Many of you know my dear friend Brenen from Louisville.  Brennen and I have been close friends since our college days back at Campbellsville University. 

He is now employed as a business consultant in Baghdad, Iraq.  He trains and educates Iraqi business men, helping them find business contacts in the US and preparing them for future success in global commerce. 

This past week one of Brennen’s former students, and a personal friend, was killed in a suicide bombing. 

The reality of the Iraq War usually stands at a distance until someone connected to you or connected to someone you know dies.  Here was a young man, seeking education and training for a better life, trying to make a name for himself and get ahead in the business world and now he is dead and the future hope of his life is over.

This is the true reality of war.