1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,560 you know , in the end of 2005 , the 3 00:00:09,570 --> 00:00:11,848 there was some major news organization , 4 00:00:11,848 --> 00:00:14,014 I think , was The Washington Post that 5 00:00:14,014 --> 00:00:15,903 named the Iraqi people the Purple 6 00:00:15,903 --> 00:00:17,959 Finger people as their person of the 7 00:00:17,959 --> 00:00:21,850 year and to be able to see them face 8 00:00:21,850 --> 00:00:24,470 to face , knowing that just within the 9 00:00:24,470 --> 00:00:26,380 last probably 24 40 hours , they 10 00:00:26,380 --> 00:00:28,880 exercise their freedom to vote . That 11 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,991 was the most impactful for me to know 12 00:00:30,991 --> 00:00:33,600 that we could be that close Thio their 13 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,080 history , the national election for a 14 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,550 new constitution that Iraq was in 2005 . 15 00:00:38,940 --> 00:00:41,510 And there was a lot of feel good 16 00:00:41,510 --> 00:00:43,566 stories watching the community , the 17 00:00:43,566 --> 00:00:45,510 men and the women specifically the 18 00:00:45,510 --> 00:00:47,732 women going to vote for maybe the first 19 00:00:47,732 --> 00:00:49,788 time in their lives by dipping their 20 00:00:49,788 --> 00:00:51,860 fingers and , uh , purple ink well , 21 00:00:51,870 --> 00:00:54,310 and that would signify that they had 22 00:00:54,310 --> 00:00:57,210 voted . You could see the excitement , 23 00:00:57,210 --> 00:01:00,420 the pride theon , paternity to maybe do 24 00:01:00,420 --> 00:01:02,720 things For the first time , uh , people 25 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,260 in the community were able to do and 26 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,860 you could witness them with their 27 00:01:07,860 --> 00:01:09,916 purple fingers . And it was just the 28 00:01:09,916 --> 00:01:12,110 neat , uh , experience to know that we 29 00:01:12,110 --> 00:01:14,460 had our hand in that opportunity for 30 00:01:14,460 --> 00:01:16,571 them to change their lives in the way 31 00:01:16,571 --> 00:01:18,627 that the government operated and the 32 00:01:18,627 --> 00:01:20,793 freedoms that they were experiencing . 33 00:01:20,793 --> 00:01:22,793 What they talked about was the vast 34 00:01:22,793 --> 00:01:25,370 darkness over Baghdad in 2006 , where 35 00:01:25,370 --> 00:01:27,600 there was no electricity and then 36 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,822 coming back two years later in 2000 and 37 00:01:29,822 --> 00:01:32,100 eight and you see the pockets of light . 38 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:34,322 You see the news stories about swimming 39 00:01:34,322 --> 00:01:36,433 pools opening for kids , about school 40 00:01:36,433 --> 00:01:38,656 back in session , about the voting that 41 00:01:38,656 --> 00:01:40,830 we were just talking about , Um , so 42 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,451 you could tell that life was 43 00:01:42,460 --> 00:01:44,810 progressing . It was starting toe . It 44 00:01:44,810 --> 00:01:47,160 was a new normal unfolding for them . 45 00:01:47,540 --> 00:01:50,580 Americans have a desire for instant 46 00:01:50,580 --> 00:01:54,030 gratification , but over the course of 47 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,650 time it's created change , and you may 48 00:01:57,650 --> 00:02:00,080 not see the fruits of our labor in 2006 49 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,730 or the highlight of the Iraqi years . 50 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:05,590 For 2030 years , as the young people 51 00:02:05,590 --> 00:02:07,534 that experienced the new lifestyle 52 00:02:07,534 --> 00:02:09,820 become , adults enter into the 53 00:02:09,830 --> 00:02:12,108 government and decision making process . 54 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,450 And so , although we did see change , 55 00:02:15,940 --> 00:02:18,850 uh , quickly , I think the we're gonna 56 00:02:18,850 --> 00:02:22,200 see mawr lengthy , uh , everlasting 57 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,360 change as we move on . And the kids 58 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,060 that experience a new lifestyle are the 59 00:02:28,060 --> 00:02:30,171 decision makers and the adults in the 60 00:02:30,171 --> 00:02:32,430 communities of Iraq . It's a moral 61 00:02:32,430 --> 00:02:35,750 obligation for for Americans and just 62 00:02:35,750 --> 00:02:38,350 for a human being toe make life better 63 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,193 for somebody if you can have the 64 00:02:40,193 --> 00:02:43,580 opportunity to , um and I feel that 65 00:02:43,580 --> 00:02:47,120 I've done that . I've given almost 66 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,650 three years of my life to this area of 67 00:02:49,650 --> 00:02:52,440 the world , and I truly believe that 68 00:02:52,730 --> 00:02:56,680 I've made a difference , and I I 69 00:02:56,690 --> 00:03:00,200 wholly believe that the people in Iraq 70 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,311 and this portion of the world , for a 71 00:03:02,311 --> 00:03:04,560 large part , are grateful for that .