beings. Nature, culture and beautiful music inspire us. My life is full of love; family, friends, and hope ... hope that I leave the world a better place for my children and grandchildren.
Will war ever end? ANSWER: I wish I had an answer to this question myself - it is certainly within humanity’s power to prevent it! However, evil has always existed and will probably always exist in our world, so I think some form of violence and warfare is the unfortunate result of the current administration, and we must prepare for it.

I am truly proud to be a Muslim because I know Islam is the right religion and I am on the right path. I am also proud to be an American because we’re all different and yet we’re alike in a lot of ways. Since the beginning, we’ve always been a nation that the world has looked to as a place where anything is possible; It is the land of the braves, it is the land of the “American Dream”. We have freedoms that people in other countries only dream about but we’re not without our flaws. We know how to make fun of ourselves during the good times… And support each other during the bad.