As part of a government reform team on a recent official visit to Iraq, I witnessed that nation's true ``shock and awe'' story. I saw the progress of a fledging, free nation. I came away knowing we have every reason to be optimistic. My disappointment is that, watching the evening news since my return to the United States, I can scarcely recognize the country and situation I have just left. In Iraq, I met General James T. Conway of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He described our effort there as ``a vivid success story,'' both during the major combat phase of the military operation and since its conclusion. Perhaps most important, he said that most Iraqis were concerned not that we would stay too long, but that we would leave too soon. As with any rebuilding effort, patience, time, dedication, loyalty and commitment are necessary. The Iraqi people are beginning to enjoy a normal, everyday life. The markets are bustling, there are traffic jams in the cities, and satellite dishes dot the rooftops of Baghdad. School children were preparing for a new year of classes to begin. Electrical lines bring power to light up rural areas, and fields of wheat are being harvested. After years of oppression by Saddam Hussein, Iraq's people are beginning to trust not only outsiders, but also each other. Ninety percent of the towns and cities have created governing councils. The new national governing council has been drawn from all regions of the country and is planning for a convention that will pave the road for a constitutional convention. After an Iraq constitution has been established, there will be elections. The birth of Iraqi democracy is a pivotal moment in world history, and it is only made possible by Coalition forces remaining to help stabilize the country. More than 37,000 Iraqis are contributing to their own security. Many are enlisting in local police divisions and are being trained by former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. Kerik has started police training academies that have been given the arduous task of transforming the Iraqi police force from one based on brutality and corruption to stressing police procedure, criminal investigations and human rights. Law enforcement is also now backed by a functioning judicial system. Prisons, which were emptied by Saddam at the beginning of the war, are being reopened. Law and order in a free society is taking root. As a doctor, I particularly wanted to assess the Iraqi health care system. I knew the difficulties that this system had suffered under Saddam's rule, but I was still startled to see the decrepit hospitals, most of which had no nursing staff at all. A member of the public health team of the 385th Civil Affairs Brigade, Lt. Col. Michael Keller, told me that in the library at the medical school, no text had a copyright date later than 1984. Pharmaceuticals manufactured in Iraq were of such questionable quality that doctors would not dispense them. Coalition forces have had to rely heavily upon donations of medicine from Kuwait. On average, Saddam's government spent 50 cents per person on health care. Coalition forces have increased that to $45 per person, but more is needed to restore quality health care to the long-suffering Iraqi people. Still, hope is rising. More than 4.2 million children have been immunized since May. I have not seen any of these accomplishments reported by the news media here in the United States. Their reports seem to focus on military dangers and claims that American forces should leave. Iraq has been liberated from a brutal regime with a minimum of military and civilian casualties. There is still danger, but there is no remaining strategic threat. Stabilization is the current goal. We seek to root out those who would harm our troops or innocent Iraqi citizens. Eighty percent of recent hostile engagements have been within the so-called Sunni Triangle of northern Iraq. The majority of the country is moving toward a free society. We should remain a strong force in Iraq, proving our determination to help the country become a stable, free nation. Printed in the Fort Worth Star Telegram