KALSU, Iraq – A 72-year-old man stopped a suspected suicide bomber from detonating himself at a checkpoint in Arab Jabour Oct. 14. The man approached a checkpoint where Mudhehr Fayadh Baresh was standing guard, but did not make it very far.
Baresh, a tribal commissioner and member of the Arab Jabour Concerned Citizens program, said he ordered the man to lift his shirt - using training received from Coalition Forces - when he did not recognize him as a local villager.
The suspect refused to lift his shirt. Baresh repeated the command again, and the suspect exposed his suicide vest, running toward the checkpoint.
Baresh opened fire which caused the vest to detonate, killing the suspect.
“I did it for the honor of my family and the honor of my country,” said Baresh, when he met with Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie, commander of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment presented Mudher with a battalion coin for his valor Oct. 16.
This my friends is the face of courage and proof that Iraq has turned the corner: when 72 year old men will stand guard and man a checkpoint in an effort to quell the violence being wrought upon them by the insurgency.
Iraqi's all over the country are stepping up and pushing the insurgents out all in an attempt to erturn to normalcy and security. These local actions and efforts are what will pull and are pulling Iraq out of the chaos of violence, not federal actions by the Parliament. Just as most of the meaningful work in the US is accomplished at the local level, so will it occur in Iraq. To rely upon the federal government to solve the problems in Iraq is foolish. The Iraqis don't need a nanny state to protect them, they have proven that they are willing to take that responsibility upon themselves.
It is our duty to support them in that effort, so we can all come home victorious.
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