[Vision2020] Saudi-Born Tank Driver Doesn't Tell His Parents About Joining U.S. Army

[John Harrell]

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Excerpt: ""Most Arabs would kill me on sight if they saw my name on an American uniform,"

Excerpt: ""Religion has nothing to do with this," Mr. Al-Ghamdi says. "Guys like Saddam and Osama bin Laden are just evil, crazy people." 

 
Saudi-Born Tank Driver Doesn't Tell His Parents About Joining U.S. Army
Wall Street Journal ^ | April 4, 2003 | Yochi J. Dreazen

http://ebird.dtic.mil/Apr2003/s20030404171810.html

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Like many soldiers here preparing to ship off to war, Yusef Al-Ghamdi spends a lot of time thinking about his parents. But he isn't worrying
about how they would react if he were injured or killed. He's worrying about how they'd react to his serving in the Army in the first place. 

A tank driver for the 166th Armor Battalion here, Mr. Al-Ghamdi is well liked by his officers and fellow enlisted men. But he's also a devout Muslim from a
prominent Saudi Arabian family, so nothing about his Army stint can be described as simple. He hasn't told his parents, who live in Jeddah, that he enlisted; his Saudi
Arabian father would be aghast that his son chose the U.S. Army over the Saudi one. His family name is so well known in the Middle East, he says, that he has
gotten permission to cover the name tag on his uniform for his own safety, once he deploys to Kuwait. 

"Most Arabs would kill me on sight if they saw my name on an American uniform," he says. "They would try to take me out before a general so they could say they
killed a traitor to his tribe and religion." 

{..snip.. see URL above for complete article..}



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<P>Excerpt: ""Most Arabs would kill me on sight if they saw my name on an American uniform,"</P>
<P>Excerpt: ""Religion has nothing to do with this," Mr. Al-Ghamdi says. "Guys like Saddam and Osama bin Laden are just evil, crazy people." </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>Saudi-Born Tank Driver Doesn't Tell His Parents About Joining U.S. Army
<P>Wall Street Journal ^ | April 4, 2003 | Yochi J. Dreazen</P>
<P><A href="http://ebird.dtic.mil/Apr2003/s20030404171810.html">http://ebird.dtic.mil/Apr2003/s20030404171810.html</A></P>
<P>FORT HOOD, Texas -- Like many soldiers here preparing to ship off to war, Yusef Al-Ghamdi spends a lot of time thinking about his parents. But he isn't worrying<BR>about how they would react if he were injured or killed. He's worrying about how they'd react to his serving in the Army in the first place. </P>
<P>A tank driver for the 166th Armor Battalion here, Mr. Al-Ghamdi is well liked by his officers and fellow enlisted men. But he's also a devout Muslim from a<BR>prominent Saudi Arabian family, so nothing about his Army stint can be described as simple. He hasn't told his parents, who live in Jeddah, that he enlisted; his Saudi<BR>Arabian father would be aghast that his son chose the U.S. Army over the Saudi one. His family name is so well known in the Middle East, he says, that he has<BR>gotten permission to cover the name tag on his uniform for his own safety, once he deploys to Kuwait. </P>
<P>"Most Arabs would kill me on sight if they saw my name on an American uniform," he says. "They would try to take me out before a general so they could say they<BR>killed a traitor to his tribe and religion." </P>
<P>{..snip.. see URL above for complete article..}</P><p><br><hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/mailsig/*http://tax.yahoo.com">Yahoo! Tax Center</a> - File online, calculators, forms, and more
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