WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013 -- Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily today honored Americans and Iraqis who have paid the ultimate sacrifices to their countries during a visit to the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Ambassador Faily was accompanied by Mrs. Lameis Faily, Major General Ali Al Aaragy, the Iraqi Military Attaché, Mrs. Ibtihal Al Aaragy, and Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, the commanding officer of the US Army Military District of Washington.
“As I take up the post of ambassador to the United States, I wanted one of my first acts in Washington to be a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in order to pay my respects to the thousands of American and Iraqi military personnel who died fighting for the cause of freedom in my country,” Ambassador Faily said.
“We Iraqis know too well how painful it can be to a person, a family and a country to lose our loved ones to war. Over the past 10 years, since the fall of the ruthless dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi soldiers have stood side by side with their American counterparts, fighting against tyranny and terrorism to achieve freedom and democracy,” Ambassador Faily said.
During his visit to Arlington National Cemetery, Ambassador Faily presented a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and honored the memory of Captain Ali Hussam Abass Al Rubaeye, a 34-year-old Iraqi pilot who died alongside four American servicemen, by presenting flowers at his final resting place. Captain Ali Hussam Abass Al Rubaeye and his American colleagues were aboard an Iraqi Air Force plane that crashed in Diyala Province in May 2005.