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Last night on CNN (about 10:30PM PST) I saw the most amazing live footage of thousands of former Iraqi soldiers, mostly on foot--some even barefoot--walking down a highway south towards Baghdad.

A CNN crew stopped a few and asked them some questions. These Iraqi men had nothing to their names. No ID, (there commanders ran off with their ID cards) no water, no food and no money. They were mostly Shi'ites from the south who had been conscripted or forced into the army up north. They appeared to be happy (at least for now) that they were free of Saddam, army life and were heading home. Some said that it would take them about 7 days of walking to reach their cities or villages.

It was amazing. All of them appeared to be unarmed. Some Iraqis were praising Bush and the American troops. (Much to the dismay of the CNN crew, I'll wager.) Some were afraid to say too much because they were still fearful of the Ba'athists.

One Iraqi said that his commanders had fled along with the Fedayeen death squads, so he and his fellow soldiers turned on a smuggled radio tuned into the BBC. That's when they realized that Baghdad had fallen, Saddam's regime was (hopefully) fallen, Mosul had surrendered and they decided to head for home.

I wish and pray that these men get some water or food on their long, hard journey. They didn't appear to be terrorist types or antagonistic towards Americans, etc. A few small acts of kindness on the Coalition's part (with safety measures in place for any would-be martyrs among them) like water, food, and medical attention to a few who looked wounded would go along way in giving these men some hope for the future. I know that the Coalition has a lot on its plate, however, these young men are the future of Iraq.