This is a heartwarming story and photo that really shows the human side of this war. My son, Pfc. Aaron W. Ellis, a US Marine currently in the Anbar province of Iraq, sent me this amazing photo and told me this story just a few days ago. He and another Marine (last name Jordan), were sitting in their humvee in Fallujah when they saw this small girl sitting alone by the side of the road. She was very shy and they could tell that she wanted to approach them, because they had some chocolate muffins in their humvee and she could see them. As the driver, Aaron had to stay in the vehicle, but he asked Jordan to give her one of the muffins. He got out of the humvee and approached the little girl, but she was very shy and wouldn't come near him. So, he got down on one knee and unwrapped the muffin and held it out to her and she finally came forward and accepted it. The Marine then put up his hand to get a "high-five" from her, but she didn't want to come any closer. He waited patiently and finally she edged closer and put up her hand and gently touched his. My son watched the whole thing unfold from his humvee and he took this amazing photo at just the right time. Notice how gently she touched his gloved hand, and imagine how intimidating the Marine must have been to that small child! If you look closely at the photo, you can see the muffin in her left hand. I wondered if she'd ever tasted a chocolate muffin.
The other photo I attached shows both of them sitting together on the back of a truck. My son is on the left.
Marcie Brown
Forest Grove, Oregon
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