Only in America Iraq best documented war I hadn't really thought about it until then, but it's true. I was sitting in a restaurant eating little dollar-sized dollar-sized pancakes when I overheard another breakfast-eater state, "This will be the best documented war in history." K 1 JANIS STUART Columnist There is no doubt that our concerns con-cerns and attention should first and foremost be for our fighting men and women in this war situation. Our gratitude toward these people cannot be measured However, it is also important to take note of the selfless actions of the reporters who have put their lives in danger because we, the public, pub-lic, want to know what is going on. One cannot help but be moved by the reporting that came from Baghdad during the first minutes of the war. The reporters gave very professional descriptions of red tracers, bombs hitting and bursts of light in the sky. The slight tremor in the voices of the announcers underscored the precarious position they were actually in. There, of course, will always be reporters who stretch the truth and sometimes actually break it, but as long as dedicated reporters like those who have come forth during this crisis exist, we will be the most informed citizens in the world. It is important to note that while military personnel in charge of the operations in Iraq were concerned about the safety of reporters in the area, they did not order them to leave. They were acutely aware of the importance of the free press guaranteed by our constitution. They made special arrangements for reporters to be as close to the action ac-tion as possible. Before official notification of the first planes taking off for their raids, the press was taken to the airfield. They were not specifically told the war was to begin, but they were astute enough to know that they were reporting history in the making. mak-ing. Newspapers, televisions and radios are a continual source of information in-formation to anyone who wants to be updated on the action. This has been made possible only by news reporters who left the comfort and safety of home to supply the rest of us with important information. Only in America. From the first sound of bombs dropping, the war was being recorded. President George Bush was watching television for his first notification that the war had begun. How lucky Americans are to be allowed to see and hear what is going go-ing on the moment it happens. I know of no other nation on earth that provides the kind of news coverage we are privileged to receive.