I met Mohammad in 2004 in Baghdad when we were both in our early 20s. I was an American soldier, and he was a local interpreter for my platoon during our 1-year deployment. Mohammad’s job was dangerous because Iraqis who worked with the Americans were targeted by insurgent forces.
So when I didn’t hear from him for a couple of weeks, I was worried and assumed the worst. But when he did return, rather than being clean shaven, like he usually was, he had a short beard.
