Lost Valley’s Grace back from Iraq

By Jane DeGeorge
Eagle Reporter

Published: September 11, 2008

As Lost Valley resident Mary Grace listened to Kurdish men recall stories of the gassing of their families during her recent trip to Iraq – she noticed a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

While they recalled horrific tales of the events that occurred in Halabja, Iraq 20 years ago, a child wandered about the group. As the toddler walked by each of the men, they reached out to touch the boy – who represents “a sign of hope, a force of life” for those all too familiar with war, according to Grace.
The emotion of the moment was not lost on the Madison County resident, whose eyes brim with tears as she recalls the story less than two weeks after returning from her trip. 

Grace traveled to Suleimaniya, Iraq – in the Kurdish Regional Government area of the country – as part of a Christian Peacemaker Team, an international organization that sends groups to areas involved in crisis situations. 

The organization works to assist and guide local citizens to respond to violent attacks and conflicts through non-violent communication, according to Grace.

Despite encountering numerous checkpoints, military officers, tanks and hearing what may have been gunfire at one point, Grace “never felt threatened or in danger” throughout her time in Iraq, she said.

All of the people Grace encountered were hospitable; those who knew little English would often greet her repeatedly by simply saying “welcome, welcome.”

A highlight of the trip was Grace’s visit to the Zharawa Internally Displaced Persons camp in Iraq near its border with Iran and Turkey, she said. There, Grace and her fellow team members spent time listening to the life stories and current problems of the Kurdish men, women and children that have been displaced from their homes in Iraq during the current U.S. and Iraq conflict. 

“I certainly have a better understanding of the complexities of the situation but in some ways I came away with more questions than answers,” Grace told The Eagle.

Representatives from the camp told Grace that the displaced persons villages are often hit by bombs intended for those thought to be terrorists living in the nearby Qandil Mountains, she said.

“The Kurds were generally excited about the U.S. [initially] invading [Iraq],” Grace said. “But now they’re just sort of bewildered” since they say the U.S. is allowing the Turkish military to fly over Iraqi airspace to bomb the area where many Kurdish people are living, according to Grace.

“One little girl was holding my hand and just begging me to get the bombing to stop,” Grace recalls.

During the delegation team’s visit, they met with local non-government officials and U.S. representatives to explain the displaced persons’ concerns. The group hopes to better the situation by continuing to tell these stories through in-person presentations, interviews with different media outlets and by posting journal entries on the organization’s Web site, according to Grace. 

While at the displaced persons camp, the team organized an art project where the children were instructed to paint something that they loved and something that scared them. The paintings included depictions of the sun, trees and birds as well as bombs and military helicopters and planes, according to Grace.

The Lost Valley resident is working to set up a meeting with the president at the White House in order for her to present two small, cloth paintings made by some of the children at the camp. One of the paintings is of “a bright home scene” and the other is of a military helicopter and a warplane with a crying eye, according to Grace.

“If we’re not allowed in the White House, I’ll stand outside and hold it up and tell their story,” she said.

The longtime self-described Christian community activist is a firm believer that only non-violence can lead to peace and be a means to an end of violence, she said.

Throughout her visit to Iraq, Grace and her fellow team members were escorted by Kurdish Regional Government military guards that always kept rifles by their sides. While the group was watching the children paint as part of its art project, Grace noticed one of the soldiers help a young boy keep his cloth steady against the blowing wind by holding it on the ground.

After watching the boy draw pictures for a while, Grace noticed that the soldier had laid down his rifle against a nearby tree and picked up a crayon to help the boy draw a picture of a bird flying through the air. 

“Weapons cannot be a way to peace. Peace is the only way to peace,” Grace told The Eagle.

For information about Christian Peacemaker Teams, visit its Web site at http://www.cpt.org.

Grace invites any Madison County residents who want to learn more about her trip to call her at (540) 948-6328.