Independence Day

While the United States will celebrate its Independence Day July 4, Iraqi citizens celebrated their independence from the United States symbolically Tuesday as American armed forces left the cities up to the defense by Iraqi military. While it is not total independence from U. S. armed forces, which is not scheduled to come for almost two more years, it does mark a milestone for both countries, Iraq and the U.S.

Our soldiers will be within close striking distance if needed, but the hope is the Iraqi forces will be able to quell any violence independent of outside help. They have been trained by American forces so their soldiers have learned, at a heavy cost of lives in all conflicts.

It would be nice to witness future Iraq citizens celebrating their independence with big celebrations, and showing some gratitude to the United States servicemen who fought on their behalf. It is also hoped that a model of independence will spread to other Middle East countries. One fear is that Iraq's independence will create further unrest in Iran, whose citizens are far from independent, and create more political upheaval in the Middle East.

As the legions of U. S. armed forces can attest, independence and