Pastor Alan Hardy of Zion Congregation Church in Treynor recently returned from a tour of duty with the Iowa National Guard in Iraq. While there he served as battalion chaplain for about 2200 soldiers. Alan said one of the worst times there despite a temperature of 143 degrees F, was a three-day sand (dust) storm where you couldn’t see your out-stretched hand. The best time, he said was when they were distributing food, water and aid to local citizens, especially the children. He noted that the more they visited a village the less mortar and rifle fire they encountered. Alan explained that Iraq is in the process of developing a unique governance by combining democratic principles with Muslim law. Not all political, religions, and social factions get everything they want, but through the democratic process they get part of their desires met. The alternative of the past is all or nothing, which results in dissatisfaction of the loser(s). This new way of governance is being observed by other middle-eastern countries as a potentially progressive change to improve their way of life. Alan noted it will take a while for this change to develop, meanwhile the U.S. troops are there to maintain order and help establish a new government of Iraq.