The US Army soldiers on duty in Iraq.

I was delighted when my editor asked me to recount my adventures with the Marines and Iraqis during the US invasion of Iraq for this anniversary supplement.

It is no longer useful to question the reasoning behind America’s invasion of Iraq. It happened. We are there. And now we must deal with the consequences.

But one positive aspect of this war was the military “embed program” where accredited journalists were “embedded” with the US armed forces, prior to and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It was intended to benefit all concerned. Reporters would gain a better understanding of the military experience, because they would live it. And the Pentagon would see — it was hoped — reporting that was more empathetic, if not sympathetic, to what it was trying to accomplish.

As Arab News’ Washington Bureau Chief, this would prove to be the most challenging assignment in my journalistic career. To begin with, the military has an inherent dislike for the media. Added to that was the fact that I represented an Arab newspaper based in Saudi Arabia.

Throughout the war, young Marines would often grab the press credentials hanging around my neck and say: “Ay-rab News. Does that mean you’re working for the enemy?”

From my perspective, such questions were an opportunity to explain that, the last time I heard, the US government was at war with one regime, not 22 Arab states.

To their credit, many Marine commanders understood the advantage of having me in their midst and asked me to brief their Marines on “Arab Culture and Islam.” This was a huge, unconsidered component before — and during — the invasion. And, I feel, it is a huge part of the puzzle of what went wrong in Iraq for the US troops who lost, but once had, the “hearts and the minds” of most Iraqis.

During the three months that I was “embedded,” I traveled to 13 different bases, visited three ships, flew on C-130 transport planes, and more frequently on military CH-46s and CH-53 transportation helicopters.

I scrambled to learn about the Marines; and they, for the most part, did all they could to assist me.

However, a few Marine officers, I was told, just could not get over the fact that I worked for Arab News. Perhaps their psyches were unable to distinguish the fact that all Arabs are not their enemy. And thus, working for Arab News, I was suspect too.

Others realized my potential to help. While in Tikrit with my main unit, the MWSG-37 (Marine Wing Support Group — engineers who built landing pads and ‘Forward Operating Bases’ for the fixed and rotating wing airplanes), I ended up translating for my unit.

Here is another conundrum about the war: How can you invade a country without translators? It means, of course, that one must use force rather than communicate, which created hostility rather than support.

My main professional regret as an embed happened in Tikrit. During a convoy through the town, the commander asked me to translate for Iraqis who were asking the Marines for help. One agitated group said looters were destroying their hospital and needed to be stopped.

The lieutenant colonel who commanded the convoy explained that without orders he could not assist them. When we returned to our base, in the middle of Saddam Hussein’s gazelle game preserve (which made the news when the Marines — hungry for fresh food — shot and barbecued many of the gazelles) we were unable to gain permission to help the Iraqis to save their hospital.

The other regret I have has to do with an episode I experienced while aboard the USS Comfort, a hospital ship that took aboard injured Iraqi prisoners and civilians: I was allowed to observe a ward where injured Iraqi girls and women were being treated, but ordered not to, under any circumstances, speak to them.

While walking through, however, I heard a young girl murmuring in fear. A nurse had given her an injection, and was telling her she would experience a burning sensation for a few moments and then the pain would ease.

The young girl was frightened. I regret I did not say, in Arabic, the few words she needed to hear to calm her fears.

On a more positive note, I was on the USS Boxer when the colonel who headed helicopter mission in the Jessica Lynch rescue operation returned and gave me an interview, which made Arab News one of the first to break the story of their dramatic rescue.

Looking back, it was also astonishing how many “closed-door conversations” I had with commanding officers who trusted me enough to share with me their concerns about our Middle East policies.

Two years after leaving the embed program, many of these Marines have not forgotten their Arab News embed. Several times a year they fly me back to California, where 1MEF, the First Marine Expeditionary Force, is located. There, I give two-hour classes on “Arab Culture and Islam,” to all deploying and redeploying Marines.

During each class, I tell them I am going to “arm them with knowledge.” After the presentation, Marines who are being redeployed have frequently stood up and asked: “Why didn’t anyone teach us this the first time we went in (to Iraq)?”

Young Marines, I have found, are a cut above the rest. They’re intelligent and hungry for knowledge, and realize the obvious — that understanding Iraqis, their religion, their culture and history, will help to save lives of both military personnel and civilians.

At the end of each class I hand out a “critique sheet” which allows them to express their opinions about the class. Here are some of the more recent comments, which show how much they want to learn, and how much they do not know:

• “I took the basic survival Arabic class at Camp LeJeune for 30 days and it seems your class gave me more vital information.”

• “I think this class is very important for deployment to Iraq. I think every military member should have this class before going to Iraq.”

• “Class was very effective. Feel better about future deployment.”

• “A lot of little things I thought were stupid turned out to be a big deal in the religion/life of an Arab.”

• “I knew the book version of Iraqi history, which really isn’t helpful when dealing with Iraqis. Ms. Ferguson knows about, respects, and probably even loves the Islamic culture. Personally speaking, it was extremely contagious. I now know the more humane and personal side of the cultural concerns when dealing with these people.”

My editor in chief at Arab News supports these training classes, saying: “In helping them, you are helping us.” It is our mutual dream that soon every member of the US military will be thoroughly briefed on this subject before being deployed to the region.