BEDFORD — Forks and knives clatter against ceramic plates as Wael and I sit down for lunch. The Old West Cafe is a far cry from his traditional Iraqi fare, but we leaf through the menu and each select a chicken dish. It’s the end of the lunch hour, and the restaurant growls more than…

Read More

A native of Baghdad, Wael and his family were some of the first to encounter American troops in the early 2000s. Raised under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Wael was terrified by their arrival. He had two television channels, and both told him that Americans wanted to kill him. Decades after the war brought American tanks to…

Read More