Hutchinson ? Bob Arnot, a war correspondent for NBC, brought a sense of the war in Iraq to hundreds of Kansans.

Arnot, speaking to 1,400 people Wednesday at the Dillon Lecture Series, said soldiers stationed in Iraq had a sense of pride that had to be experienced firsthand.

“Many of you have an impression of an extremely depressive war because of the ongoing loss of life and the rumors that soldiers want to come home,” Arnot said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Despite the pride and bravery among the soldiers, Arnot stressed the danger still in Iraq. While the traditional sense of war has ended, Arnot said, the real hostility has begun now.

Some citizens are still loyal to Saddam, and they see the United States as a threat, he said. “You will find people who love Americans for what they are doing, but at the same time there are people who hate the progress,” he said. “There are still hundreds of thousands of people who would give up their lives for Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein.”

But the country is starting to rebound, Arnot said.

In Iraq, 1,600 schools will open this week, he said. There are more hospitals and schools open than ever before and many places have fresh, clean water for the first time.

“It is an amazing, complex situation,” Arnot said. “Yes, there were errors made along the way, but there was also this amazing campaign of technology advances and tremendous bravery. No matter if you are for or against the war, you can’t deny that statement.”