In Joy Hobson’s sixth grade U.S. history class at Selma’s School of Discovery Genesis Center, students are not only learning about great wars of the past, but also about the current one in Iraq.

Hobson said her class held discussions about the war, and the students seemed to understand basic ideas about why American troops are fighting.

Martin Wilks, 12, said his father and uncle are involved in the war and he &uot;hasn’t seen them in a while.&uot;

Wilks believes the U.S. is fighting in Iraq because of results from the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

Classmates Alana Walker and Brandon Parnell, both 12, agreed that oil is another reason behind the fighting in Iraq.

Antorrie Robinson, also 12, said President Bush ordered the attack on Baghdad because Hussein wasn’t following the rules.

Several other students in Hobson’s class offered different, but equally insightful, responses for why the U.S. invaded Iraq.

The majority of them, however, were more concerned about the safety of family members and the possibility of another terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Darinee Allen, 12,

has a uncle in the U.S. Navy and two cousins in the U.S. Army.

Angela Walker, 11, said she heard the Iraqi people hate Americans and want revenge.

For all of these students, Operation Iraqi Freedom is their first encounter with a real war. The events they witness today will eventually be written about in the history books of tomorrow.