Eutrusca
03-02-2005, 18:21
NOTE: Whether you're for or against the war in Iraq, this is a very touching story.
Women Provide Emotion At State Of Union
Associated Press
February 3, 2005
WASHINGTON - The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and the daughter of a man killed by Saddam Hussein's regime found some comfort in each other's arms in a private moment that electrified President Bush's State of the Union address.
The two women, both touched by death in Iraq, reached out for each other as lawmakers, military leaders, the president and the nation watched. Their locked embrace inspired the longest applause of the evening.
Safia Taleb al-Suhail 's father was killed 11 years ago by the Iraqi intelligence service. Now the leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council, she watched the annual presidential address Wednesday night at the Capitol as a guest of first lady Laura Bush.
She sat in front of Janet Norwood, who sent her son into battle wishing she could "protect him like I had since he was born."
In a letter to the president, Norwood said Marine Corps Sgt. Byron Norwood was proud to fight, loved his job and wanted to protect the nation.
"We have said farewell to some very good men and women who died for our freedom and whose memory this nation will honor forever," Bush said.
Pain etched lines in Norwood's forehead as she held a woman who won the freedom to vote in Iraq's election on Sunday. Norwood finally let go, took her husband's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
The Iraqi woman had been applauded earlier when she stood and waved an purple-ink-stained finger and V-for-victory sign after being introduced by the president as a symbol for millions of Iraqis who voted in a free election for the first time last Sunday.
Lawmakers honored those elections with a show of purple, the color that marked the index fingers of Iraqis who voted.
A wave of purple fingers went up at each mention of the Iraqi vote, a gesture organized by Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-La., to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters. In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Jindal said he wanted to display support for "people throughout the world who seek freedom."
Some women traded traditional red and blue garb for suits that spanned a spectrum of purple, from lavender to violet. A few men sported purple ties.
"In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility," Bush said of the election. "For millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all."
Women Provide Emotion At State Of Union
Associated Press
February 3, 2005
WASHINGTON - The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and the daughter of a man killed by Saddam Hussein's regime found some comfort in each other's arms in a private moment that electrified President Bush's State of the Union address.
The two women, both touched by death in Iraq, reached out for each other as lawmakers, military leaders, the president and the nation watched. Their locked embrace inspired the longest applause of the evening.
Safia Taleb al-Suhail 's father was killed 11 years ago by the Iraqi intelligence service. Now the leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council, she watched the annual presidential address Wednesday night at the Capitol as a guest of first lady Laura Bush.
She sat in front of Janet Norwood, who sent her son into battle wishing she could "protect him like I had since he was born."
In a letter to the president, Norwood said Marine Corps Sgt. Byron Norwood was proud to fight, loved his job and wanted to protect the nation.
"We have said farewell to some very good men and women who died for our freedom and whose memory this nation will honor forever," Bush said.
Pain etched lines in Norwood's forehead as she held a woman who won the freedom to vote in Iraq's election on Sunday. Norwood finally let go, took her husband's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
The Iraqi woman had been applauded earlier when she stood and waved an purple-ink-stained finger and V-for-victory sign after being introduced by the president as a symbol for millions of Iraqis who voted in a free election for the first time last Sunday.
Lawmakers honored those elections with a show of purple, the color that marked the index fingers of Iraqis who voted.
A wave of purple fingers went up at each mention of the Iraqi vote, a gesture organized by Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-La., to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters. In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Jindal said he wanted to display support for "people throughout the world who seek freedom."
Some women traded traditional red and blue garb for suits that spanned a spectrum of purple, from lavender to violet. A few men sported purple ties.
"In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility," Bush said of the election. "For millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all."