Posted on 08/10/2005 3:15:47 PM PDT by jmc1969
CAPTAIN ALI ABASS of the Iraqi Air Force will today become the first citizen of his country to be buried with full military honours at the US National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
American and Iraqi officials are expected to attend when Captain Abass’s remains are laid to rest with a 21-gun salute and a fly over by air force jets. His remains could not be distinguished from those of the four US servicemen who died with him and all will be buried in a common grave.
But Lieutenant-General Michael Wooley, commander of air force special operations, said that even after the US withdrew from Iraq, there would be long-term personal relationships between servicemen from the two countries. Citing the funeral of Captain Abass, he said: “Things like this tend to draw us closer together.”
Captain Abass and four American servicemen died when their plane crashed in eastern Diyala province. He is said to have been popular with the US military after he helped to hide an American officer while convincing possible insurgents that he worked for the Iraqi agriculture department.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
News articles like this should cause some to rethink the "Nuke 'em all" attitude.
Rethink it how? I don't believe this Iraqi belongs in Arlington. Isn't his country Iraq?
Well, what were they supposed to do since they could not identify the bodies? Leave an American over there?
All they had left was a bunch of carred bones crushed together into a pile.
May Your Spirit be a Hero's mold for Your Country Men & Women.
Yeah, right. Many with the "Nuke 'em all" attitude simply hate anyone who is Muslim, even the ones who fight along side us against the terrorists. Nothing short of turning the Middle East into a glass parking lot will make them happy.
Did you bother to even read the article? Would you rather Americans were buried there in Iraq?
Heaven on Earth, is it just for one and not the other? Am I one to exclude anyone but myself from salvation?
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done."
I will not be the one to deny honor and respect to our allies. That an Iraqi died with our Americans in such a horrific manner as to make it impossible to separate the remains, should we bar our Americans and their families from all due honor in Arlington? Was the Iraqi's fatality a loss whose value was more or less to the Iraqi's family?
And what is the history of Arlington anyway? Who's army (armies) were buried there?
What do I say? Welcome to America dear ally, my brother. Please rest awhile until that last day when we all shall rise. May God Bless you and may He bring our families Peace.
Well then, why don't you offer to sort through the remains to get the Iraqi out?
I am betting there will also be some sort of memorial and or marker in Iraq as well. Captain Abass is more than welcome in Arlington by me. Rest in Peace Captain along with your friends and allies. If it were up to me his immediate family would be offered citizenship or dual citizenship for his sacrifice, if they wish it.
My father is buried at Arlington, as was his father. As a retired Regular officer, I will be buried at Arlington. My wife, also a retired Regular officer, will also be buried at Arlington.
Based on the contents of this article, I do not mind sharing space with this guy. In fact, as far as I am concerned, he is welcome.
"Rethink it how? I don't believe this Iraqi belongs in Arlington. Isn't his country Iraq?"
How very damned understanding and compassionate of you!
Well I guess we should dig up all the Americans inturned near Normandy and bring them home too, since they aren't French.
He died fighting for the same thing our guys died for. He earned the dirt!
I agree with you. I never liked the "Nuke 'em all" comments we get around here.
Yup.
My dad is buried there as well, and if the Air Force folks think enough to let him be there, he did something right, and I am good with it.
They can hang out with my dad.
And thanks for the service of you and your family.
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