December 30, 2003
A day of mourning
The Bulgarian government declared today, December 30th, 2003, an official day of mourning for the Bulgarian soldiers killed in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday, December 27th. The five killed and more than twenty wounded soldiers were a result of a terrorist attack on three buildings - two Bulgarian military camps and the city's municipality building.
No matter what you or I think about the war in Iraq, no matter how you or I judge the decision of the Bulgarian government to send armed troops to support the coalition forces there during the post-war recovery period, the fact is that Svilen Kirov, Ivan Indzhov, Anton Petrov, Georgi Kachorin, and Nikolay Saruev, as well as the many wounded, were all volunteers. They were people who had chosen to try and help, to take a stance against the inevitable period of civil disorder and crime in post-war Iraq. They were all fully aware of the risks - the danger of injury or even death in both day-to-day guard duty, street infighting, and acts of terrorism. I can only look up with awe at those Bulgarian soldiers for consciously making that choice and standing by it.
I wish I could find better words to express my feelings. Suffice it to say that today is, indeed, a day of mourning for five men of honor.
Posted by roam at December 30, 2003 12:42 PM
