Photo courtesy of Maura Stephens Ithaca College Quarterly Editor Maura Stephens, left, visits children at the Dar Al Dawla Liltufula orphanage in Baghdad.

Silhouettes of incinerated bodies can still be seen as clearly as photographs on the floors and walls of what remains of the Amariya bomb shelter outside Baghdad.

Ithaca College Quarterly Editor Maura Stephens described her visit to this site as one of the most significant experiences she’ll take away from her recent trip to Iraq. The shelter was hit by two U.S. missiles after U.S. intelligence got word that Saddam Hussein was hiding there in February 1991, killing more than 400 Iraqi civilians.

Families of the deceased have brought photographs of the victims to the site of the shelter, which is now open to the public as a memorial, Stephens said, reminding her of the photos people posted of lost friends and relatives after the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks.

“The universality of the horrors of war and violence really hit home pretty hard there,” she said.

Stephens returned home Feb.10 from her trip to Iraq, which had sparked controversy among members of the college community two weeks earlier when she requested and was granted funding from four college offices. She later withdrew her funding request.

Stephens traveled with a delegation of women sponsored by Code Pink for Peace, an organization of women who have been holding a peace vigil outside the White House since Nov. 17. The delegation was composed of a dozen women, some of whom were members of Code Pink, and others, like Stephens, who went along for the experience. Her husband, George Sapio, accompanied the group as its photographer and a videographer joined them as well.

The group left from John F. Kennedy International Airport and traveled a total of 44 hours. After stopping in Amsterdam, the delegation flew to Amman, Jordan, and then traveled 15 hours in Chevy Suburbans to arrive in Baghdad. U.N. sanctions prohibit all air travel to Iraq.

Since they were guests of the Iraqi government, Stephens said, the members of the delegation were accompanied by government-assigned handlers throughout most of the trip.

She said Amira Matsuda, an Iraqi woman who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, went with the group as a translator and guide, and was able to lead it to places where other delegations could not travel.

Among the sites they visited were an oil refinery, an orphanage and a children’s hospital. They met with a women’s group, U.N. weapons inspectors’ liaisons and people from the Iraqi Red Crescent, a disaster relief program similar to the American Red Cross.

Upon request, Stephens said, the government handlers also took the delegation to a women’s sewing factory.

“The day we were there they were sewing children’s uniforms for school,” she said. “But I’m sure they sew other kinds of uniforms on days we’re not there.”

Although the event appeared to be spontaneous, Stephens said, it is likely that the factory was prepared for their visit.

Sapio said that, in some ways, government handlers limited what the delegation was able to see, but people they met on the streets and in other more casual settings told the unofficial story of everyday life in Iraq. He said that almost everyone they met was very welcoming, though some seemed a bit suspicious of the group before realizing its non-aggressive mission.

Stephens said several people approached them when they were delivering messages of peace at nightly vigils in different parts of Baghdad. Some people asked her if President Bush was going to bomb them and whether she could stop him.

Many Iraqis began stocking supplies, taping up windows and preparing generators in case electricity was lost after hearing President Bush’s threats, Stephens said.

“They certainly are under the impression that most of their ills are the fault of the United States, even if that is not so,” she said.

The citizens of Iraq spoke little of their own government, Stephens said. Many seemed to perceive it as very benevolent, but it is likely that they considered it too dangerous to speak negatively of Saddam and his dictatorship, which seemed to have an ominous presence, she said.

“Everything has a picture of Saddam Hussein, his picture is everywhere — every house, every office, every street corner,” she said. “There are pictures of him everywhere, pictures and statues. It’s pretty chilling.”

Sapio said most people were excited to have their photos taken and he shot more than 30 roles of film.

“The kids clamor to get into shots, and the adults stand either very proudly or with big smiles,” he said.

Stephens said she took 115 pounds of medicines, vitamins, bandages, jewelry, photos and letters from Ithaca. She expects that letters from Iraqi pen pals will be arriving soon and is looking for volunteers to translate them from Arabic to English.

She said she has plans to share the experiences from her trip at a few private events in the community and would also speak in classes or other campus capacities if invited.