I know, I know...this story will cause many to raise up and take their stand on the Iraq war. "We shouldn't even be there in the first place", some will say. "We are fighting for freedom for the Iraqi people, and for our freedom from terrorism", others will say. Wherever you stand and whatever you believe in, the truth is, there are moments when people do good things for other people and I want to celebrate that.
I'm glad to find a story about the Iraq war that puts a kind human face on Americans. I am not a veteran. I have never been in a war. I do not know what it is like to be in a foreign country where some people like you and others hate you and perhaps a large group of people don't trust you. I don't know at all what it is like to be away from family for extended periods of time. I don't know how I would respond if I found myself in the middle of an armed conflict.
This story (as confirmed in Snopes) gives me a bit of hope. The picture tells the real story, but the background information helps to explain. The little one resting with John in the chair is a little girl who lost her family when gunmen came to her house and shot everyone, including the little girl. She received extensive gunshot wounds to the head, but was not killed. In the hospital, the girl was recovering, but had trouble calming down, unless John was holding her. So, John volunteered to hold her and they would sleep. For four nights he came and held her so she could get some sleep. He didn't have to. But he did.
If we could all take time to hold each other and comfort those who are afraid, we would be further down the road to enlightenment, I believe. Maybe a bit sappy, but something to strive for anyway.
p.s. I love this quote from Officer Gebhardt:
"I pray for the best for the Iraqi children," he said. "I can't tell the difference between their kids and our kids. The Iraqi parents have the same care and compassion for their children as any American."
(This image found at: http://airforcemedicine.afms.mil/sg_newswire/2006_11/photos/HumbleChiefPHOTO.jpg)
