Saddam Coming into Power

June 17, 2009 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Guest Blogger

This post is contributed by Dr. Diane Hassan, author of “Angels Among Us Even in Iraq”, who is currently participating in “On Loan at You Served” as a guest blogger.

I was getting used to living in Iraq. I was a second year medical student and pregnant. I delivered my son, Mohammed at the teaching hospital for University of Baghdad College of Medicine.

I had seven doctors with me the night he was born .. Now, I was wife, mother and student.

My husband’s family lived in the south of Iraq, Basrah. I had an Egyptian lady care for Mohammed while I was in school. When my second year was finished, I took my son and left for a visit to Alabama.

When it was time for me to return to Iraq, I decided it would be better if I left Mohammed with my parents. It was the hardest decision I ever made. During my third year at medical school, my son was in America, I had more time to devote to my studies. I visited the states, every summer, Saddam came to power when I was a third year medical.

The killings began the next day when he became President of Iraq. The people were happy,the party members were happy, they didn’t know the cruelty that was about to begin. It was the summer after my third year, my husband took me to the airport  in-order for me to return to Alabama to see my son and family.

He told me Saddam had called a meeting for that night. No one knew why. When I arrived in New York, I read the headlines, “attempted coup on Saddam”. I read all my husband’s closest friends names. That night when my husband went to the meeting, he and three of his friends rode together, two were taken that night and executed.

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