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Wake up, Sister.

Guess what I found at our house?

No! Let me sleep. I barely slept on this floor, Brother.

Look what I found.

Oh wow. My hero.

It was under my bed?

Yeah.

And our house?

It still stands. Thank God.

Did you talk to Dad about moving back home?

Later.

Where's Mom?

The baby was up all night with a fever.

Is he okay?

He's better now, thank God.

- Where are the onions? - Here you go.

What happened?

The water went out again.

Let me see.

Where's Eddie?

He's over here.

Wave to Mama!

Wave to Grandma!

Why do you have him outside with no blanket?

The water is out again.

Can you get a jug so we can finish cooking?

You used to pull your hair like that.

Brother, we need to drill the well today. The water is cut off.

Okay.

Nicky went to the house this morning.

- Your house? - Yes.

The house is good, nothing happened to it.

That's wonderful.

Nicky, your brother here settles down before you...

When's it your turn?

Let's discuss marriage later.

Change the subject, please.

I saw our neighbor this morning.

Is she okay?

Yes, she was in her garden. She sends her regards.

Try it.

Well done?

Yes, it's missing some salt though.

The Great Invader has arrived this week

and firefights have broken out around the city.

Air strikes are expected imminently

on a sacred government site in the east of Baghdad.

What did Majid say about the factory?

He moved as much of the equipment below ground as possible,

but we will have to wait.

The attacks haven't come to the factory yet.

Dad, did Nicky talk to you?

It's not safe to go back to our house.

Do you think it's safe here? All of Baghdad is being invaded!

We would rather die at home than here

Nora, that's enough. Please.

I'm not going to keep talking about this.

How is Rudy's room? Is the mattress okay?

It is perfect. Thank you.

Where are you headed, Cousin?

Upstairs, to play ball.

You only got this ball?

I only got this one.

Don't you have a regular one?

I only have this one.

Give it to me.

- Do you have another? - Just this one shovel.

I will dig with this pickaxe. You just clear away, Brother.

- Take it easy! - Be careful, Uncle.

Should I carry it?

No, I can take it away.

I'm watching for your head, Brother.

How far did you get?

-We're almost through it, Dad. -Sounds good.

Your sons are very clever.

Mom, we'll have to fill the bucket three or four times to get clear water.

Because it's all mud inside.

See, it's getting clearer, little by little.

-It's clearer now! -It's pure!

So what would you do if you saw the Americans?

I'd walk on my way and let them be.

Don't look at them or take anything from them.

What would they do?

They'd give you a toy with a bomb planted.

Not a good toy.

- It would explode on you! - Okay.

How is Sarah doing?

Who?

Sarah.

I don't know about her.

Did you talk to her?

Yes.

What did you tell her?

I don't remember.

How come you don't remember.

No! The ball bounced away.

Get it! Catch it!

What's the name of Sarmad's brother? Aboussi?

Aboussi! Bring it over!

Oh man!

Where did it go?

Sarmad got it! Wow! Sarmad is tall!

Yeah, he is.

It went away! There!

How old is this kid again?

I don't know.

Come on. Throw it over here!

There! Under that car!

Where did you go?

For a walk.

Dad’s stubborn. Driving me crazy.

My Love, take it easy on him.

He should listen to me.

Try to understand. Your father could lose everything, the whole business.

Okay.

Our enemies behave as if they bring something new.

But we know their methods.

We’ve heard their slogans for thirty years.

They invade our country out of fear

that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction.

According to their belief,

the most underdeveloped countries may one day...

achieve technological progress

and produce weapons of mass destruction...

so it’s necessary to bomb the whole world

and forbid progress so that Americans feel safe!

Let’s change the channel.

It went out again.

He heard you.

I wonder if it’s the whole block.

- Are you okay? - Yes.

Mom, are you okay?

Yes. We’re here, we’re all okay.

- Nicky! Nora! - Rudy!

- Do we have everyone? - Yes.

What are we doing here?

I don't understand this stubbornness.

What if one of us got killed!

We should go back to our house.

I agree. Can we go?

Is there anything else I should pack from the bathroom?

This is the one with the money.

Don't lose it.

We've been telling you we should leave.

Stop arguing. Let's go!

Are you ready?

We're behind you.

- Where's Dinah? - She's in the kitchen.

Don’t stay here, go to Hilla. It’s safer there.

Get into the cars. It’s not safe!

Hurry!

Is everything alright?

Yes, it's a miracle no one was hurt.

Go ahead of us.

Stay on the main road and keep this with you.

I'll call you!

Okay, my Love. Let's go.

I'll wait for you at the corner, Dad.

Hello.

Can you hear me?

Yes. Wait for us.

Is Eddie behind you?

He's behind us.

Okay, Dad. Okay.

Let's go.

Shut the fuck up.

Stop acting like you know, Bower.

Wave your M-16 around all you want,

Iraqi civilians aren’t gonna care.

You wanna get 'em moving? You gotta point a pistol at ‘em.

That’s what Saddam used to murder Iraqis with,

you dumb hick.

- Suck my dick. - Suck your dick, dog?

That's this guy's job.

This is my son.

Oh, that's your baby boy.

He’s my baby boy.

- Keep grabbing on that thigh-- - My baby boy.

Doesn’t he look like me?

He does. Nah, I can't, for real.

That's cuz I fucked his mom,

then he came out--

- Go for six. - -It was the best day of my life.

Solid copy.

Unit dismounting, proceeding on foot northbound

on Sheikh Maruf. Out.

Hey, Marines! Listen up!

We’re gonna ditch the trucks in about 50 meters.

Too much city traffic.

We’re moving to the police compound on foot.

Again, this is a show of force, but take your time,

talk to people, keep your eyes wide open.

- Good to go? - Yes, sir!

Get ready to dismount! Whoo!

Get some, boys!

Spread out, guys. Spread out.

- Hello. - Hello.

My name is Leray.

-Ray... -Yes. Um, where's...

Lou. Yo, Lou.

I gotta piss.

Now?

Hold.

Hold.

What the fuck is your problem?

One at a time.

One at a time. One at a time.

No water, no power, no electricity.

There are robber and looters.

All we see are guns! We’re fed up with guns!

We can’t stand it anymore!

We just want to walk down the street

without an American pointing a gun at us!

One second. Hold on.

My son is fighting now because he’s fed up with you!

Sir, hold on.

Now I gotta go.

Hi, uh, bathroom? Yeah, okay?

Hello.

Photo?

I’ll go check.

Lou. Hey, we're hearing shots.

Hurry up.

- Hearing shots? - Yeah.

Heard some pops.

We don't know where they're coming from.

Was it enemy fire or ours?

I don't know.

Let's go, let's go!

We're southeast of the Baladiyat intersection.

What's your pos? How copy?

Vic, keep eyes over here.

Anybody see where that came from?

Fox 2, Fox 2. This is Fox 3.

Third platoon is on the side street off Sheikh Marut

two blocks from the police compound.

We’re ready to move in. How copy?

Nothing heard on radio. Shit's going down.

Let's move. Take your shit and move out!

- Go! - Moving!

Moving!

We got a man down. We're taking effective fire.

Man down on Baladiyat!

All units to the southeast corner!

Check it with me.

I gotta start on the leg right now, okay?

Gonzo, get over here. I need a hand.

Gonzo, fucking right now!

Elevate his leg for me, okay?

Just keep it up.

I'm taking fire approximately 100 meters south of the police compound.

Hey! Where's cover?

- I need somewhere I can treat these guys. - -I'm working on it.

Get down!

Hey! back up!

Hey, stop there!

Where the fuck you going?

Get the fuck on the ground!

No shots! Hold your fire!

Hey, Lou. Who is that?

Hey, hey, hey, he's fine,

- He'll be fine! Let’s go! - Lou, Vic! On me!

Here's what's going on.

We got elevated enemy fire

coming from across that roundabout,

the compound and the mosque.

They’re hijacking cars trying to ram it into our line,

so I need a couple of guys up on the roof.

What?

There's a fucking ambulance headed towards us!

If it doesn't stop, you fire on it!

Take one of these roofs!

We need guns on overwatch, keep the cars back! Go! Move!

I need eyes on that intersection,

make sure we're not getting flanked.

Keep fire!

Hey, hey!

Is Eddie keeping up?

Nicky, watch out!

I got it, Mom.

Eddie's still behind us.

He's overheating.

Is there anything in here that will help?

Take one of these, it's cold.

Is it gunshots?

Don't stop.

You hear those?

Where are they coming from?

They're still going. It's definitely gunshots.

Should we pull over?

We're like a mile from the house.

I need to open a window for him.

Here, give this to him.

What?

What did he say?

Is it coming from behind us or ahead?

We don't know.

It stopped.

Just keep going.

Bottom right! Bottom right!

Right. Go right more. Bottom right!

I’m out!

You see the terraces?

In the fucking far east side, there's a guy on the balcony

with a red beach towel,

about fifteen meters from the left side.

Hit it.

Taking effective fire from the northeast.

We got a guy popping out of a balcony

with a red beach towel.

I see him too. Can't get a clear shot.

Fire! Fuck that's accurate fire.

Pat, you got the rocket over there?

-Yeah. -Take him the fuck out!

All right, everybody get down!

-Firing rocket! -Get down!

-Clear! -Clear!

Firing rocket!

-Rocket! -Backblast clear!

Backblast clear! Get down! Rocket!

- Everybody okay? - Target hit.

- Second floor. -You good?

- We need suppressive fire-- -Suppressive fire!

Up!

It's so loud. Where's it coming from?

I don't see anything.

I'll check.

Get back inside!

What are you doing?

Come inside!

I don't see anything.

Phone's dead.

Dad is waving us forward.

You sure? I can't see him.

The light.

You sure?

Dad says go!

Go!

I still don't see anything.

Got a car coming through the intersection.

It’s not slowing!

Fire if it gets too close.

To the left! Behind that taxi!

Are they firing?

Should I stop or turn off?

I don't know.

Stop or turn off?

Nicky, break! They're on the roof!

There! Break!

Don't shoot, please!

- Nicky! Nicky! - Don’t shoot.

Nicky! Nicky!

What happened?

Nicky!

Stay down. Stay down!

Everyone get on the floor!

Is he hurt?

No, it's our blood.

Give me his shirt.

Cease fire! Cease fire!

- Hey, stop firing! - What?

What? I can't hear.

What is she saying?

What's the woman saying?

We are the peace people.

We are the peace people.

Oh, God.

What are they doing driving through this intersection?

Couldn’t they hear us fucking shooting?

- Hold your fire! - Hey, hey, stop shooting!

I'm not fucking firing at them!

Are they fucking nuts?

Hey! We got civilians coming through the intersection,

need instructions now.

All right,

we're going in to retrieve the civilians.

Second floor, prepare to give us cover.

Going up!

Miss, is that your blood or his blood?

On the baby. Is that his blood?

Oh God, oh God.

Pat, get down man.

Shut up, Pat.

We just killed a baby. We just killed a fucking baby

Shut up, Pat. Shut the fuck up, Pat.

We shot it. We shot the fucking baby.

It's moving.

We're going to run taxi, okay?

We're going to run to to taxi, do you understand?

All right, get ready.

-My husband. My son. -Go. On three.

- Where's Eddie? - One, two--

- Where's Eddie? - three.

Go, go, go! Miss, I'll take care of it.

Go, go, I'll get her. Go, go, go, go, go!

Mama!

Miss, come on, keep going.

Keep your head down. Go!

Guys, let's go, you're good. Let's fucking go!

Come on

All right, you're all right,

- you're all right. - Don’t stop moving!

Guys, I'm gonna need a medic.

Someone get me a medic.

Come on. Come on. Sit down, sit down.

-Is she okay? -Yeah, it's okay.

- She just hit her shoulder. - Eddie!

Anna.

Where's Eddie?

Eddie! Eddie!

Where's Eddie?

Eddie's dead! Eddie's dead!

Guys, I'm gonna need a medic for her.

Get me a medic.

Guys, someone get me a fucking medic!

Where's Eddie?

Don’t touch that!

Is there someone here to tell me about

what went on last week?

Were you here?

Hi. Were you here during this?

How long have you had the store?

Many, many, many...

When they started all of it--

Looters or America.

Excuse me. Thank you.

Can I have five minutes? Can I talk to you for--

I'm with the New York Times.

Can I have five minutes of your time if that's possible?

Can you ask if he'll talk to us?

-Michael Reid? -Yeah.

You are the reporter?

Yeah. Hi, New York Times.

Yasir, I'm a surgeon here.

Come with me.

It has been this way ever since the Americans arrived.

There was a fight in Baladiyat last week.

Saddam's forces fired on the Americans,

and hell broke loose.

But these are the lucky ones.

They're still alive.

There's a tragic case that sticks in my mind.

I'll show you.

This is the case I told you.

How old is she?

She's 23 years old.

Let me check with them if they will talk to you, okay?

Appreciate it.

Um, just trying to piece this together.

I just want to ask, was this a familiar route?

Was it a regular journey, or--

Our neighborhood was targeted because near a police station.

My sister...

We went to live with her.

Then a bomb fell on us yesterday.

So we decided to cross town and go back to our house.

What did you do before the war?

I was a teacher for ninth grade.

I taught all three of my kids.

She lost her sons and husband.

How do you grieve three?

Not one, three. Tell me how.

“For family in Iraq,

three deaths from moment of confusion.”

Yeah, Khachaturian.

Yeah, that's the Iraqi family name.

I just spent the afternoon at their home.

Getting background now.

I'll send the piece from the hotel tonight.

Hey.

Hey, uh, were you guys part of the company

that was engaged at Baladiyat?

Yeah.

Can you tell me what happened?

This was some firefight, yeah?

It was the worst day we had here by far.

I mean, it was really well coordinated on their end,

which is rare.

I mean, we lost three of our guys in an hour.

I don't even--I don’t even know how many Iraqis.

You talk to that woman who injured her shoulder?

Yeah, yeah, she's okay.

Oh, good.

How about the woman with the baby?

She's fine, and the baby too.

And the drivers?

They all died.

Yeah, I knew that. I don't even--

I don’t know why I asked that.

Who were the ones

keeping the traffic away from the roadblock,

the ones that were actually shooting at the vehicles?

I mean, we were all shooting, but at that time,

it was our guys on the roof.

Can I talk to them?

Yo, where's Lou?

OP.

Actually, wait, he's here.

Oh, hey, thanks.

I'm Michael. Thanks for taking a minute.

How you doing?

Good, yeah, good.

So can you tell me what you remember?

Not much, honestly. A lot going on.

Sure, sure.

So-- so I guess there were civilian casualties,

some deaths, they said.

- I don't know about all that. - No?

We shot on vehicles trying to break our line.

Okay.

Not sure why anyone would drive through that intersection

if they didn't mean us harm.

They'd have to have some fucking death wish.

Excuse me.

You're not authorized to be here.

Yeah, thank you. I’m asking a few people about--

I just want to get this story right.

I need you to leave, sir.

Yeah, I'm Michael Reid with the New York Times, and I just--

You're not authorized to talk to my guys.

I appreciate it. Just wanted to get it right, sir.

- Okay. - -Just wanted to get it right.

So I will--

Sir, grab your shit and leave now.

I will. That's--

It's not a request, sir.

I appreciate it. Thank you.

What did you say your name was, sir?

Sir, I'm not going to ask again.

I appreciate it. Thank you.

♪ Shut the lights down♪

Hey! Get down!

Time to come down, bud.

Hey, I'm going to come up and get you down.

Get down!

Hey.

Fuck!

Hey, come here!

Hey, we got a fucking problem? Huh?

What are you doing? You're not supposed to be up there.

Let it go. Let it go, Lou.

- Stop. - I’m fine.

Just see me before you leave, okay?

Hello?

Hello?

Hey!

I was supposed to be out here 20 minutes ago.

No, they didn't tell me nothing about this.

Well, I don't know, who-- call Tony or whoever

but I was supposed to be out here 15 minutes ago.

I don't even know who he is.

Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it.

Fuck. Hey.

This fucking guy.

What's his fucking problem?

-Thank you. -I'm Marci.

Marci, Lou. Nice to meet you.

You as well.

I'll give you my transcripts and--

Oh, no, no, that's okay. We have all that.

I'll just leave that there.

Okay.

So your girlfriend and my sister know each other?

Yes, thank you for squeezing me in.

So you graduated undergrad last year?

Yeah, um, so I went into the service right after high school.

I wasn't able to get my bachelor's until I came back.

I did eight deployments, so it took a while.

It says you were discharged last year.

Other than honorably?

Yeah, well, let's skip the appetizer,

get right into that. I wrote about it in my essay.

When I got back,

I couldn't get the care that I needed from the VA.

So a lot of guys will go to the black market to get meds

to deal with the physical pain.

You're just trying to get through a day, however.

So, um, yeah.

I failed a drug test as a result.

And you're clean now?

Yes. Yeah.

Uh, I'm just eager to get back into school.

Get things on track. Keep things on track.

Your LSAT scores are excellent. You're obviously very smart.

But what qualifies you for law school?

Why here?

Again. Again. Again...

One. One.

One, two. One, two. One, two.

One, two, slip.

One, two, slip. Again. Again.

Move. One. One.

One, two. One, two. One, two. One, two.

One, two. One, two, slip!

Slip.

Timeout.

I don't know, it felt like as soon as they heard discharge

and drug test, like, doors closed.

Maybe I'm the sucker bending over

for these college admission fags.

They don't care that the government

would sooner give my medical care

to some fucking welfare queen or some invader.

They hear drugs, they hear discharge, and that's it.

I know. I know, I know.

I know, I sound like a fucking scumbag.

Well, they asked about you.

You know, the admissions woman, your friend's sister.

What did you say?

Nothing.

I'm not gonna tell them that we're not together anymore.

Where's your espresso?

How's your new place?

It's good.

Where are you?

It's close.

It's close.

Wait, you're not going to tell me where you live now?

Oh, now you're quiet?

Fucking speed talker a second ago, and now--

Can we talk about something else?

Why'd you even call?

Have you gotten help?

For what?

Are you serious right now?

Your friend kills himself

and then you torched your life, Lou.

Me, out of nowhere.

I haven't torched anything.

I have to take this.

Hello?

I got more stuff coming.

Mm-hm.

Not so fast.

Lou.

-Your hand. -What?

You’re shaking.

Lou.

Jesus Christ, what?

Did you just leave?

What the fuck.

Hey, where did you go?

Who in the fuck is this?

Hmm?

If you call me again, I'm gonna fucking kill you.

Do you understand me?

Anna, hey! Hey, hey, Anna!

At the tone, please record your message.

Hey, it's me. Why did you just walk out like that?

Huh? Call me back.

It's me again.

Hello?

Call me back.

I didn't mean for my last message

to sound so aggressive.

I just--I just really want to talk, okay?

Call me, please.

--we'll have a guy inside doing rounds

and two out front with the valet.

This is a high-profile event,

so keep it classy, guys, alright?

I don't want anyone putting hands on guests.

Hey, Lou's going 10-1.

Who in the fuck is this?

Lou...

It's Vic.

Viccio.

Are you the one who's been calling me?

Hey, can you talk right now?

Not really.

I'm--I’m here in South Carolina.

Okay. Where's Emily?

Um, yeah, she's at her sister's

and she's, um, she took the kids, so...

Uh, where are you?

Uh...

I'm in San Diego.

That's good, man. That's good.

Um, so I went to--

I, yeah, I went to Pat's place last month, and--

What's going on?

I--I was helping him 'cause it was a mess,

and he was mowing the lawn, and then all of a sudden,

he was just on his hands and knees,

and he was clutching this--

Hey, hey, Vic, I really can't get into this--

...sobbing and I guess he ran over a rabbit's nest

with the lawnmower.

And yeah, he was beside himself, man.

Um, did you get the article that Pat sent over

before he killed himself?

We killed those people, man.

That woman's boys...

Vic, Vic, Vic, listen to me. I--I--

I can't get into this right now.

- Oh, God. - Is Jordan, um,

Di--DiGaetano still living near you?

Um, uh, yeah, yeah, he's--

I can't-- I can't talk right now.

I'm at work right now, and, um...

- Oh. - I'll call you tomorrow.

- Oh, okay. - Okay?

- Is that all right? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Listen, just--just do me a favor and call him right now.

Okay.

You promise you'll call him?

- Lou. - What?

I love you.

Hey, it's me again. Where are you?

Are you working?

I need to see you.

Anna! Anna!

I'm working, Lou. What?

I don't know. I don't know.

Are you on something?

No. I don't know. I don't--

Something's wrong with me.

I don't know what to do.

I love you, Anna.

-Here. Oh, here it comes again. -What's happening?

I think I'm having a heart attack.

Can you call an ambulance, please?

No, you're gonna be okay.

No, no, no, something's not right.

You're gonna be okay.

Call an ambulance. Call one.

-You're okay. You’re okay. -Okay. I gotta figure this out.

I can't keep fucking hating myself.

No, you're okay. You're gonna be okay.

I keep seeing her face.

Who?

I don't know. I don't know. I keep seeing her face.

- I gotta go. I gotta go. - Stay, Lou! Stay!

Look, it's the big question:

does sending more military support

to the Saudis make us safer?

I think if you ask a lot of people now,

the answer would be no.

The U.S. would of course like to stop Yemen

from becoming a weapon's testing ground

for Iran and a channel to al-Qaeda.

But how do you weigh the national security concerns

of this administration against an ongoing humanitarian crisis?

That's the nub of this thing.

Well, Michael Reid,

I'm really sorry to say we're out of time,

but let's talk on one of your trips back to the U.S.

- Sure. - -We appreciate your visits

to Fresh Air.

Yeah, thanks, Terry.

Michael Reid is a staff writer

for The New Yorker.

His new article is titled "Yemen: The Next Battleground."

You're welcome.

Yeah. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Hello?

Hey, is this Michael Reid?

Sorry, who is this?

This is Lou D'Alessandro.

Hey, Olivia.

Hey. Oh my God.

I mean, cufflinks?

- So mortified. - No, I’m joking.

Just here, take them.

It's just that I've never seen you dress up.

I haven’t.

I don't know what possesses me.

Whenever I do press, it's like my father dresses me.

Uh-oh.

Are you getting soft in your old age?

Uh, no, I'm not getting soft.

And you freed me, so here, take them.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

We were talking about your book, though.

No, don't deflect. We're talking about you now.

Seriously, what are you doing here?

Are you here on something?

Uh, you know, always a few irons.

Um, it's just press this week.

Oh, well, when'd you get in?

A few days ago.

Actually, there was something interesting that came up today.

But, I mean, we don't have to--

No, please. Yeah, I have all night.

It's fine.

Tell me.

I think this is you.

Mariam and Nora.

It's taken me a long time to find you.

I've written and re-written you both so many times,

nothing really feels adequate, so I'm recording something.

I was there that day in Iraq when you lost...

I was firing at the cars.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

You know, a lot of guys I was with that day,

they don't do too well.

And I think talking to you will help me.

And I know it seems really selfish,

but I hope it helps you, too.

I just can't keep going not trying to say hello to you

when we live so close.

I saw on Facebook that you live in California now.

Yeah, I would like to talk to you someday

if you let me.

-He sent this to them?

To this woman and her daughter?

Yeah.

Did they respond?

They wrote back a day later--

"We forgive you."

Hmm.

I mean, I got to say, I love the idea of a forgiveness story.

Uh, I can get the--

What did you--what did you make of it?

Well, we don't have to talk about this.

No, I want to hear.

I mean, he doesn't actually say

he wants forgiveness.

Yeah, he doesn't say it.

He says, "Sorry for your loss."

What?

I don't know.

You almost wish he were more sympathetic.

He's kind of a mess.

He's just wandering around talking off the cuff and--

Sorry, but it is selfish.

This woman and her daughter

are supposed to just open up their home,

open up their old wounds just so he could feel better?

It's--sorry, maybe you don't want--

No, no, I do. I do. I do. I do.

Why is he reaching out to you?

He wants someone to broker the meeting.

He's already been in touch with them.

So, he probably wants the story.

"Marine seeks reconciliation."

He seems like he's really suffering, no?

So is this woman.

I'm flying down to San Diego tomorrow

to see this guy.

I'll obviously meet him before I make any decisions

about whether to introduce them all.

This is your last night?

You know, I'm supposed to call the family.

Do you mind if I step up for one second?

No, go ahead.

I have to go anyway.

You upset?

Should I have called when I got to town?

It's just that the last time we were together,

you said that you weren't sure about things.

You weren't sure about me.

And then you sent your book,

and I guess-- I don't know what we're doing.

I can stay for a little while.

I will be right back.

Okay.

Anna?

-Okay? -Yeah.

- Hi. - Hi, I'm Michael.

-Come on in. -Michael, come on in.

Thank you very much.

-Hi, Anna. -Anna.

-Lou. -Lou, thanks for having me.

Have a seat.

Okay.

Oh, this is just, uh, to record our conversation.

It's for myself.

I just want to have a record of what's said.

So I'll just, um--

How long have you two--

- Oh, sorry. - I’m sorry. Go ahead.

No, I was just going to ask how long you've been together.

For about five years.

Yeah, we just got engaged last year.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

-Are you married? -No. No.

And, uh-- Lou said you're a reporter for The New Yorker.

Mm-hm. What do you do?

I'm in school. Psychology.

College, yeah.

Oh, I'm in law school. Now.

So did you--

Actually, um, I think I'll add one more device

into the mix before we... before we dive in.

I'll leave you guys.

Yeah. I'd love to speak with you later too.

Yeah, of course.

Uh, where are you based?

I'm between places. New York usually.

Mm.

Uh, so I'd love to talk about the article a second.

If it's possible, I'd like to co-write with you.

I think that might be a good way to do this.

Well, first, I don't even know if I'm gonna write anything yet.

And no, I don't co-write.

Is that what this is? You trying to become a writer?

No. Uh, no.

No, I just thought it might be--

I just want to do this right.

I thought I might-- to tell this the right way.

Yeah, we all want that.

Well, maybe we just talk first, yeah?

Sure.

How'd you end up in the Marines?

Oh, yeah, I was kicking around Vegas after high school.

A cousin went in, and you know, 9/11 happened.

Your parents didn't serve?

No, my dad died when I was a kid.

And your mom?

You know, I'd rather not talk about her, if that's okay.

I don't want them involved in this.

Sure. Okay.

Yeah, I think we may have spoken when I was overseas.

I vaguely remember a reporter

coming by after Baladiyat.

God, I saw so many people, I don't--

Yeah, I didn't put it together until I saw the article.

Yeah, I was surprised to get your call.

I wrote that so long ago.

Yeah, well, they discouraged us from reading

what people wrote about the war.

It wasn't until I was discharged,

other than honorably, that I found it.

So you were dishonorably discharged?

That sort of set this into motion.

Got me thinking more for myself, I guess.

Kind of like leaving home.

The longer you're gone, the clearer you see.

And what did you see with that distance?

Marine Corps is like the police force

or the mafia or something.

It has its own sort of moral universe.

They teach you or give you the permission to kill

and then absolve you of your sins.

That's interesting.

But I heard about your article from a guy in our platoon,

and just, you know, I never thought about that day

from another perspective before.

It never made sense to me, like,

why would they have driven through that intersection?

There was so much gunfire.

After reading it, it made more sense

of how confusing it was for them.

And I got it in my head that I had to meet them.

So you tracked them down, and they responded?

Yeah.

So, why call me, Lou?

Well, Nora responded with this Bible verse

in her response about...

It's part of a larger verse about God being the only judge.

and I just started wondering if that's what they're saying,

if that God will judge me in the end.

My punishment will be in the next life.

They're pretty religious, huh?

Uh, yeah, I think, yeah

they're Orthodox Christians, I think.

Are you religious?

Not exactly.

You got to know them fairly well?

Yeah, I mean, I guess I did.

I'd look them up

when I'd go back to Baghdad.

I thought they were really good people.

Can I ask you--

what are you hoping to get from all of this?

I mean, I want to explain to them what happened.

I want to share with them my side of things,

and it just feels-- it feels wrong not to say hello.

This is a family that has suffered

because of something that I did.

Do you want forgiveness?

I mean, the only person that can forgive me is me.

You okay?

Sorry, I, um, it's not Parkinson's or anything.

I just shake sometimes.

Excuse me. One sec.

Sure.

Michael, you smoke?

Do-- uh--

I go back to that intersection sometimes

when I'm in Baghdad.

Really? Why is that?

Yeah, I don't really know, actually.

I think she made an impression.

Does it affect you like it does us?

Well, I mean, I guess it affects everybody differently.

There were people I saw there, they were there for three days,

they had a nervous breakdown.

I was mostly okay.

Like sleep, I can't sleep.

I get a few hours most nights, but I dream about them a lot.

You dream about the Khachaturians?

Mariam, mostly.

Could I talk to some of the other guys in your platoon?

Oh, sure, yeah.

We actually have a group thing, a support thing.

The wives too.

Happy to come by if you like.

Well, that'd be great. Thanks.

It jumped out of the tree?

Past through the tree.

He said, "Pilot,

- you smell good?" - Huh?

Could you at least smell the pine?

No, I smelled burnt hair for like two weeks

This was in 2007.

So I was running security,

and I was up on the post up top in the tower.

And a woman and a child was walking toward us.

And she wasn't swinging her arms at all.

So that was like a telltale sign,

hey, something's probably going on with this lady.

So she was getting really close.

We fired warning shots at the feet.

The kid got scared and kind of ran off,

and some other Marines picked him up.

And as she got closer, I was using my ACOG.

I could see like a little bit of a wire

sticking up out of her little dress,

whatever you want to call what they wear

over there to cover up.

And she kept coming after we kept telling her to stop.

So I shot her in the head.

And after that, we discovered 85 pounds

of explosives strapped to her.

That image of the back of her head just exploding

like a watermelon, that comes up frequently.

But that image, it stays with you forever.

I'm glad the boy ran away

because that would have been even rougher.

Knowing that I did something good though,

because if it was her or the 30 of us that was standing there,

she was going to blow us all up, so.

I feel like a bad person saying this,

but for a long time it felt like our lives

were revolving around him and his journey.

And...

and now--and now things are changing.

I think there's more...

I think we've had some victories.

I wish there was more support,

but people don't want to know the truth.

They don't want to think about,

when you pick up a gun and shoot,

I think the bullet moves both ways.

And I think that part of Lou, I can't--

I can't understand and I'll never understand.

How could I?

And that makes me feel all kinds of ways.

- Hey. - Hey.

Hey, sorry I'm not in there.

Did you get a chance to talk to people?

Yeah, I did. Yeah.

I'm gonna take off, but,

I'm headed to Glendale tomorrow to see the Khachaturians.

You're seeing them?

I'll see if this is something they'd be up for.

There's no guarantees, Lou, but I'll ask them.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Get home safe.

Stop, stop, stop.

Okay.

Any further and you will fall in.

-There is a hole. -Ah, I didn't see it.

Uh, hi. Nice to meet you.

I'm Michael.

-Asaad. Nora's husband. -Asaad.

Oh. Hey.

-Hello. -Hello.

Good to see you. And here.

I know. How many years? And you're married!

Ten since we were in Iraq.

So before then. And she multiplied.

- Yeah. - Yes.

We have two children there inside.

-Ah, congratulations. -Thank you.

-Shall we? -Yes, sure.

Thank you.

How did you two meet?

Oh.

Tell him.

We met at the hospital.

Asaad was there with burns,

and he heard me screaming from pain,

so he bribed the doctor to give me medicine.

Such a romance.

And you all came here together?

Yeah, first to Syria, then here.

And is your sister-- is she here?

No, she went to Jordan.

No, no, to Lebanon.

Oh, Lebanon.

And your grandson, he was an infant, yeah?

He's a teenager now.

And what is it like for you to live here in America?

It's nice.

It's good. It's good.

I mean, the children are happy. It's safe, so I'm happy.

Good.

I'm going to work for Uber Eats.

Oh, we talk about that.

No, you will not. No need for that.

I have money.

- No need. - No need.

He says this, but I'm going to do it anyways.

How's life for you?

I have the church, the children.

Do you go back to Iraq?

Not for a while.

It went from bad to worse.

It's okay. Enough of us.

How are you?

I'm busy with work.

And your wife?

Oh, we-- we divorced years ago during the war.

I can't believe that you remembered I was even married.

We were very surprised to hear from you.

Yeah. As you know,

I was contacted by someone who would like to meet you.

We sent him a message. I mean, Nora did.

I know that really meant a lot.

Uh, but for what it's worth, I think that--

he would really like to meet you in person.

You know something?

These two are so nice.

They want to give him peace.

I'd rather kill him than invite him to my house.

Why meet? What for?

What's more to say?

Honestly, when he first reached out, I was afraid.

I think he wants to kill us. Finish us off.

I sent him a message just so he won't bother us anymore.

But after, I think about him.

I fear he could do something to himself.

You have done enough, and we talked about that also

Sorry, it hasn't been easy to move forward.

We don't want to look back.

I don't know.

Why give this man relief? Let him suffer.

If your enemy comes, give him everything to eat.

If he’s thirsty, give him water to drink.

For if you treat him as your son or brother,

maybe he will be ashamed for what he did.

- Hello. - Lou?

- Hi. - Yeah.

I'm headed back but I just heard from them.

They said that they'll meet you.

Oh.

Yeah.

Excuse me. Sorry.

Um, sorry.

Lou had to step away, but he's glad.

Okay, I'll be in touch.

Okay, thank you.

See you. Bye.

...giving me this time, I'm reallysorry for your loss.

...unsure when to eat or what todo.

I just care for Nora.

It's so quiet now.

Everything is so silent.

I used to like this.

Silence is the language of God.

Someone said this.

Yeah.

Not anymore.

I can't hear anything anymore in silence.

Do you know this feeling?

You ready?

Ready.

Where is it now?

It's just down here on the right.

-Is that it? -Yep.

- Oh oh! - Oh, Jesus.

Sorry.

-Ready? -Yeah.

Good morning.

Morning, Nora.

How long have you been up?

One hour or two.

Why! What time is it now?

Seven.

Mom, no! You should have woken me.

I couldn’t sleep last night,

Asaad’s snoring shook the house! I really couldn’t sleep.

I dreamt of Nicky...

He was coming to visit.

We don't have to do this.

What do you mean he doesn’t need to be checked?

- Let’s just take him. - Mom.

He doesn’t need to see a doctor.

Why not! We should just bring him and get it over with.

- Nothing’s wrong. - Mom!

Just give him some time.

- But if there’s something, -Mom! - Mom!

we should act fast before it gets worse.

Mom, you should’ve kept an eye on them.

So you’re a doctor now?

Did you sleep?

Only a little... it's the noise.

Too much street traffic here.

What is he banging at? Where is the noise?

He's the one who makes noise. I'm going over there.

It's fine.

Don't go. He's crazy.

Asaad, please don't. There is enough today.

Okay. But next time...

Seriously though, I will do something!

I will drop Asaad and the children off.

Then come back. Can you pick him up?

What time does he get here?

Around 2pm.

But it also reminds us of the good news

that God has made it possible for us

to be reconciled to Him through Jesus.

The Bible says that those sacrifices

are an annual reminder of sins.

Mom, they're almost here.

Please forgive me.

- Hello. - Hi, hi.

-Come in. -Thank you.

Good to see you.

Hi.

Okay... okay. Come in.

Nice to meet you.

Hi, I'm Nora.

This is my husband, Asaad.

Thank you for having us.

Sit down.

Mm. Yeah.

Where should we sit?

Wherever. Here?

It’s nice to see you again.

We will have some tea and cookies.

Oh. Thank you.

You have a lovely home.

Thank you.

Have you been here long?

We've been living in this house for the last 10 years.

Hmm.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you very much.

It's very good.

Where do you come from?

San Diego. It's where I live now.

It's just a few hours away.

Um, how did you end up in Glendale?

My husband has family here.

So after--

after we left Iraq, we came to set up with them.

Mm.

Well, I would like to thank you for allowing us--

me to be here today.

It means a lot.

I just wanted the opportunity to just, yeah, to meet you.

It felt strange not to, you know?

I guess I sort of said a lot of it in that video,

but I hadn't been doing too well after my time,

and after some especially bad days,

I stumbled across Mi-- Michael's article about you all.

And I decided I needed to find you so I could explain.

Excuse me.

I guess I just wanted you to know that I hadn't--

I had no idea who was driving the cars that day.

The Iraqi militia had been hijacking cars,

so we were sent to a rooftop

and told to fire on any vehicles.

If I had known, I would have never--

I'm so sorry.

We've cried out all our tears.

We have none left.

Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry.

I'm just having trouble, uh,

pulling it together.

Listen.

We want to give you everything you need

to move on.

So...

We forgive you.

Right, Nora?

We forgive.

We forgive you.

That's what you need from us, right?

Is it better now?

Do you feel better?

We don't want you to suffer over this.

We suffered enough.

No more suffering.

Yeah, I understand.

I know from the story and everything,

but I would like to hear what happened that day for you,

if you're open to it.

I lost my husband.

And my two sons.

One of them left behind a wife with an infant boy

who will never know his father.

Nora's shoulder was shattered by the bullet,

and she's been taking medications ever since.

And I've been on sleeping pills for the last 15 years.

Otherwise, I will never sleep again.

That is what happened to us.

Sorry.

I'm not saying this to make you feel bad,

but that's really what happened to us.

I truly wish I could trade places

with your husband and sons.

I wish I could too.

I'm so sorry.

I just need a minute to, um,

to pull myself together.

Is there a place where I could smoke?

Yes. Follow me.

Yeah. Excuse me. All right.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Might just borrow the restroom if I may.

Oh, yeah. Through there, to the right.

Sure. Thank you.

Sorry about that.

It's okay.

What do you do for work?

I have trucking company. I drive.

Is that what you did in Iraq?

No. I worked with Reuters. Took pictures.

You?

Oh, I'm in law school.

Baba, leave that alone. Don't touch it, please. Yeah?

Such bad boys.

It's great you got the yard.

More projects. But I like it.

You building something?

Actually, I'm trying to plant some cherry tomatoes.

We want to give him what he needs to get better.

He's a sad person.

I keep thinking about Nicky.

He reminds me of him. I don't know why.

There is something.

He... he reminds you of your son?

Sometimes Nicky.

Sometimes the person who killed Nicky.

Uh-- are you okay?

Yeah, yeah.

This is the neighbor from next door.

Did he just come by? Was that him?

Yes, he banged on the door.

I think he has a problem with our presence.

Are you happy now?

- What is his issue? - Are you satisfied?

We don't know.

I mean, he doesn't like us here, I guess.

He's a menace.

Asaad, come back inside.

Have you, uh, considered a restraining order?

What is that?

We don't have this in Iraq.

Well, in American courts, if a person is harassing you,

you can file a restraining order,

and that means that they're forbidden from coming

within a certain amount of feet of you and your children.

Asaad, go check on the kids.

He lives six feet away from us.

Actually, I don't think that matters.

If he breaks the order just to bang on your door,

he could be arrested.

Have you done one before?

I haven't, no. Um, but I could-- could help you with it.

It's very kind of you.

I'll get you some tea.

Thank you.

They want to sit outside. Going to be quieter.

- Please. - Thank you.

Do you need help with anything?

No thank you, dear.

- Here you go. - Thank you.

There's really lots of good restaurants.

- You want more water? - I'm good, thank you.

What’s the name of the fish restaurant?

The one with the red awning, what was it called?

Um, Hunters.

-Yes. -Yeah.

Hunters, I think, in English.

It's an Iraqi restaurant that does fish.

The street fish in Baghdad

is better than any I've eaten in the world.

-It's amazing, really. -I miss it so much.

Do you go back to Iraq?

No, not really.

It's gangsters in power now.

They're fighting. They're fighting all the time.

Well, I read online that Iraqi civil activists

are starting to call for the end of a--

I don't know if I pronounce it correctly.

-It's Muhas--? -Muhasasa.

I read that too.

I mean, if they are talking about it online

and no one stops them, maybe the revolution will come.

- This man and his phone. - Yeah.

Do you want the Wi-Fi password? I can help you.

I leave for Yemen tomorrow so they're calling about flights.

I'm sorry. Do this later.

What are you doing? No, please, leave it.

- Is it all right? - Sit down, please.

May I?

Thank you, thank you.

Stay here.

Let me know if you need anything.

Michael, more tea?

Uh, the tea is good, although this is really just--

You don't have to do this.

Oh, no. I'm happy to wash them.

But it's okay.

If it's all right, I'd like to.

Okay. I won't take that from you.

You can go outside. You don't have to stay.

It's okay. I'll take the moment.

Get some quiet.

- Do you-- - Please.

Don't say anything.

Why don't you go outside?

You don't have to dry.

Yeah, are you sure?

Yeah.

And when's the next flight?

Sure, yeah. I understand. Call me back. Thanks.

Hurry up. Come on.

Hey, hey. Don't go.

Yeah, well, you get so much sun.

It seems like the sun's coming east to west here.

- Yeah. - Joseph, Sam.

I made it. Come on. Hurry up.

Here. Drink yours and one cookie only, okay?

- Here you go. - Thank you.

Uh, Michael...

Got a...

This is the shed for the cherry tomatoes.

Yup.

Yeah. I'll have you--

Maybe... actually, maybe just a tiny... yeah. Nice.

Okay, here we go.

And that was nice.

Let me just--

Please. Please. No more.

Okay.

Can I see the photo?

Oh, we have to take the kids to their swimming lesson today.

Yes, take them. I have some work.

Yeah, I'm taking them at five.

So the car with you?

Yes, I have the car.

What about you guys? What are you gonna do?

Well, I guess we'll head out out

at some point, you know.

- Yeah. - Going back to San Diego?

- Yep. - Are you going with him?

Uh, yeah, we're gonna travel back.

Drivin’ right back with Michael,

probably two and a half hours, three hours’ drive.

That's not long.

Got a couple of meetings in the morning.

Yeah.

Always nice to see you.

Thank you. Nora, thank you.

Thank you for having us.

I have your number, you have mine,

and I'll be in contact next week about your neighbor.

Thank you.

Asaad, thank you so much for having us.

- Welcome. - Take care.

- Thank you. - Thank you, Michael.

- Be in contact. - Thank you.

Sure, sure. We'll keep in touch.

-Talk to you soon. -Thank you very much.

- Thank you. - -I appreciate your visit.

call or take the picture.

Sorry, it must have fallen out somewhere,

maybe when I pulled my phone out.

What happened?

He can't find his rental key.

Oh, he looked all over the cushions.

I don't know.

Come, we'll look for it. Come, guys.

-Leave this here. -Hey, buddy.

- Nothing in the bathroom. - -Check over here,

- see if there’s keys-- - Yeah, it could have been

when I pulled my phone out to take the call

or take the picture.

Were you over here, Michael?

Uh, I think I was everywhere.

No keys. What does it look like?

Uh, it was like a little fob, a little plastic fob.

Come on, Michael, if you want to stay more,

- just tell us. - Yeah.

Nothing here.