War Outside My Window
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 turned the t.v.off and tried to sleep. In the distance I heard gunfire. I went to the window and pulled the curtain covering the glass back, the street light was on, surely if there were an air raid they would close the electricity.
I woke Hashmia up and we both stared out the window into the night. I don’t know what we thought we might see. The gun fire became closer and more intense. I turned the small radio on to the voice of America and I heard President George H . Bush say The Liberation of Kuwait has begun. I knew every Iraqi was saying the liberation of Iraq has begun. I told Hasmia the war started, they are bombing Baghdad.
We woke the boys up and we all all got out our blankets. Hashmia and I decided the safest place was under the stairs. Hashmia, her two boys, Mohammed and I all hid under the staircase. I was shaking so hard. I don’t know if it were from the cold or from fright. We were settled under the stair case, waiting for the planes. No one spoke.
Then we heard the sounds of the engines, it felt like the sky was filled with planes. Missiles were being dropped all around us. The floors moved, the walls shook, windows blew open, I want to say I was proud to be an American. The greatest military force in the world was over head. I knew if we died that night, we would die at the hands of the best.
Missiles were being dropped continuously until around 4 am and it was like the planes left as quick as they came. It was so quite, the most beautiful quietness I ever experienced. When we could move, I ask if everyone was okay. Every body was okay, just shaken a little. Then I realized there were cases of Pepsi behind us, I decided we would have a Pepsi break.
Mohammed ran to the kitchen to get the opener. I opened all of us a bottle of cold Pepsi. While we sat there and had a Pepsi break, we heard the engines again, my little nephew whispered to me, Doctora, I guess the Pepsi break is over…..
