[1-27-03]

Witherspoon member Alyssa Burgin has shared with us some informative e-mails from Charlie Jackson, a delegate in a Christian Peacemaker Team currently in Baghdad, Iraq.

His first letter, dated January 14, 2003, reports on his recovery from a motor vehicle accident (a Firestone tire blowout!) which killed one of the team members. His note includes a glimpse of the Iraqi people as he gets acquainted with them.

His second note, dated January 18, includes more reflections on the cost of war for the Iraqi people.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations. Their website provides much more information on their activities and the people involved.

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January 14, 2003

Dear Friends,

Greetings again from Iraq! While I've only been gone for a couple of weeks it seems like eons since I've had a chance to visit and communicate with you. I am looking forward to returning sometime around the 27th if plane arrangements and doctor permission works out.

I was injured on in a wreck on January 6 in which one of our team, George Weber of Ontario, was killed. George, a former history professor, was a wonderful and kind gentleman and we all miss him. I suffered some spinal injury and some other cuts and bruises from which I am recovering but was in the hospital for 5 days. The wreck occurred as we were traveling back to Baghdad from Basrah in the South of Iraq. While traveling at highway speeds our tire (a Firestone wouldn't you know) blew out and despite the driver's skill the car spun out of control down an embankment and overturned several times. Another of our team, Michelle Naar 46 of Duluth, MN suffered a broken nose but we were fortunate that there weren't more injuries.

The trip to Iraq has been a great eye-opener. This is/was a very modern country that has been steadily in decline due to lack of money and certain resources that resulted from ongoing embargo (sanctions). Baghdad has a very cosmopolitan feel to it and doesn't seem to be a place where war could erupt. I have traveled alone through streets at night and day and haven't felt any danger …… much less so than in parts of the U.S. The people here are very friendly and like meeting Americans although the are surprised that there are any here. The families and children that we've met have been gracious about letting us into their homes to share meals and conversations. I also need to commend the medical personnel since I have been a direct recipient of their ongoing care.

I hope that you all are doing what you in the U.S. to keep a war from happening. The entire idea of subjecting these people to another war is not only evil but laughable. There appears to be nothing here to fight over except the oil fields and the residents would rather join the nations of the world and return to the normalcy that they remember during the early 1980's than anything else. If war does come many people, guilty only of having been born in this country instead of elsewhere, will die. The younger children here have never experienced war - only the effects of the sanctions - and there is no reason to create another generation of fear. Help to get your friends out around the country on the 18th and come up with some creative CD where possible. We plan to have an MLK vigil on Jan. 15 down by the Tigris River and a bigger demonstration on the 18th to coincide with those in DC, San Francisco, San Antonio and elsewhere.

...

I look forward to seeing you all again soon and treasure your thoughts and prayers while I remain,

Peaceably yours in Baghdad,

Charlie

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From Charlie Jackson, CPT delegate in Baghdad

01-18-2003

It's January 18, a big day that all have been working towards in the U.S. We've spent the last couple of days trying to get permission to have an action in solidarity with the demonstrations in D.C., San Francisco, San Antonio, and elsewhere. We had hoped to stand in a busy square with our "War is Not the Answer" t-shirts and give leaflets out to passing Iraqis. However, we weren't able to get permission in time for such an action so are planning a "Demonstration Watch" at the Al-Dar Hotel where we have invited folks from other hotels to come and watch live coverage of the D.C. event and share Iraqi "pizza".

There are only 12 members of our group here this week, both Iraq Peace Team and Christian Peacemaker Team, but we are expecting 16 more to arrive early next week. We have also been joined by a few of the academics who stayed on from the Academic Peace Conference at Baghdad University. We spent much of our day on "process" to gauge where people are regarding their feelings and outstanding issues and to begin planning for the arrival of the larger group.

This has been a wonderful week to get to know more individual Iraqis and their families. I spent yesterday, Sunday, going to the Mosque in a regular holy day worship. I will put that experience in another email. I am sending a separate email with a photo of Omar the shoeshine boy who waits outside of the Al-Fanar each day to shine shoes. He's a really lively youngster.

I am still recovering from my injuries. I am wearing a back brace but get tired after about an hour of sitting, otherwise I would have sent more emails. I am trying not to take the pain medication and to get plenty of rest so that I can return sometime towards the end of next week. More to follow now that I am able to get out of bed and get some work done.