Tuesday, November 29, 2005

More Civil Affairs

In another recent letter from Brian:

I have a new story from last night that is pretty neat. We got a call fairly late in the evening that two Iraqi nationals were up at the hospital and needed to be picked up. Evidently they had been treated in Baghdad and flown here, which shouldn’t have happened, and the hospital that released them expected someone here to get them back to their town.

Nobody really knew what to do with them, so they called us, since we are civil affairs. We went to the hospital and that’s where the story begins. When we got there we found out that it was an Iraqi man and his grandson. The grandson has cerebral palsy and had somehow got a hold of some kerosene where he lives and drank some of it. When the American military found out, they put him on a helicopter along with his grandfather and flew him to Baghdad for treatment.

We brought one of our interpreters so we could communicate, then figured out what to do. Evidently a flight in the morning had already been identified for them, so we just had to put them somewhere for the evening, since the hospital here refused to let them stay over night, saying, “We’re not a hotel”, which I thought was a little ridiculous.

Well, we decided to put them up for the night at the local mosque, because we know the caretaker really well and work with him often on various projects. This all took a couple of hours to figure out so by this time the child had fallen asleep so I wrapped him up in his blanket and carried the little guy out to the truck to take them over there. He didn’t wake up until we got outside and into the cold air but when he did, he didn’t seem afraid at all that a stranger was carrying him. It seemed like he knew that he could trust us, and when we got to the mosque and I went to get him back out of the truck he reached for me and put his little arm around my neck when I carried him inside. I guess it made quite an impression on the mosque caretaker as well, because he told our interpreter a little later that he was very moved by it. He told her it was such a sight to see an American carrying an Iraqi child as if it was his own. Like he was carrying him to safety. I’m not sure how much the child knew what was going on, but when I laid him on the bed they had ready for him, he looked up at me and smiled.

The caretaker and his wife invited us to stay for tea (a common custom in this culture) so we sat down and visited with them and the grandfather of the child. As it turns out, the grandfather is a village elder where he is from and holds a significant amount of authority and power. He had never dealt face to face with Americans and kept saying how impressed and amazed he was with us. He said that he watched all of us work and he had never seen a group of people that work day and night every day without tiring and that work together so efficiently. He had been in the Iraqi military years ago and said that it couldn’t compare to the level of efficiency and effort of our American military. He also couldn’t believe that we would do so much for a man that we had never met before and did not know. That we would fly his grandson all the way to Baghdad, treat him, and get them back home. He couldn’t believe that we all cared so much about people we didn’t know, and that my fellow Marines and I would take time to sit and talk with him and look after their well being. He kept saying, “Look, you are all officers and you talk to me and look after me. I am nothing.”

Judging from the stories he was telling, evidently he had been fed the propaganda that the Americans were conquerors and that we had come to “swallow Iraq up.” With reference to me carrying his grandson and us treating and looking after them he said, “Look, this is not how conquerors behave.” Our interpreter said that he kept repenting for the way he had thought and for what he had done before, which led us to believe that he had probably supported the insurgency in one way or another. He repeatedly said that he would go back to his home and tell everyone about the Americans and how we really are. That we are here to help them and to help rebuild their country and give them a better life. Since he probably has quite a bit of local influence, this could be pretty good for our cause. Who knows, maybe we helped prevent some insurgent activity and possibly saved a couple of American lives down the road somewhere. I hope so.

After tea we left for the night, then came back early in the morning and got them on the flight back to their home. I was left with a good feeling about the whole experience. This is one of those things you don’t get to see on the news. How we completely changed someone’s mind about what Americans are like and how we were able to save a little Iraqi child. The man assured us that under the old regime before we were here, his grandson certainly would not have been flown to Baghdad and treated and saved. When we said goodbye to the man, he shook my hand and blessed me and wished me long life. That was pretty neat.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Incredible story, I'm sure this happens day after day, but people like John Kerry keep telling us different. Keep up the good work.

Kevin Kersey said...

Regardless of what John Kerry and Jane Fonda say, I think you guys are doing a great job.

You make me proud to be an American.

Kevin

Anonymous said...

I am not surprised in the slighest. As a former Army officer, I would expect no less. If all Iraqis could just see our troops as they really are, the insurgency would have died of starvation and our only enemy would be the Democrats.

Anonymous said...

This is excellent. Great blog, thank you. I will visit often.

Anonymous said...

man, that's a cool story. Keep up the great work - doing what is good and noble and right. Helping even one person makes a difference.

God Bless
Billy P

RedWritingHood said...

God bless and keep up the good work. We know you are doing a good job... walking the right road will always trump the naysayers.

Barb Smith said...

This is the historical story of the American military man. How wonderful to see it added to such an honored record.

Keep it up, guys. You ARE the best.

Richard said...

Thanks to you and all the troops. Your story is yet another reason that America can be proud of your service. Please keep blogging. Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

i am so proud of what you all are doing for those folks over there! keep up the good job and keep posting. my family and i wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas. we also wish the iraqi folks you help safety and best regards.

Anonymous said...

It infuriates me that stories like these are not front page headlines.

Thank you for showing the world what sort of people we are. This is the most heartwarming story I have read in a long time.

Anonymous said...

After reading that, I am once again grateful for the Internet so that we can learn more of the truth about what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan and not have to rely on mainstream media (which I have come to regard as an enemy of the United States).

Thank you for taking the time to share your story. One can only imagine the effect of your kindness and decency once that elder begins telling his story to others in the village.

Well done, sir. And thank you. What you did for those folks does not surprise me, however, because you're a Marine. We folks back home are awfully proud of you.

Anonymous said...

I am always praying for you great Marines. You are the true heroes of our nation. Please know that you all have our unwavering support, trust, and complete confidence. You are our very best!

Semper Fi Marines, and may God bless you bountifully ~

Anonymous said...

Beyond neat! What a powerful experience for you to have had - how wonderous! Thank you and your fellow Marines/troops for such outstanding service for our country, and know how proud we are of you ALL.

Anonymous said...

Damn Americans are torturing Iraqis with kindness. Damn them to hell!

Anonymous said...

Great story for the Christmas season (or ANY season for that matter) ! You people have done us proud. Despite what you may hear in the clueless media, we stand behind you %110. Thank you for all that you do. God bless !

Anonymous said...

Thank you for being wonderful ambassadors for our country. Thank you for caring so well for the child and his grandfather.
May God Bless always

Anonymous said...

God Bless you and keep you and all our folks safe. I'm proud of you and all our troops, and what you're doing there! Thanks!! And Merry Christmas-

Anonymous said...

You guys are the greatest; God bless all of you.
We pray for you all the time.

Anonymous said...

No better friend...no worse enemy...than a U.S. Marine. May it ever be so. Semper Fi!

Anonymous said...

What a story. It just shows the character of the vast majority of the American soiders. I thank God for these wonderful men and women. You are true examples of the real America I know.

God Bless You and continue the good work. There are many of us who are very prowd of all of you.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for representing all of us in such an honorable and caring way. G-d bless and stay safe.

Anonymous said...

Hearing of your respect and kindness toward this family has touched me. I was warmed by your story but was really moved to tears by the comments my fellow citizens. It should be clear how proud we are to have you serving on our behalf. Please make sure your comrades know this!

Semper Fi!

Anonymous said...

You guys are America's finest. May God bless each one of our soldiers!

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that people in this country honestly believe that our military routinely tortures and murders innocent civilians just for kicks. Who do they think the military are? These are our mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and friends. While it's refreshing to hear such a great story amidst all of the MSM garbage, it's a shame that there is an orchestrated campaign to destroy the foundation of our military and sovereignty by the libs and that the people who really need to hear this never will. Thanks for doing what you do, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Anonymous said...

You make me proud to be an Iraqi American.....I love both homes.

Anonymous said...

You all are HEROES! Kerry and his ilk should be ashamed of themselves. He hasn't changed a bit since his Jane Fonda antiwar days.

Semper Fi and stay safe.

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of Christmas 1965 at Dong Ha where we had a party for orphans. They mobbed Santa. I cied the whole time

Anonymous said...

That is a wonderful story and I wish everyone in this country could read it.

Anonymous said...

I served in the navy on Gator ships with many marines and there is no finer group of men and women in this country. They live the motto "no better friend, no worse enemy".

Ed, PO1 USNR (ret)

Anonymous said...

Tell Brian this: I was a Navy pilot, Vietnam era. I lost a friend over there who had been my DI. Gunnery Sgt.Tony and I became friends. At first I hated him and thought he was a S.O.B. but since I was a young A.O.C. and I was class leader he was hardest on me. He expected more of me. His attention to detail made me a better pilot so naturally I have a special place in my heart for all marines, but especially Gunny Tony. There is no one that I would rather have watching my back than him. I think about him often. Brian, God bless you all,keep up he good work, and all of you come back home safe. You will leave Iraq a better place. Your back is being watched over here.

Anonymous said...

This is such a great story. I love to read things like this. My husband was in An Army Reserve C.A unit. He was in Iraq for quite a while. He spent more time away from home than I thought I could deal with. He spent 6 years in. His contract was up and as the date approached I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought we could have a "normal life" now. He spent a couple of months trying to find a new path in life. I could see him struggle with it. I could see the envy in his eyes when he would see a soldier out and about or on the news. I knew that he was not happy with himself, he was just trying to make me happy. I gave him my blessing to continue on with the army if he wanted to. It took him less that 72 hours to re-enlist. This time active duty. When I get scared or nervous about our decision I like to read stories like yours. It reminds me that my husband has a calling in life that is much like yours. To be part of the bigger picture, to help others and make a difference in this world. Who am I to stop that? God Bless you and may the memory of that moment stay with you forever and give you the momentum to carry on when you feel doubt.