Did I say that the Iraqis have courage and heart? According to the Belmont Club (via IP), they make my flat compliment shrivel:

No American troops were involved in the fighting [of the February 14 Fallujah raid]. Officers from the 82nd Airborne Division stationed a 10-minute drive away could hear the battle clearly. They offered help but [Lt. Col. Suliman Hammad, a battalion commander for the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.] said it wasn't needed. The Americans did provide additional ammunition and weapons, including light machine guns.

After the battle, soldiers at the civil defense base proudly displayed a light machine gun and a pair of rocket propelled grenade launchers they had captured from the attackers.

Forgive me for my worry, gentlemen: you and your countrymen will be a standard of bravery and fortitude to which millions struggling under tyranny today will aspire tomorrow. So your story ends in happy victory, Americans cannot and will not abandon you.