Walter Jones Better Watch his Back

This man is running for his seat in '08:

Being Brave is something that most of the worlds population are doing just about everyday of their lives. Some to a greater degree than others, but then, bravery is a big word with lots of room.

When I was in Iraq, in 2003, as the CPA Airport Director of Basrah International Airport there were about 400 Iraqi airport employees who officially worked on the airport. Two of those employees worked in my office.

One served as my secretary and the other as bookkeeper. They were young women in their twenties who, before our arrival, had never even seen an American, let alone worked for one. They were bright, highly educated, friendly, spoke English and their clerical skills were beyond reproach. Both were filled with enthusiasm and the desire to learn as much as they could about the new job and about the foreigners, British and American, who had come to rescue them from the clutches of Saddam Hussain.

:::snip:::

Being very worried for her safety and the safety of her well known father, I told her to stay home for a week or two, with pay, until things cooled down. To my surprise, she refused and continued to come to work. When I asked her why, she said;

“Mr. Marshall, if they are going to kill me they will do it if I am at home, or if I am at work. If I am to die, I will die standing. I will die as a free Iraqi Christian woman”.

Until that moment, I really did not understand the real life bravery of these people. Summed up in the words of my secretary was the day to day “life and death” reality of the people of Basrah and probably of Iraq.

About two months after that incident a knock came to the front door at the home of the twenty-one year old female clerk, Janet, who worked in my office. With her ten year old little sister at her side they answered the door and were met by a volley of bullets from a Shia militia AK47. Both were killed instantly.

My secretary came to work the very next day.

:::snip:::

I will always pray for the people of Iraq, but I will forever love and respect the people of Basrah. When I left Iraq in August of 2006 I brought a piece of Basrah, Iraq home with me. Airport security would not have found it. It is hidden in my heart.

Marshall is blogging at BlueNC on a regular basis. Friendly, intelligent, passionate. Yeah.....Walter Jones had better watch his back.

The story excerpted above can be found here.
Other writings by Marshall Adame can be found at this link.

Here's a little more about him:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marshall is a retired US Marine Vietnam veteran who became an Aviation Management/Logistics consultant in 1992.

Marshall worked in the Kuwait recovery of 1992-93.

He the Senior Aviation Logistics Manager for Kaman Aerospace in Egypt US Government programs for four years.

Marshall was in Iraq from mid-2003 until late-2006 where:

In 2003 he was the US Coalition Airport Director for Basrah Int'l Airport in Iraq.

In 2004 he was VP for Aviation Development with The Sandi Group Int’l, Iraq.

In 2005 Marshall was a Department of State US Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) where he was on the staff of the National Coordination Team (NCT) in Baghdad.

Marshall returned to the USA in September 2006 and is currently on staff as a Senior Analyst for a DOD project.

Marshall and his wife Becky (3rd grade teacher) have been married for 37 years and have four children, Paul, Veronica, William and Benjamin, and eleven grandchildren.

Their sons William and Benjamin, served in Iraq in the US Army. William was wounded in action on July 2nd 2006.

Marshall and Becky reside in Jacksonville North Carolina. marshall_adame@yahoo.com

Note: Marshall Adame is a likely 2008 Democratic candidate for Congress in NC and is a supporter of John Edwards for President.