FROM A NATIONAL GUARD CAPTAIN ON THE GROUND

Two weeks back, we witnessed Ashura, a main Shi'a Islam holiday that focuses on the battle of Karbala (680a.d.). Sunni Islam (Saddam is Sunni) have traditionally persecuted the Shi'a.

With the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Shi'a were able to make their pilgrimage to Karbala for Ashura. We witnessed thousands of people walking to Karbala for the first time in some thirty years. Roads were closed down to accommodate the migration of people for this event.

As some of the few American soldiers in this area, we were greeted on several different occasions with waves and smiling faces.

The flag on our shoulder represented the freedom for these people to assemble in the hundred's of thousands. We saw that; we felt that. That's freedom...it's the stuff you don't read about or hear about on television.

In closing, as your winter becomes spring, we are witness to a season of change a world away. Know that what you see on the World News each night is an interpretation of reality - perception is reality. Allow your perception to be in your control, not a news anchor. The United States is involved in a venture that has new rules on a daily basis. In my opinion, it is with superb accuracy that our Country navigates and negotiates an ever-changing political and socio-economic landscape.