Remembering Andi

Yesterday Andrea Parhamovich, a friend and colleague, lost her life in the streets of Baghdad. She was not there to fight, she did not even carry a weapon. Her purpose was the people of Iraq, and doing what good she could to help them build a brighter future for themselves and their country.

I won't share more now, but to say that I am thinking of you, Mulder.

TC

[I want to thank Arwa Damon from CNN for her sensitive and caring handling of this story.]



American aid worker killed in Iraq identified

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An American woman who worked with a group promoting democracy in Iraq, killed when a convoy was attacked in Baghdad Wednesday, has been identified as Andrea "Andi" Parhamovich, of the Cleveland suburb of Perry, according to the National Democratic Institute.

Parhamovich, 28, worked as a communication strategist for NDI. Her job was to help Iraqi political party leaders and parliamentarians develop strategies to reach out to voters and constituents.

Three security people -- a Hungarian, a Croatian and an Iraqi -- were also killed in the ambush. They were employed by the Unity Resources Group.

NDI issued a press statement about Parhamovich, detailing her professional career.

A graduate of Marietta College in southeastern Ohio, Parhamovich "developed her career in political communication" with several entities, including the Massachusetts Governor's office and Department of Economic Development, Air America Radio, and the International Republican Institute in Iraq, NDI said

She joined NDI's Baghdad staff in late 2006.

NDI Chairwoman Madelein K. Albright said, "There is no more sacred roll of honor than those who have given their last full measure in support of freedom.

"Yesterday, in Iraq, Andrea Parhamovich and our security personnel were enshrined on that list. They did not see themselves as heroes, only people doing a job on behalf of a cause they believed in. They were not the enemies of anyone in Iraq; they were there to help."

Parhamovich's co-workers in Baghdad remembered their colleague's loyalty and humility, and her "tremendous integrity, personal strength and class."

"She had a silver tongue, a quick wit, and a knack for picking Oscar winners," a friend said.

One co-worker said Parhamovich lost her life the way she lived it, by doing something that she believed in.

-- CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad Susan Garraty in Washington contributed to this report