And They Won't Have The Lights Off On The Plane

Courage defined: Winning friends with handshakes and not guns.

Troop Families Go to Iraq on Peace Mission
Relatives of Service Members Embark on Peace Mission to Iraq to Bring Message of Friendship

SAN DIEGO Nov. 29 — Relatives of U.S. service members said they were nervous but hopeful Saturday as they embarked on a private peace mission to Iraq, where they will bring their message of friendship and doubts about the war.

The leader of the 10-member group, Fernando Suarez del Solar, said it is important for Iraqis to realize that not all Americans support the U.S. military presence in Iraq. His son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar, 20, was killed in Iraq eight months ago when he stepped on an unexploded American cluster bomb.

"The regular Americans like peace," Suarez del Solar, 48, said in a telephone interview a few hours before the group's scheduled departure. "The enemy is not the people from America.