"An Open Letter to Riverbend (HW 28)"

Dear Riverbend,

It is astounding to hear your story of being an Iraqi woman living near Baghdad during the United States invasion in 2003. It is hard to wrap my mind around such concepts you go through in everyday life. I am a young woman who has lived in the United States all of my life, and I have never come close to any of the situations you describe. Like you, I do not hate Americans or the American troops all of the time, and I don't support my country's actions that have been taken against Iraq. I have hated certain aspects of the War like you have, "I hated them (American troops) on April 28 when they shot and killed over a dozen kids and teenagers in Fallojeh...kids started throwing rocks at the troops, and the troops opened fire on the crowd" (Riverbend 14-15). I know that hate is a strong word, but when innocent children are ruthlessly murdered, the word hate is justified. It must be so physically and mentally draining to constantly be afraid of raids, bombs and looters. It is horrible to think that in today's world, people go day to day without knowing whether they might live or die. When you described a typical night in your home, it made me thankful for the way I am able to live, "We had been sleeping in our clothes for the last few nights with pockets stuffed with ID papers and money because we kept expecting the house to come crumbling down around us" (Riverbend 29). There was no time, even at night, when you could forget for a moment that your country was under attack. I now have a clearer picture of what it is like for an innocent person to live in a War, thanks to you Riverbend.