Stories of suffering

I spent quite a length of time today talking to an interpreter of ours named “Charlie”. We talked about his family, the friends he has made among soldiers and his plans for the future. He spoke with great emotion about his experiences living under Saddam Hussein’s rule. Saddam had two of Charlie’s brother put to death for opposing him. The feelings of anger and sadness were evident when he spoke of his brothers. Charlie himself was also captured. He was held in a prison, chained to a wall with his arms outstretched. He was to be killed also, but says that just before his sentence was to be carried out an Iraqi Army Captain ordered that he be released. The soldier said that because both of Charlie’s brothers had been killed that he had endured enough. Charlie has a very deep faith in God and says that it was by Allah’s grace that he was spared.

Charlie asked my Lieutenant and I if we had heard about some of the horrible acts that Saddam had committed over the years. We talked about the gassing of the Kurds to the North and about all of the innocent people that Saddam had murdered or exiled. Charlie told us that Saddam had his men dig a gigantic hole in the sand. A bus full of political prisoners was driven into the center and the hole was filled in, burying them all alive. Charlie could hardly believe that LT and I had never read of this terrible crime in American newspapers or heard it spoken of on television.

I told Charlie that I had recently read that Saddam was to stand trial soon and that it is likely he will be executed. He told me that death would not be good enough. According to Charlie the Iraqi people want Saddam to first endure hell on earth before he is released by death. To so many Iraqis the crimes of Saddam were not just news stories but very personal events which directly touched their lives and the lives of their loved ones. It seems that every man I have spoken to about Saddam has a story of a murdered family member or friend. I hope that Saddam’s trial in the upcoming months will help bring closure to all those who have suffered.