Born on the 1st of July

This is one of the more interesting places I've been. I've been a lot of places. I've got to write about my interpreter. He was born in Zakho in northern Iraq. Zakho is a beautiful place in the pictures I've seen. You won't hear about Zakho on the news, because there is no fighting. People, including Americans, can walk the streets and not worry about being bombed or shot.
Anyway, my interpreter is indispensable. He understands the Iraqi culture and Iraqi military. He served in the Iraqi Army at one time. He later served in the American Army and rode in our convoys facing fire and bombs from the terrorists to repay a country that's done so much for him. He's now an American citizen and truly a remarkable human being. When I'm speaking with the Iraqis he steers me culturally and makes communication possible. He provides vital insights into the Iraqi culture and people. His name is S###### and I will miss him dearly when he returns to the United States to his family.
One day we were discussing birthdays and S###### mentioned he was born on 1 July, just like his mother, father and brother. I found this amazing. The odds are astronomical. He then explained that a judge assigned his birthday. When he was in third grade he was in court and the judge asked his father how old S###### was. His father looked at S###### and then looked at the judge and said "I don't know, what do you think?" The judge asked S###### what grade he was in and S###### stated 3d grade and the judge told him he was 9 and his birthday was 1 July.
The culture of rural Iraq used events to mark birthdays. S######'s mother told him he was born about the time a well-known Peshmerga warrior died, but couldn't get any closer.
It's amazing how important structure is to our western society. Another advisor mentioned to the Iraqis that today was S######'s birthday and the Iraqis found it funny and childish that he still celebrated his birthday. We accept structure as intuitive, but it's something taught to the west from the day we are born.