02 May, 2012

May 2, 2005

I really want to get back to doing my “On This Day” series. Today seems like a good day to start. Little Farah’s story is absolutely heart-wrenching. Read it now if you never have before.

This is from Michael Yon’s book, “Moment of Truth in Iraq”, which I highly recommend:

When little Farah heard the American Strykers, she dashed out of the house barefoot to wave at the Americans. Other kids had done the same. The soldiers tossed candy. The suicide-murderer driving the car bomb could have waited a couple of blocks to attack our soldiers, but instead rammed his car into the Stryker while about twenty kids were crowded around.

An Iraqi woman rushed little Farah out of the smoke and flames to sniper Sergeant Walt Gaya who, instead of pushing into sniper position, rushed Farah back to the medics. Major Mark Bieger saw Farah and scooped her up and rushed to a Stryker, but along the way Bieger kept stopping to hug her. Some of Farah’s relatives loaded into the Stryker and they rushed to the hospital where Farah died.

Shortly after Farah’s murder in May 2005, this picture, published all over Iraq and all over the world, had a devastating effect on the terrorists. Farah’s death was not in vain.

Whenever someone tells me that our troops are “baby killers”, “occupiers”, or that we were not wanted in Iraq, I remember Bieger and Farah. And whenever someone tells me that the terrorists there are like our Minutemen, I remember this picture, and know that Farah is dead because of these “insurgents”.

I honor little Farah, who died 7 years ago today, but I also honor American soldiers all over the world who do this kind of thing every day without thought of recognition for it, but because it’s the right thing to do.

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