Iraqi Freedom

US MARINE CORPS OIF IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
US MARINE CORPS OIF IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Backpack Small Embroidered Designs Never Used Nice
Operation Iraqi Freedom Backpack Small Embroidered Designs Never Used Nice
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US NAVY IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN BASEBALL CAP
US NAVY IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN BASEBALL CAP
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C Co 3 25 LIGHTNING DUSTOFF IRAQI FREEDOM LOUDER YOU SCREAM MILITARY PATCH
C Co 3 25 LIGHTNING DUSTOFF IRAQI FREEDOM LOUDER YOU SCREAM MILITARY PATCH
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US NAVY IRAQI FREEDOM ENDURING FREEDOM LICENSE PLATE
US NAVY IRAQI FREEDOM ENDURING FREEDOM LICENSE PLATE
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82ND AIRBORNE OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PIN
82ND AIRBORNE OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PIN
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US MARINE CORPS IRAQI ENDURING FREEDOM LICENSE PLATE
US MARINE CORPS IRAQI ENDURING FREEDOM LICENSE PLATE
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN UNITED STATES ARMY
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN UNITED STATES ARMY
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Remove Before Flight Embroidered Key Chain Key Ring
Operation Iraqi Freedom Remove Before Flight Embroidered Key Chain Key Ring
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IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH AFGHANISTAN SKULL DEATH TO AL QUIDA
IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH AFGHANISTAN SKULL DEATH TO AL QUIDA
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US NAVY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH IRAQ NAVY USS OIF
US NAVY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH IRAQ NAVY USS OIF
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES 4 INCH
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES 4 INCH
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM US NAVY DCAMO
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM US NAVY DCAMO
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Embroidered Navy Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom Med Cruise 2003 CVN 75 CVW 3
Embroidered Navy Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom Med Cruise 2003 CVN 75 CVW 3
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US NAVY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH IRAQ NAVY USS OIF WOW
US NAVY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH IRAQ NAVY USS OIF WOW
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US ARMY 7th CAVALRY REGIMENT PATCH Garry Owen IRAQI FREEDOM MILITARY PATCH
US ARMY 7th CAVALRY REGIMENT PATCH Garry Owen IRAQI FREEDOM MILITARY PATCH
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Iraqi Freedom Semper Fidelis Mug
Iraqi Freedom Semper Fidelis Mug
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IRAQI FREEDOM 06 08 COMBAT VETEEAN Challenge Coin
IRAQI FREEDOM 06 08 COMBAT VETEEAN Challenge Coin
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US NAVY U S S KENNEDY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM BXT81
US NAVY U S S KENNEDY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM BXT81
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USAF US AIR FORCE Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ball Cap Ballcap Hat 1649
USAF US AIR FORCE Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ball Cap Ballcap Hat 1649
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM SEA BATS FOXTROT Military Patch
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM SEA BATS FOXTROT Military Patch
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AIRBORNE Challenge Coin
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AIRBORNE Challenge Coin
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 58TH BCTChallenge Coin
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 58TH BCTChallenge Coin
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US MARINES IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN quality 5 width PATCH
US MARINES IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN quality 5 width PATCH
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US Marines Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran USMC Hat or Lapel Pin 14548
US Marines Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran USMC Hat or Lapel Pin 14548
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United States Marine Corps Iraqi Freedom Hat Pin
United States Marine Corps Iraqi Freedom Hat Pin
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Shirt OIF Size XL Never Worn Caution Shirt Nice
Operation Iraqi Freedom Shirt OIF Size XL Never Worn Caution Shirt Nice
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US AIR FORCE Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Hat or Lapel Pin 14547
US AIR FORCE Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Hat or Lapel Pin 14547
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US Marines Operation Iraqi Freedom mug
US Marines Operation Iraqi Freedom mug
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH NEW
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH NEW
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Navy Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran US Navy Hat or Lapel Pin 14549
Navy Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran US Navy Hat or Lapel Pin 14549
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3 D OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM GIBRALTAR ROYAL MARINES ENAMELED MEDAL LK
3 D OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM GIBRALTAR ROYAL MARINES ENAMELED MEDAL LK
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US Army 1st Cavalry Division Operation Iraqi Freedom Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
US Army 1st Cavalry Division Operation Iraqi Freedom Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES 3 INCH
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES 3 INCH
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES DCAMO
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNITED STATES DCAMO
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN UNITED STATES NAVY
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN UNITED STATES NAVY
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM US NAVY
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM US NAVY
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US Army Coffee Mug Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Apache Helicopter Chopper
US Army Coffee Mug Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Apache Helicopter Chopper
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US ARMY Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
US ARMY Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
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US Army Iraqi Freedom Veteran w Campaign Ribbon Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
US Army Iraqi Freedom Veteran w Campaign Ribbon Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Combat Action Badge Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Combat Action Badge Ballcap Ball Cap Hat
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36th Infantry Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran US Army Ball Cap Hat
36th Infantry Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran US Army Ball Cap Hat
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US Coast Guard Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Hat or Lapel Pin 14550
US Coast Guard Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Hat or Lapel Pin 14550
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SNIPER TEAM BAGHDAD OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
SNIPER TEAM BAGHDAD OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
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US Army Desert Storm Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ball Cap Ballcap Hat
US Army Desert Storm Iraqi Freedom Veteran Ball Cap Ballcap Hat
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Embroidered Navy Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom USS Nimitz CAG 11
Embroidered Navy Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom USS Nimitz CAG 11
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101st Airborne Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran Screaming Eagle Ball Cap Hat
101st Airborne Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran Screaming Eagle Ball Cap Hat
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US ARMY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM Keychain Embroidered Key Chain Key Ring
US ARMY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM Keychain Embroidered Key Chain Key Ring
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Army Combat Engineer Operation Iraqi Freedom COMBAT ENGINEER IRAQ Ball Cap
Army Combat Engineer Operation Iraqi Freedom COMBAT ENGINEER IRAQ Ball Cap
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ANTI SNIPING SECTION BAGHDAD OPER IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
ANTI SNIPING SECTION BAGHDAD OPER IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Shirt OIF Size XL New Collectible Nice Designs
Operation Iraqi Freedom Shirt OIF Size XL New Collectible Nice Designs
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OIF 2004 Iraqi Freedom Army Patch Turkish Made
OIF 2004 Iraqi Freedom Army Patch Turkish Made
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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS USMC IRAQI FREEDOM MARINE CORPS BATTLESTANDARD PLAQUE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS USMC IRAQI FREEDOM MARINE CORPS BATTLESTANDARD PLAQUE
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Purple Heart IRAQI FREEDOM War Combat Wounded Ball Cap Ball Hat
Purple Heart IRAQI FREEDOM War Combat Wounded Ball Cap Ball Hat
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Operation Iraqi Freedom III  Challenge Coin
Operation Iraqi Freedom III Challenge Coin
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EMBROIDERED US COAST GUARD IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH
EMBROIDERED US COAST GUARD IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH
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Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Scimitar Sword Saber Hat or Lapel Pin14272
Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Scimitar Sword Saber Hat or Lapel Pin14272
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Operation Iraqi Freedom US Navy Challenge Coin NICE
Operation Iraqi Freedom US Navy Challenge Coin NICE
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United States Operation Iraqi Freedom outside decal
United States Operation Iraqi Freedom outside decal
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OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM IOF US HAT ARMY USMC USAF NAVY
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM IOF US HAT ARMY USMC USAF NAVY
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Amphibious Task Force East ACU4 BMU2 Operation Iraqi Freedom Patch
Amphibious Task Force East ACU4 BMU2 Operation Iraqi Freedom Patch
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US AIR FORCE Iraqi Freedom VET Challenge Coin w Box
US AIR FORCE Iraqi Freedom VET Challenge Coin w Box
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In Memory Of Who Died For Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF 5 inch PATCH 514
In Memory Of Who Died For Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF 5 inch PATCH 514
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran w Ribbon Ball Cap Ballcap Hat 1674
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran w Ribbon Ball Cap Ballcap Hat 1674
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US Army 3rd Infantry Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran with Ribbons Ball Cap
US Army 3rd Infantry Division Iraqi Freedom Veteran with Ribbons Ball Cap
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US Army 82nd Airborne Operation Iraqi Freedom with Ribbon Ball Cap Ballcap
US Army 82nd Airborne Operation Iraqi Freedom with Ribbon Ball Cap Ballcap
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US NAVY Iraqi Freedom Veteran US NAVY Veteran Ballcap Ball Cap Hat 1647
US NAVY Iraqi Freedom Veteran US NAVY Veteran Ballcap Ball Cap Hat 1647
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US MARINES OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM HMM 261 BXT35
US MARINES OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM HMM 261 BXT35
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US CENTRAL COMMAND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM HAT PIN
US CENTRAL COMMAND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM HAT PIN
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enamel pin Desert Storm Airborne 101st Iraqi Freedom Hat tie tac emblem badge
enamel pin Desert Storm Airborne 101st Iraqi Freedom Hat tie tac emblem badge
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HAT CAP PIN Military Insignia Navy IRAQI FREEDOM VET
HAT CAP PIN Military Insignia Navy IRAQI FREEDOM VET
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Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Coalition of the Patch
Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Coalition of the Patch
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United States Navy Iraqi Freedom Brass Hat Pin
United States Navy Iraqi Freedom Brass Hat Pin
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US MARINES IRAQI FREEDOM DESERT CAMO FLAG 3 x5
US MARINES IRAQI FREEDOM DESERT CAMO FLAG 3 x5
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Adjustable Baseball Hat Caps Iraqi Freedom Veteran Case Pack 12 Adjustable Baseball Hat Caps Iraqi Freedom Veteran Case Pack 12

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Description

Adjustable Baseball Hat Caps Iraqi Freedom Veteran - 12 pcs of adjustable baseball hats. Iraqi Freedom Veteran - Assorted Colors in the lot. (About half dark colors, half light colors.) '' Case Pack 12 Please note: If there is a color/size/type option, the option closest to the image will be shipped (Or you may receive a random color/size/type).

Iraqi Freedom Iraq Landmarks German Stein Iraqi Freedom Iraq Landmarks German Stein

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Description

Product Specifications: * King-Werks, also known as Wuerfel & Mueller, is one of only a few remaining German stein companies that still produce 100% of their steins in Germany with 100% German materials and labor.

Iraqi Freedom Iraq Landmarks LE German Beer Stein Iraqi Freedom Iraq Landmarks LE German Beer Stein

 
CRKT Hammond Desert Cruiser CRKT Hammond Desert Cruiser

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CRKT - Part Serrated Hammond Desert Cruiser Linerlock Knife with Desert Tan Zytel Handles. Model: CR7914DI. 5 1/4" closed linerlock. Partially serrated 8Cr14MoV stainless modified clip point blade with satin finish and ambidextrous thumb studs...

Columbia River Knife & Tool 13ZMI M16 Special Edition Iraqi Freedom Linerlock Knife with Zytel Handles Columbia River Knife & Tool 13ZMI M16 Special Edition Iraqi Freedom Linerlock Knife with Zytel Handles

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Description

Columbia River Knife & Tool - M16 Special Edition Iraqi Freedom Linerlock Knife with Zytel Handles: Model CR-13ZMI. 4 5/8" closed linerlock. Partially serrated AUS-6M stainless spear point blade with ambidextrous thumb studs and bead blast finish...

KA-BAR Operation Iraqi Freedom, USMC KA-BAR Operation Iraqi Freedom, USMC

List Price: $97.13
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Description

ATTRIBUTES Blade Detail: Plain Edge Blade Length (inches): 7.00 Blade Material: 1095 High Carbon Black Carry System: Leather Sheath USMC Handle Material: Stacked Leather Overall Length (inches): 11...

Part 1: Get Some Part 1: Get Some

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Part 1: Get Some [HD] Part 1: Get Some [HD]

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Inside Shock & Awe Inside Shock & Awe

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Operation Iraqi Freedom - Veteran Challenge Coin Operation Iraqi Freedom - Veteran Challenge Coin

Sale Price: $10.00

 

Description

Operation Iraqi Freedom The brave fighting men and women of Operation Iraqi Freedom are honored for their role in toppling Saddam Hussein's dangerous and destructive regime. Exhibiting lightning-fast speed and overwhelming power, American forces crushed Saddam Hussein's defensive forces in 2003, liberating the people of Iraq from his oppressive rule...

Operation Iraqi Freedom Enslaved Iraqi Women

My twenty-year-old cousin Renda is currently a student at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad, Iraq. Established in 1227, Mustansiriyah is one of the oldest university in the world. Extremists have targeted this university since the 2003 U.S. and British-led invasion, the most brutal act having taken place on January 16, 2007 when a double bomb attack killed sixty five people, mostly female students, and wounded 138. Though these incidents did not deter Renda from attending classes, they have had a negative impact on the majority of the country’s students. According to a joint Ministry of Interior (MoE) and UNICEF study, 800,000 Iraqi children, 74 percent of which are female, do not attend school.

I met Renda five years ago during my visit to Iraq. She loved school, and told me how she envisioned a great future for herself and her family. She had said, “I know life is hard now. But it will get better. When innocent people suffer, eventually they will rise.” She meant because the country had gone through wars and back then was under sanctions.

I watched as she brushed her hair, put ribbons on her braids, dressed in her blue uniform and carrying her back pack left off for school, walking. That spring night after we had supper, blankets were placed on the front lawn where I, along with Renda’s parents and younger brother, lay under a star filled sky. We shared stories and jokes until the middle of the night when we finally fell asleep. We woke up to the scent of grass and the sounds of birds chirping.

To walk to school or sleep in the front yard is no longer a luxury in Baghdad. All sorts of chaos lurks in the streets, from the insurgents who entered Iraq’s unprotected borders after the invasion, to the thugs who had been in jail during Saddam’s regime, to organized crime and the U.S. military who might mistake an innocent civilian for a bad guy and shoot – or who might just themselves be bad men and women behaving badly towards the Iraqis.

Renda had no idea that in a couple of years, matters would get much worse in Iraq – especially for her as a Christian. Since the invasion, many women have been executed, assaulted, raped or released only after their families paid considerable ransom money. Serious threats and deadly attacks have forced Christians and Muslims to wear the veil and quit their jobs, and to avoid makeup and education. My friend’s sister-in-law, at the start of the war, was stabbed in the heart simply because she was wearing a cross, which was ripped off her neck and thrown over her body.

Today when you talk to Iraqi women they remember “the good old days” when Saddam was in power and women were able to safely go to work, participate in social activities, take part in politics or stroll outside in the middle of the night. During Saddam’s regime, women were free to choose whether to wear western-style dress and make-up or the black abaya. When I was in Baghdad, I wore the clothes I’d packed from America. No one in the streets blinked an eye.

Yet in October of 2003, at the Conference of the National Association of Women Judges, Mrs. Bush compared the women of Afghanistan to the women of Iraq, stating, “They too lived under an oppressive tyrant.”

Mrs. Bush, once a teacher and librarian, is the daughter-in-law of a former president and a wife of a current one, both of whom have had tremendous involvement with Iraq. Surely she knows that Afghan women and Iraqi women are so different it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Historically, Iraqi women and girls have enjoyed more rights than many of their counterparts in the Middle East.

Mrs. Bush further claimed, “One tragic legacy of Saddam's rule is an overall adult illiteracy rate of 61 percent. And a staggering 77 percent of women - three out of four - cannot read.”

In December of 1979, the Iraqi government passed legislation requiring the eradication of illiteracy. Many of “literary centers” were run by the General Federation of Iraqi women. By 1987, 75% of the population was literate. In 1986, Iraq became one of the first countries to ratify the convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Under Saddam’s regime, there was compulsory free education in Iraq – universal free schooling up to the highest level. There was also free hospitalization. Iraq created one of the best public health system in the Middle East, earning Saddam an award from UNESCO. Saddam created a western style legal system and abolished the Sharia law courts, except for personal injury claims. Since the U.S.-led invasion, aside from violence, displacement is a contributing factor to student nonattendance.

“Today, I'm proud that this oppression has ended,” Mrs. Bush continued to say.

She is mistaken. The oppression is alive and well, has been since it began in 1991, when more than 142,000 tons of bombs and 350 tons of depleted uranium shells were used in the 43-day military war, thus killing, during and post-war period, over a hundred thousand people. Afterwards, it remained robust as millions of people – mainly young children – died as a direct result of the U.S.-led blockade. The lack of food and medicine, along with the deteroriating sanitry conditions caused one-fifth of the population to starve to death in Iraq (UN FAO report, 1995). Up to 95% of all pregnant women suffered from anemia, thus giving birth to weak, malnourished infants. Every month, according to the 1996 UNICEF report, more than 4,500 children under the age of five died from hunger.

At the 2004 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Mrs. Bush again compared Afghan women with those of Iraq. A whole year passed and she hadn’t learned the difference. “As they are making their voices heard, the women of Iraq are also experiencing the freedom that education brings.”

The Iraqi women were the most educated in the Middle East and had more freedom than other women of that region. In the years following the 1991 Gulf War, however, many of the positive steps that had advanced their status in Iraqi society were reversed due to a combination of legal, economic, and political factors. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as a result of the national literacy campaign, as of 1987 approximately 75 percent of Iraqi women were literate; however, by year-end 2000, Iraq had the lowest regional adult literacy levels, with the percentage of literate women at less than 25 percent.

“We have an obligation to help our sisters who face prejudice and injustice. We know that no society can prosper when half of its population is not allowed to contribute to its progress.”

In 2003, Iraqi women’s hopes for freedom and democracy were encouraged by George Bush and Tony Blair’s declarations of a better life with new opportunities. What they received instead were insurgents and religious extremists using rape, acid and assassination to force them into submitting to their extremist beliefs. Every day dozens of women are widowed, and a number of families struggle to cope without a wage-earner. Paid work for women is scarce and leaving home to find work puts women and children at risk.

Once the model of education in the Middle East, twelve years of grueling sanctions and three years of bloody occupation have left Iraq’s system in shambles, a generation of children both traumatized and, it seems, deprived of education. Pretty soon, Mrs. Bush will be able to correctly compare Afghan women’s prior situation with the Iraqi women’s current one.

About the Author

Weam Namou was born as a minority Christian in Baghdad, Iraq and came to America at age 10. She is the author of two books, The Feminine Art and The Mismatched Braid, a columnist for the Macomb and Oakland Observer, a feature writer for the St. Clair Shores Times, and the president of IAA (Iraqi Artists Association). Her articles and poems have appeared worldwide. www.IraqiArtists.org

Operation Iraqi Freedom