December 16th was our last official night at FOB O'Ryan the next day we would say goodbye to our friends of the fourth IA batallion and head for the relative safety of LSA Anaconda. As everyone went about packing up personal items and sterilizing what had been "Home" for so long I was approaced by one of the "Terps". Earlier in the evening our , Commander "Konohiki six", had said ggodbye and gave the "Terps" a chance to say afew words. As a whole they wished us all well and said to relate best wishes to our individual families, they also thanked us for helping the people of Iraq and said they would miss us and think of us as friends. The individual standing in the door said nothing at that earlier time, I suppose they had elected a spokesman.

I can't tell you his name because his life might be put a risk if I did so. I can say that he had been with us since the very begining and I felt the most comfortable with him when I wanted help with my language or cultural studies. This man is attending a university and if it was discoverd he worked for Americans the student radicals might seek him out and kill him, he is studying Islam. I saw him standing in the doorway and knew immediatly why he was there, his eyes were quite watery and he just sort of looked at me and then said "Seargent, Seargent I want to tell you something but don't know the words". I knew what he was there to say and very much so felt the same way, we had all been through so much in our time together and were now parting ways forvever. We didn't even try to fool ourselves as we often tend to do during goodbyes. There would be no "Till we meet again" or "I'll see you around, lets reunite next year" no such things were said, this was "Goodbye".

This may sound strange to some people and I know one Army Officer that thinks it's absolute nonsense but this "Terp" told me that I was the "Only one" that truley and openly tried to respect them and Islam, I know this is not so because many people in the Task Force felt the same way I just let them see it. He went went on to say that almost everyone there tried to make them eat pork or gave them a hard time about not eating it, and he did in fact mention the 4th of July pork feast. I was told that all of the "Terps" had a high level of respect for my treatment and understanding of their beliefs, I felt very well about his comments. I do not mention this to give the "air of superiority" or be self rightchious, I just want to point out that it is very important to learn and respect other cultures, not simply divide and conquor. We must prove oursleves as willing to understand Islam for what it is, a belief shared by hundreds of millions.

The "Terp" then said he did not have a gift for me but wished he had, as is the Muslim way. I explained to him that the greatest give had been given long ago and I would cherish it forever, friendship.

I will not look foward to seeing CNN and other world news orginizations report the death to come here in Iraq, because so many of my friends, both soldiers and iterpreters, remain at risk from the action of the "Takfiree". Everytime our Task Force came in contact with the enemy the iterpreters were there. We often times were critical of them and some of their ways but I believe there is a collective respect for the duty that lies ahead for them. I can't even share a picture with any of you out of fear for their lives.

I will just say that I was also pretty choked up by our farewell and believe that earning another persons respect is one of the greatest rewards I can think of coming out of Iraq.