In response to a request from Captain Justin Thomas for musical instruments for Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq, Spirit of America provided $4500 for pianos and violins. These instruments were presented to village elders in Byara and Khormal where people had been forbidden to listen to or play music for years under the Islamist Government of Kurdistan.

After presenting the instruments and a plaque that CPT Thomas and his colleague, CPT Kevin Curseaden, emailed, "We believe that the gifts of musical instruments play a significant role in their overall attempt to address the detriments of being under an Islamic fundamentalist rule, as the people of Byara and Khormal were. Where the fundamentalists outlawed music, we provide radios and musical instruments. Where women were prohibited from working and girls deprived schools, USAID funds literacy classes and worker training for women, and we rebuild the schools. Where they were deprived of communication with the outside world, we install internet access for community use. It's all a part of a coordinated effort to show that America has great concern for Iraqis, and that they do not need to fear the return of another brutal regime, be it Ba'athist or fundamentalist. They are, and will remain, free."

It reads in English, Arabic and Kurdish, "Friendship. Music is a language of freedom and friendship. The people of America present these musical instruments as gifts of friendship to the people of Iraq."

The following was written by a Kurdish journalist, Kareem Omar, who accompanied Thomas and Curseaden when the instruments were presented.

On a wet and cold January day, we set out from Sulaimany to distribute nine violins and five keyboards in Khurmal and Byara, both to the south east of Sulaimany, near the Iranian border.

In Khurmal, we met with a young guy, who was the head of a youth center. When Captain Thomas told him that we have brought them some musical instruments, he was delighted first but soon felt very quiet and sad. This seemed very weird to us in the start but we soon realized it is because they do not have a proper enough building.

He took permission to gather some of the locals with whom they carry out art activities. After half an hour, we went to the building and found scores of young males and fewer females in our reception.

We could easily see smiles and surprise on the faces of the young people gathering around us. "The instruments are gifts from a US charity group to you. With the hope, these instruments would have a role in bringing back the music and cultural activities the area once was known for", said Cap. Thomas once inside the building. The group thanked the US team of soldiers and the Spirit of America group for their efforts. Then the plaque was given to the head guy and some pictures were taken.

We left Khurmal and shortly found ourselves amid a very thick fog on the way to Byara. We went straight to the building of the young center in the small town, located at the foot of the mountains. Just as in the fairy tales, the angels come through the fog and out from the blue to distribute their gifts.

In Byara, too, Captain Thomas spoke to the young locals about the gifts and specifically mentioned "the negative role the terrorist group of Ansar Al-Islam [also called Supporters of Islam] has played in banning music and all type of entertainment."

The locals thanked the US soldiers and the Spirit of America for their presents and said, "Even a very tiny gift from the Americans for us is as big as the Byara Mountain in our hearts."

They felt elated that they were not deprived from the overall changes occurring throughout the country and that they are not left in the cold.