Family opens door to Marines, and whole town benefits

[thedrifter]

PORTRAITS OF WAR: Family opens door to Marines, and whole town benefits

May 7, 2003



NAMES: Aman Osman and Sumeya Osman

HOMETOWN: Numaniyah, Iraq



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BY JEFF SEIDEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER




NUMANIYAH, Iraq -- Iraqi soldiers were outside the house, hiding in the bushes.

Until two weeks ago, they were there, Sumeya Osman says, motioning to the thick shrubs and trees behind the one-story brick house on the banks of the Tigris River. "Very afraid, we were," she says.

After the United States invaded Iraq, the Iraqi soldiers left, taking along a power grid that ran the town generator.

When the Marines moved nearby -- building a base along the canals, drawing water for forward units -- people from the town complained.

But the Marines gave them a generator, so they could maintain their water supply.

"I'm thankful," Aman Osman says. Sumeya Osman, who is Aman Osman's cousin, speaks broken English and acts as his interpreter.

Aman Osman's job is to supply water to farmers in the area.

He lives in the small house along the Tigris River, with his wife and seven children. His children left town and stayed with Sumeya Osman during the initial stages of the war.

"There were bombs for a month, says Sumeya Osman. "Nobody died. Everybody was OK."

At the end of the road, two Iraqi trucks are left, destroyed under a bridge. About a quarter-mile away, two more Iraqi military vehicles are blown to bits. The ground is covered with metal and shards of glass.

At night, there is no one walking the streets, Aman Osman says.

He stands with his 8-year-old daughter, wrapping his arms around her.

"Saddam was a leader of our country, and now he is gone," Aman Osman says to an American journalist. "For you, I am happy."

The generator that the Marines let him borrow worked for awhile before it conked out. They have returned to fix it.

As one group of Marines works on the generator, Aman Osman invites another group into his house. As they enter, four women rush into the kitchen without speaking. Their faces are covered.

The room is dark and empty.

"This is the food room," Sumeya Osman says, "where we are drinking and eating food."

Aman Osman invites the group into his bedroom. There is a queen-size bed with a blanket. There are no chairs or pictures on the walls. A single dresser with a mirror stands in the corner. Against the wall, there is a closet filled with sheets and blankets.

A large rug covers the tile floor.

Two windows face the Tigris River. Chickens walk around the backyard.

"We want a government that will supply us with water, with food and peace," Aman Osman says.

Lt. Col. Roger Machut, who is in charge of the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, is outside, working on the generator.

After about 15 minutes, the generator is working again. The small town has power, which means they have water.

Aman Osman shakes Machut's hand.

"Thank you," he says. "Thank you so much."


Sempers,

Roger

[Jerry D]

ITS THE SIMPLE little things we take for granted that mean so much to people who have nothing Like running water, electricity,and plenty of food to eat. If we can get the Iraquies that the rest will be easy.