Heroism On and Off The Battlefield
July 31st 2007 18:25
Wow, it's hard to read this without getting choked up. Yet another reason I am proud to be an American and eternally grateful for the men and women of the United States Military. Not that this will get widespread coverage in the elite media either in America or abroad; it just doesn't fit well with the leftist view of patriotic soldiers as victims or predators. And it certainly doesn't fit the paradigm of evil America (i.e. The Bush Administration) waging a "war for oil" at the expense of innocent Iraqis, who would have been much better off had we allowed Saddam Hussein to continue his brutal reign of terror. But I am sure these handicapped and orphaned Iraqi boys are eternally grateful:
It often takes the most challenging of situations to bring out the best in each of us. For Maj. Southworth, that paradox led him not only to adopt a disabled Iraqi orphan as his son, but also to wage a relentless battle against bureaucratic obstacles to bring 24 mistreated orphans out of a corrupt Iraqi orphanage, and into the homes of loving American families.
Then-Capt. Southworth’s journey started in September 2003, when, as commanding officer of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company, he led a team in northeast Baghdad responsible for training local police officers. It was exhausting work, both physically and mentally: toiling in triple-digit heat, dangers around every corner, and setbacks such as a car bomb that destroyed one of the police stations the 32nd operated, killing several of the Iraqis with which the team was working. (The station was rebuilt a few months later.)
In addition to their mission, the soldiers wanted to help Iraq’s needy orphans. On Sept. 6, 2003, they visited a nearby orphanage. Some might have found it depressing, but Southworth’s life changed when a young boy named Ala’a – unable to walk, abandoned in the Baghdad streets likely due to his cerebral palsy – pulled himself across the floor and greeted Southworth with a smile and a few English words. It marked the beginning of an unbreakable bond between the two.
Read the whole thing. God bless Major Southworth, Ala'a and all of the orphaned boys. Hopefully, each will be living in a loving American home very soon.
It often takes the most challenging of situations to bring out the best in each of us. For Maj. Southworth, that paradox led him not only to adopt a disabled Iraqi orphan as his son, but also to wage a relentless battle against bureaucratic obstacles to bring 24 mistreated orphans out of a corrupt Iraqi orphanage, and into the homes of loving American families.
Then-Capt. Southworth’s journey started in September 2003, when, as commanding officer of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company, he led a team in northeast Baghdad responsible for training local police officers. It was exhausting work, both physically and mentally: toiling in triple-digit heat, dangers around every corner, and setbacks such as a car bomb that destroyed one of the police stations the 32nd operated, killing several of the Iraqis with which the team was working. (The station was rebuilt a few months later.)
In addition to their mission, the soldiers wanted to help Iraq’s needy orphans. On Sept. 6, 2003, they visited a nearby orphanage. Some might have found it depressing, but Southworth’s life changed when a young boy named Ala’a – unable to walk, abandoned in the Baghdad streets likely due to his cerebral palsy – pulled himself across the floor and greeted Southworth with a smile and a few English words. It marked the beginning of an unbreakable bond between the two.
Read the whole thing. God bless Major Southworth, Ala'a and all of the orphaned boys. Hopefully, each will be living in a loving American home very soon.
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