Odyssey... 34- Robbing Entity

In 1979, when the Iranian Revolution for changing the Monarchy turned to be a tragic mistake, Hana had to pay a high price for her political activities. Three months abandonment from her family, losing her career which was her identity, and perhaps causing her mother's final breakdown since she could not handle the loss of another child are just some of them. These are things that she never forgets or forgive herself for them. As she has a hard time to forget the pain, misery and danger she lived in, she has kept her promise not to get involved in politics ever again.

Her comprehension by her own and Iranians' experiences has enlightened her that politics is a very impure task for achieving only one goal which is to benefit the politicians to become more powerful and therefore richer and then force their will upon weak, as Saddam Hussein did in 1980 when he declared war on Iran, a nation twice bigger than his. The leaders and politicians of Middle East and Center East, like Iran, lived in their palaces with all their high tack equipment. However, there is almost no difference between those leaders and European or American leaders. If in west there is no palace, the leaders, most likely, become millionaires and billionaires after they leave office. So in reality, they all are the same. Every so often there may be a leader who is different and does the job of governing properly, specially national security. Nonetheless, even when it comes to National Security, they are the soldiers who actually face the real thing, war.

Back to Saddam, who used Iranian's weakness after Revolution and attached Iran. The eight years war between Iran and Iraq caused a very high estimated casualties in both countries; however Saddam used chemical weapons on Iranian people. Millions of families on both countries lost their loved ones and they went through endless pain and agony. America helped Iraq, which later became the enemy of America, against Iran. There was a popular saying in Iran at the time of Revolution, when Khomeini returned from Paris to Iran after a long exile. People, who were against the new regime, would say: "If you lift up Khomeini's beard, underneath of it says made in U.S.A." There were rumors that President Carter had a hand in abdication of the Shah and return of Khomeini. As the saying goes the countries that are friends today, may be enemies tomorrow.

Back to the eight years war of Iran and Iraq and destruction of many infrastructure, and death of Iranians by chemical weapon and also Iraqi's, Khomeini died by natural causes and old age, and Saddam stayed in power with his many palaces and army and his Russian and American weapons. Saddam continued barking on his neighboring countries which made America to get involved to protect so called, Persian Gulf Oils. Now the friends have become enemies!

The eight years of ferocious war between Iran and Iraq brought the worn out and weakened enemies to an unsettled cease fire. Since then, peace has never shown its face to the two countries. The great loss of human lives and resources cost Saddam Hussein $80 billion of debt in loan from west and the Arabs. As he had been engaged in a continuous war and peace with his neighbor in south, Kuwait, this great loss, once again, converted his attention there. As you see, the science of war is like a maze. It is too complicated for the simple brain of the author of this book, but as you see if we want to put in a very simple term, war has consequences and cost. When you have lost human lives and almost all your resources, then you attack another country to get their resources; and a country that at one point was your friend, becomes your enemy, because you are wanting their recourse. It is as simple as that.

As a result of this great loss, in August of 1989, only a year after cease fire between Iran and Iraq, Saddam's troops invaded Kuwaiti's border, which immediately caught the attention of America. If Saddam would succeed, all the good news of the previous years, under President Reagan would be washed out. President Bush's (senior) administration would be absorbed in a repulsion not only in America, but also everywhere else. To stop Saddam, America had only one way, to send troops to Persian Gulf.

None of these would interest Hana the least if Sam was not in Army. She does not dare to think about paying another price for the politicians' so called, victory. The ongoing turmoil for the past year has never caught Hana's attention until her son joined the military. In the middle of December shortly after Mario and she were engaged and were preparing for their wedding on the Valentine's day of the coming year, only a few short months away; and Hana was struggling how to tell her son, Sam, about it, Mario brought to her attention, The Operation Desert Storm.

To Be Continued