Marines recover bodies of slain comrades - Battle for Nasiriya continues

CNN - online ^ | Friday, March 28, 2003 | Alesso Vinci, CNN

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

NEAR NASIRIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines Friday recovered the bodies of seven fallen comrades who died in intense fighting around Nasiriya in southern Iraqi Sunday, officials said.

The city has been the scene of the fiercest fighting the Marine Corps has been involved in since Vietnam, senior Marines told CNN, and still is not under coalition control five days after coalition forces first engaged Iraqi paramilitaries.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

May God Welcome them Home and comfort their families and friends.

[browardchad]

Prayers and gratitude for fallen heroes and their loved ones.

[antivenom]

Some Iraqi civilians came out and showed where they had buried two others, he said.

The Iraqis also handed over the personal effects of at least one of the Marines, including photographs and some mail, Dyer said.

ME too...reminded me that we are liberating "God Fearing" people...and not all Iraqis are heathens...

[happygrl]

And thank God for the decency of the Iraqi civilians who buried whom they could ...

All your comments brought out the humanity of this situation, in the midst of death. Yes, I feel good that these men died for some people who cared. It has been easy these last few days to forget the humanity of these Iraqis.

Prayers lifted up for these men and their families. I hope some of these stories make it home. There might be some comfort in them.

[af_vet_rr]

Remember that a LOT of these people still have every reason in the world to believe they'll be summarily executed if word gets out they so much as smiled at an American soldier.

That's very true, and as an American I feel a bit guilty over what happened after Desert Storm, when they celebrated and tried to rise up against Saddam and most were executed. I hope the ones that remember can forgive us, and I hope that those still afraid of being tortured or executed if they help us will come around and start trusting us.

[af_vet_rr]

A big Muslim thing is burying the dead within 24 hours of death. no matter who they are, this is a very strong tradition within their religion.

Very true, but they could have turned them over to the secret police and then we probably would not be able recover the bodies and personal effects, and they would be used in some kind of propaganda.