A NEW DAY DAWNS
"It is like the soul coming back to the body." That was the sentiment expressed by Ibrahim Abdullah, a refugee returning to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. His heartfelt words paint a vivid picture of the overwhelming change that has taken place in the lives of the Iraqi people in the last six months. It is hard for us as Americans to grasp just how dramatic that transformation has been. A brutal dictator who killed innocent men, women and children on a whim is gone. His band of thugs who intimidated, tortured and maimed has been scattered, captured or killed. And the Iraqi people are beginning to experience freedom and rebuild their lives after a generation of oppression.
Back To School
For young Iraqis who have never known life without Saddam Hussein, last month brought about the most visible change. In September, millions of Iraqi children returned to school, marking one of the greatest successes of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. armed forces were integral in making that day possible. Our service men and women worked with local partners to refurbish schools that had been destroyed under Saddam so Iraq's youth could experience the world of opportunity that education offers.
Under the former Iraqi regime, desks were in pieces, blackboards broken, windows shattered, doorways stood void of doors, and poor or non-existent lighting was commonplace. U.S. military personnel and engineers, and American and Iraqi contractors worked to repair schools. Walls were painted, electrical wiring and plumbing fixed, glass replaced, security bars installed in windows, and school supplies were issued.
But more important than the new facilities and equipment that now welcome the children each morning is the absence of Saddam Hussein. No longer do Iraqi children start their day with a pledge of loyalty to him. No longer does his picture stare down from the walls, or up from the pages of their textbooks - "even the math books" as one Iraqi teacher said. The horrors of life under a dictator are gone. As reported in the National Review, "...there will be no mysterious disappearances from the classroom. No teachers and pupils will be found dead in school doorways ... Teenage schoolgirls will not be abducted and taken to one of the many harems maintained by Uday, Saddam's sadistic elder son..." Life in Iraq has been altered forever, immeasurably for the better.
A New Currency
In October, a new national currency began replacing the old Iraqi money called "dinar." While here in America the new U.S. $20 bill being introduced hardly makes the evening news, the new Iraqi bills have international implications. Saddam Hussein's image has been erased from the money, and the Iraqi people can pay for their groceries without his gaze. The new currency also signals the beginning of a stabilized Iraqi economy. While outside investors avoided the country in the past, the new dinar will offer a measure of confidence to the market and bring economic opportunity to Iraqis and foreign investors alike.
Hope for the Future
Our military is performing heroic acts every day to ensure the Iraqi people are free and working toward a viable self-government. Step by step, normal life in Iraq is being established, as basic services are restored and hope is reborn. No words can quite convey the appropriate emotion better than those of the liberated people themselves. Raja Habib al-Khaza'i, the director of an Iraqi maternity hospital and a member of the Governing Council, said, "I helped deliver thousands of Iraqi babies, and now I am taking part in the birth of a new country and a new rule based on women's rights, humanity, unity and freedom." A new day has indeed dawned for Iraq.
October 17, 2003