She was a teacher with two sons in college and a 10-year-old daughter. Maksood said the motive was to get her money and because she was related to him, Maksood, who had cursed Hussein to one of his henchmen and then fled, more than 20 years ago. He had to flee, he said, because when he was a top executive of a seafood company in Baghdad, Hussein wanted him to join the Baath Party, and Maksood refused.
In his younger days, as a student, Maksood had written reviews of American movies when they reached Baghdad: "Gone With the Wind," "The Best Years of Our Lives," "It's a Wonderful Life." Now he is in America, voting so his homeland might live up to its potential.
If a 78-year-old who walks with a cane can make it from New York to cast a ballot, he said, then all Iraqis abroad should do likewise. "Everyone must do what I done or else Saddam will come back."
Salah Lefta, 41, an X-ray technician living in Maryland, was a little annoyed about his purple finger. A purple finger won't do in a hospital environment. He said he hadn't been in favor of the invasion, but now, in the aftermath, he considers it important to participate in the election.
"Maybe my vote will make a difference," he said. "I'm hoping by coming here we're going to say to the U.S. we have a legitimate government, so the U.S. can have an exit strategy."
Earlier, when he registered, he also said: "By coming and voting, it's to, in a way, save some lives."
Alhamdani realizes the irony of his working with the U.S. military. But he and his family focus on the big picture.
"They know our military killed my brother, but now they see the new regime in Iraq," he said. "They still have pain. But they realize liberation comes with sacrifice."
Another brother, who resettled in California, is also a contractor who returned to help rebuild Iraq.
"We the Iraqi Americans have a responsibility to go there and help in every way we can," Alhamdani said.
His job involves telling "good news" stories about the 1st Cavalry's work in Baghdad to Iraqi journalists and the Iraqi people via advertising. He says the progress includes solid waste pickup, clearing streets, restoring potable water and grappling with electrical outages caused in part by insurgent sabotage.
He acknowledges the continuing danger. "I don't see chaos," he said. "It's lack of security."
He said most people in Baghdad go about their lives in spite of the suicide bombings -- visiting restaurants, shops, universities -- and he does the same. His family members in Baghdad are not too afraid to vote, he said.
"I'm very optimistic about the future of Iraq," he said. "I know this [vote] will bring about democracy."
Still, Alyaa is fearful for his safety. They fell in love after their families arranged a meeting in Jordan in 2000.
"I'm so worried I can't sleep until I talk to him and he says everything is all right," said Alyaa, who lives with Laith in a recently bought house just outside Reston. She and her husband talk at least once a day on the phone.
Alyaa still cherishes a dream that the family might return to Iraq to live. She and Laith visited after Hussein was deposed. But living there now is out of the question. "It's too dangerous," she said. Alhamdani says he would prefer they split their time between the two countries in the future.
Alhamdani returns to his job in Baghdad Feb. 7. Before then, after his first taste of democracy, he is taking Alyaa and Laith to sample something equally American. The family is going to Disney World.
