Quote Of The Day: Exploding Vest Edition

“I did it for the honor of my family and the honor of my country." -- Terrorist slayer Mudhehr Fayadh Baresh

Here's a story out of Iraq that may be best told in the clipped military style of a CentComm news release:

A 72-year-old man stopped a suspected suicide bomber from detonating himself at a checkpoint in Arab Jabour Oct. 14.

The man approached a checkpoint where Mudhehr Fayadh Baresh was standing guard, but did not make it very far.

Baresh, a tribal commissioner and member of the Arab Jabour Concerned Citizens program, said he ordered the man to lift his shirt - using training received from Coalition Forces - when he did not recognize him as a local villager.

The suspect refused to lift his shirt. Baresh repeated the command again, and the suspect exposed his suicide vest, running toward the checkpoint.

Baresh opened fire which caused the vest to detonate, killing the suspect.

“I did it for the honor of my family and the honor of my country,” said Baresh, when he met with Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

In those few paragraphs is a deep and wonderful story that eludes the critics of the war. It tells of an alliance of trust between Iraqis and Americans, of pride, of standing up to an outside enemy that most definitely is not us.

It is good to know that the Arab Jabour Concerned Citizens program exists and that men like Baresh work with our forces to receive the training we need to take on for themselves the dangerous jobs that keep the terrorists out of their communities.

It's good to know that honor drives a 72-year-old man to put himself at risk.

And it's good to know that one more terrorist bag of slime has gone to the very, very uncomfortable task of meeting his maker, murdering no innocents on his way.