A nearly packed house attended Fayetteville's God and Country Night Sunday, an event to remember the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Guest speaker Lt. Col. Brent Bracewell said the mission in Iraq involves a massive rebuilding effort, as 3,278 schools had to be rebuilt and another 817 were being refurbished in the war-ravaged country.

Cell phone usage has also gone up in the country, which is another sign that democracy is taking its hold, Bracewell said, joking about a prototypical shepherd he happened upon one day. The shepherd looked as if he stepped out of a painting, at least that is until Bracewell spotted the cell phone dangling on his belt.

The Iraqi people want to secure their country, and despite many deadly assaults on the Iraqi police force, natives there continue to sign up to help, Bracewell said.

"They love their country that much," Bracewell said.

About 20,000 Iraqis have died in the war, along with about 1,900 U.S. soldiers, Bracewell noted.

"They are our brothers, our fathers, our sons and our friends," Bracewell said, adding that the breakup of the family unit would destroy the United States as we know it.

Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele said it was also important to remember and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina too.

"The people of this nation will rise up and meet the needs of the folks in this emergency," Steele said.