Summary on the article

The strange thing about the war is that very few American and Iraqi 's have fallen in love and married . In May 2003 , Jimmy , a career Army officer stationed in Baghdad and Lena an Iraqi woman fell in love . It was around the time the Americans had dragged the statue of Saddam off the pedestal . Jimmy proposed soon after but he had to leave for a year to United States . However , they married on July 4 , 2004 in Jordan . After visa processing Lena finally arrived in U .S and by 2006 had a baby

girl named Khadija

Such love affairs were part of American tradition in the 1940s regardless of the language , religious , cultural barriers between the lovers . Almost 1 million War brides and war grooms came to America from fifty different countries while many partners were also left behind

However , the four year occupation in Iraq did not create such a situation . Only 2400 American visas have been granted to Iraqi spouses The stories that have resulted in marriage have resulted because of enormous patience of both parties . Those couple that are in Iraq and those that have left both are scared of giving up their names for this story . They know up close and personal the way civilizations can clash and the catastrophes that result from them

The military stationed in Iraq is very different from the one that existed in war situation 40-50 years ago . The troops are kept in a way that no American can have personal contact with an Iraqi unless it is with a gun . The situation for American-Iraqi couples has worsened today and they are separated by thick walls and daily explosions

Zena Majeed has seen many wars in her life . In 2003 , just when she had completed her degree Iraq war started brewing . War usually brings people together and they start looking for connections . After much suspicion and uncertainty , Iraqis finally began to trust the American soldiers . While working as an interpreter Zena fell in love with a geologist Lt . Col . Richard Allinger . The two fell in love . Many forces like religion are driving couples like Zena and Allinger apart . Constant Bombings and terror make people reach back into their faiths

Leo Barajas from Texas also started praying when he was shipped to Iraq in 2003 . He fell in love with 21 year old Mariam . When he got back from the United States Mariam informed him that he had to convert to Islam They could not reconcile or resolve their religious difference and had to go their separate ways

A wide spread impression started that the U .S soldiers did not respect the Iraqi culture , history and faith . When U .S troops broke down Iraqi doors and herded women and men Iraqi 's felt humiliated and suddenly violated by the presence of outsiders

People were excepting great changes from the American invasion but they were extremely disappointed when nothing at all happened . The Iraqi situation still remains the same and some Iraqis...