It gives me great pleasure today to talk about my family and the families of martyrs. The happiest moments of my life are when I talk about your and your children's sacrifices, for which all words of appreciation in this world are not enough, for people who willingly sacrificed their lives and blood in defense of this beloved land - Kuwait.

My story is not a modern one. It goes way back to January 1991 when coalition troops attacked the aggressor's troops who were unlawfully in Kuwait. Along with some friends, me and my brother were driving in Jabriya when we came across an Iraqi checkpoint. One of the guards asked for our IDs. We held newly-made fake ones that had been issued for us by someone in the military a short while earlier because some of us were with the military and others were posted in some sensitive government positions.

Handing over the IDs to the Iraqi soldier, he smiled at me and said: "This is a brand new ID... have you just received it? Why didn't you put it in the sun for a while to make it look like an old one? This ID is fake and you will be executed for it," he said, and kept repeating his words about execution. He then took me to Jabriya police station, where screams could be heard from everywhere.

A police officer told me to wait until the officer in-charge arrived. Well, to cut it short, thanks be to Allah, we were later released. What I am trying to say is that I have experienced those days with many others of our children and some of us were released while others were martyred for the love of this land.

By Abdullah Abbas Bowair

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