Baghdad, as you must know, is now under heavy bombardment. We last

spoke with our team in Baghdad two hours ago. The team is split up

between three hotels in downtown Baghdad.

Iraq Peace Team member Bettejo Passalaqua managed to get this diary to

us between bombings:

"We were prepared for the bombing to begin Thursday at around 4 AM. We

congregated together until around midnight when we started hearing that

a

sandstorm had grounded the military planes and the invasion would be

called off. Then at 3 AM we received word from the States that the

planes

were on the way. Some of us went to the shelter and some remained

together in rooms. At 5:30 AM the opinion was that if it didn't come by

dawn, it

wouldn't come tonight. The first explosion came just as Cathy Breen

remarked, 'Well, dawn is here, so I guess we can go back to bed.' The

attack lasted for about 1 1/2 hours. Two explosions rocked our

building, but

they were pretty far away, I think.

"There hasn't been any bombing since, so Cathy and I went to the

hospital

ward where I had been working. It was entirely emptied. Even the sound

of

the children crying as they did when I.V. infusions were given would

have

been a welcome sound to drown out the ghastly silence.

"But even this silence was eclipsed by the scene I encountered when I

walked into the hospital. The corridor was lined with empty beds (at

least 20

beds on either side) awaiting war casualties.

"I spoke with a nurse on the vacant ward and she said she had worked

all

night in the emergency room of a regular hospital. There were many

elders

brought in with heart problems, most of which were a response to the

stress

of the situation.

"Thank you all for all you are doing to stop the atrocity of this war

before

more lives are claimed. I don't know how many people died in today's

bombing. But it is too late to save them. I don't know how many people

have

died in wars past. But I know it is too late to save them. I don't know

how

many people will die in the days coming from this war, but I know it

isn't too

late to save them."

We expect to lose contact with our people in Baghdad for a few days or

more. We will continue to share with you any useful information we

receive.