I looked at the driver seat, I see my dad sleeping in a very awkward position
with his glasses still on his face in a crooked way. I hear everyone in that RV
asleep but every inch of movement stirred up whimpering, aching, or a complain
of one sleeper discomforting another… Few painful moans mainly came from our
brother who was in tremendous pain… Any bump near his body makes him shout in
pain.
His body was ravaged by that tank shell that exploded just short meters off of him that even his face was covered with black spots.. Shrapnel pieces still impeded in his legs, from the bottom of his foot to his hip.
He lost chunk of his buttocks and his small toe. He lost a lot of blood and beside the pain he was in, he was at risk of contacting flesh eating bacteria that he may loose all his leg or worse, his life.
He was in a lot of pain and was in need of medical attention, stay at a hospital for few weeks.
That thought terrified our dad and he was determined to get him to the nearest possible medical help, since leaving his son at the local hospital was not an option… He was an injured fighter who not only deserted the Iraqi Army but also fought with the Kurdish fighters against the Iraqi Army. Each of those reasons could get him executed by the retaliating army that was sweeping through and forcibly gaining power back from all the liberated zones in northern Iraq (Kurdistan) with the use of his army, his tanks, jet fighters and helicopters. The rumor of the notorious ‘Republican Army’ was also deployed at front lines scared us to death.
Those men in the Republican Army were viciously trained, with no mercy on their heart. I remember as a school girl taken to large spectating national events to watch displays of the army, the solders, the tanks roaring through the big field: one of the displayed traumatized me as I was very young along with my school friends we were shown a group of men, they called them (The Republican Army, Special Forces) El-Harras El-Jamhoory, Qua’at Kh’assa الحرس الجمهوري، قوات خاصة
The display of about 6-8 men, dressed in black were put in the front and center of the huge track field, they closed all the gates and announced for all of us to see those men’s strength, agility and ‘bravery’ as they call it.
The announcer got the men to show the crowed some fighting skills. They released 2 rabbits into the field, a black one and a spotted black and white one.
The crowed started to cheer loudly as those men scattered and with amazing incredible speed, captured a fast running rabbit, they captured it and within seconds the second one was captured… They ripped the rabbits alive, tore both into pieces with their bare hands and chews it’s flesh, threw the carcass into the ground and stood in line and saluted the leader who was sitting there above us…
Saddam Hussein then stood up, and saluted them back, the entire arena erupted with cheers for the ‘brave’ men. I keep looking at the blood all over the dirt track field and what’s left of the two rabbits. My friends and I cried but our teacher ordered us to start chanting cheers and clap -to also stop crying.
With that image of the Republican Guards in my mind and with the news of the terror they’re inflicting on the people who were left behind I was scared .. My wondering mind was awaken by the shouting and honking of the cars behind us, the traffic begun to move and my dad was shaken from his seat.
I saw him frantically start the car while rubbing his sleepy eyes… The engine of the car started, he shifted the gears and just about to start moving an inch before the screaming people yelled and yelled at my dad to STOP THE CAR, hitting the RV with their hands… STOP THE CAR!
There were children sleeping under our RV.
His body was ravaged by that tank shell that exploded just short meters off of him that even his face was covered with black spots.. Shrapnel pieces still impeded in his legs, from the bottom of his foot to his hip.
He lost chunk of his buttocks and his small toe. He lost a lot of blood and beside the pain he was in, he was at risk of contacting flesh eating bacteria that he may loose all his leg or worse, his life.
He was in a lot of pain and was in need of medical attention, stay at a hospital for few weeks.
That thought terrified our dad and he was determined to get him to the nearest possible medical help, since leaving his son at the local hospital was not an option… He was an injured fighter who not only deserted the Iraqi Army but also fought with the Kurdish fighters against the Iraqi Army. Each of those reasons could get him executed by the retaliating army that was sweeping through and forcibly gaining power back from all the liberated zones in northern Iraq (Kurdistan) with the use of his army, his tanks, jet fighters and helicopters. The rumor of the notorious ‘Republican Army’ was also deployed at front lines scared us to death.
Those men in the Republican Army were viciously trained, with no mercy on their heart. I remember as a school girl taken to large spectating national events to watch displays of the army, the solders, the tanks roaring through the big field: one of the displayed traumatized me as I was very young along with my school friends we were shown a group of men, they called them (The Republican Army, Special Forces) El-Harras El-Jamhoory, Qua’at Kh’assa الحرس الجمهوري، قوات خاصة
The display of about 6-8 men, dressed in black were put in the front and center of the huge track field, they closed all the gates and announced for all of us to see those men’s strength, agility and ‘bravery’ as they call it.
The announcer got the men to show the crowed some fighting skills. They released 2 rabbits into the field, a black one and a spotted black and white one.
The crowed started to cheer loudly as those men scattered and with amazing incredible speed, captured a fast running rabbit, they captured it and within seconds the second one was captured… They ripped the rabbits alive, tore both into pieces with their bare hands and chews it’s flesh, threw the carcass into the ground and stood in line and saluted the leader who was sitting there above us…
Saddam Hussein then stood up, and saluted them back, the entire arena erupted with cheers for the ‘brave’ men. I keep looking at the blood all over the dirt track field and what’s left of the two rabbits. My friends and I cried but our teacher ordered us to start chanting cheers and clap -to also stop crying.
With that image of the Republican Guards in my mind and with the news of the terror they’re inflicting on the people who were left behind I was scared .. My wondering mind was awaken by the shouting and honking of the cars behind us, the traffic begun to move and my dad was shaken from his seat.
I saw him frantically start the car while rubbing his sleepy eyes… The engine of the car started, he shifted the gears and just about to start moving an inch before the screaming people yelled and yelled at my dad to STOP THE CAR, hitting the RV with their hands… STOP THE CAR!
There were children sleeping under our RV.
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