In my last entry, we were just coming out of a building at the Victory Monument, the parade grounds where Saddam used to march his troops to show the world he was in charge. We then walked about a half-mile to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument to Iraqi soldiers killed during the Iraq-Iran War and whose names are known only by God.
No matter which country you are in, there is a kind of sacred respect when you approach a monument to the nation’s fallen soldiers, and an even deeper respect when it is a tomb of unknown soldiers. From the distance, the monument looks like a giant oyster opened in half. I was told that it represents the shield of an ancient Mesopotamian warrior who is falling while still covering his body. Covering about half the size of a football field, it is impressive and magnificent.
The unknown soldier monument represents the shield of a fallen warrior
Unknown soldier monument ramp
We walked through the parking lot surrounding the monument and approached the gate, guarded by Iraqi Army soldiers. I was surprised to find that the officer in charge was a female captain. The soldiers were very friendly and really didn’t do much of a check on us. I was also glad to see that they were wearing the Iraqi Army uniform with pride and were content doing their job.
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