Logistical Drawdown Progressing Smoothly in Iraq

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2011 – The logistical drawdown in Iraq is progressing well and on track to meet the Dec. 31 deadline, the commander of the unit that oversaw the mission since January reported as he and his soldiers prepared to return home early this week.

Army Col. Stephen Falcone, commander of the Army Reserve’s 77th Sustainment Brigade, said his troops faced tough demands in Iraq as they supported two seemingly opposite requirements: keeping troops on the ground supplied while orchestrating the United States’ largest logistical drawdown since World War II.

“It’s been a big balancing act,” Falcone told American Forces Press Service from Camp Virginia, Kuwait, as he and his soldiers awaited their flight home to Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. “And it’s something we’ve had to focus on every day to make sure we give [troops on the ground] just enough, but not too much.”

So as convoys arrived at bases throughout Iraq delivering food, water, fuel, ammunition and other staples, Falcone and his soldiers ensured they left filled to the brimming point with equipment destined for Kuwait and ultimately, the United States.

The 77th Sustainment Brigade was among the last units to deploy to Iraq as the United States began the process of handing over operations to Iraqi forces and other U.S. agencies. Its 300 soldiers arrived in January to serve as the headquarters element for an additional 3,500 soldiers and airmen assigned to put the logistical plan into action.

During their deployment, they ran more than 1,700 convoys, traveled more than 4.2 million miles, issued more than 120 million gallons of fuel, moved out 2,700 tons of ammunition and transported 20 million pounds of incoming and outgoing mail, Falcone reported.

As they closed warehouses and scaled back support operations, they transitioned more than $238 million in equipment, repair parts and other supplies to the Defense Department inventory, he said.

Good planning, hard work and favorable weather came together to move the transition of bases to Iraqi government control on or ahead of schedule, Falcone said. He noted that three of the largest bases transitioned earlier than planned, including the most recent, Joint Base Balad, which was transferred to the Iraqis three weeks ahead of schedule.

“We have done an orderly and responsible progression of how we transferred those bases,” Falcone said, giving some welcome breathing room in the schedule to complete the process by the year’s end.

As daunting as the logistical drawdown may be, Falcone said it is complicated by the fact that U.S. forces remaining on the ground for the duration of Operation New Dawn still require beans, bullets and other essentials.

Falcone said he didn’t want them “living in tents and eating [Meals, Ready to Eat] every day,” and took pains to provide them the best quality of life for as long as possible while still adhering to the drawdown schedule.

As bases prepared to close and contractors who had been assigned to them returned home, military members stepped up to conduct missions the contractors had done. They took over the dining facilities, laundry and other services.

In some cases, they cross-trained into other jobs to keep vital services flowing. Falcone’s water purification specialists, for example, served as fuel handlers as well. Other service members volunteered to become crane operators, positions contractors had held.

“The good part is that they stepped up to the plate and did a fantastic job,” Falcone said. “We had absolutely no problems.”

Falcone called the evolution taking place in Iraq a throwback to the earliest days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, or “OIF in reverse.”

“When we first went into Iraq in 2003, it was kind of an austere environment,” he said. “And as we transfer those bases over, we go back to that austere environment for the soldiers.”

Falcone acknowledged that in the weeks leading up to Dec. 31, conditions will become increasingly austere as the last U.S. forces in Iraq wind down their operations.

With the 77th Sustainment Brigade now redeploying, the active-component 4th Sustainment Brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, will oversee the completion of the mission.

Many of the 77th Brigade soldiers elected to extend their deployments to join the 4th Brigade in seeing the mission to completion, he said.

Together, “they are going to do it the right way, they are going to do it on time and more than likely, ahead of time, and then they are going to go home,” he said.

Unlike past rotations in Iraq, no replacement unit will be arriving to take their places. “This is the first time when there is no unit following us,” Falcone said. “So when we leave, the job we were asked to do is done. It’s not left to someone else to finish up.”

Falcone said his soldiers are excited about their role in the historic drawdown mission in Iraq. “They’ve gone a yeoman’s job, working very long hours conducting the largest retrograde operation since World War II,” he said.

“I tell them that when they go home, they need to be proud of what they have done here, to stick their chests out farther and to hold their heads high,” he said. “They need to walk down the streets of America knowing they have truly ended this operation the way it should have been ended. They did a great job, and they did everything the country asked them to do.”

Face of Defense: Twin Brothers Serve in Iraq

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By Army Staff Sgt. Paul Evans
77th Sustainment Brigade

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Nov. 1, 2011 – The Saunders brothers have plenty in common -- they’re twins, and they’re both Kentucky National Guard soldiers serving together in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Jonas Saunders, a 25-year-old communications specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said he’s glad to serve in Iraq with his brother, Army Cpl. Jason Saunders, an infantryman with the battalion’s Alpha Company.

Jonas, who joined the Guard in 2005, said he enlisted due to the encouragement of Jason, a vehicle commander for Company A, who joined the Guard in 2004.

As for deploying together, the twin brothers, who both hail from Barbourville, Ky. said they are OK with the idea, especially since they know what to expect.

“We did it once before, when the 149th deployed [to Iraq] in 2006,” Jonas said.

Yet, Jason said, it’s hard not knowing where his brother is sometimes, or knowing “if he’s OK.”

In the end, the brothers said, every little thing helps a soldier’s morale while serving in Iraq.

For these two brothers, they added, a big morale boost comes from knowing they’re serving together.

Kentucky National Guard father, son complete mission outside wire together

Discover these amazing Second Gulf War books written by veterans of OIF and New Dawn.

310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command report

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (10/3/11) - As Soldiers completed their pre-mission checks and prepared everything for transport, it seemed the job of escorting supply trucks from here to Contingency Operating Site Mosul would be just another routine mission Sept. 15.

However, this day marked a rare occasion for two Kentucky National Guard Soldiers of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Though not uncommon for family members to serve together in the same unit, this day a father and son teamed up on not only the same mission, but in the same truck.

“It’s a unique experience for sure to actually be doing real-world missions with your son as a gunner and seeing him in that atmosphere,” said Army Master Sgt. Micah B. Mason, an assistant operations noncommissioned officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 149 Infantry Regiment.

“It’s something very few parents get to do. I’m excited to actually go on a mission and experience it first-hand with my son.”

Mason, who has served in the Guard for more than 28 years, usually watches convoy escort missions unfold as a shift battle NCO in charge of the unit’s tactical operations center. However, this time the unit sent him on this mission as part of an ongoing effort to ensure everyone in the TOC is able to see what goes on first-hand during the missions they monitor daily.

“I have a lot of concerns…if something does happen [on the mission],” Mason said before the mission began. “I’m glad I’m there with him, though.”

Mason said he only told two people back home about he and his son doing this mission together before it happened, but his son didn’t find out until moments before the mission.

“I didn’t know he was going till I saw him sitting out by the trucks,” said Army Pfc. Micah Mason, a gunner with Delta Company, 1/149th Inf. Regiment. “It just makes me happy to actually do something with him, to let him see what I do on a day-to-day basis.”

Pfc. Mason said he had been waiting to be able to go on a mission with his father, as not many people can say that they have done that.

The mission was successful.

“Things went very smooth,” Master Sgt. Mason said. “The convoy escort team knew their jobs very well and were professional every step of the way. Being out with my son was the chance of a lifetime. It was very strange to see him doing his job, being in control. But in the same sense, I was very proud.”

Face of Defense: Weightlifter Excels in Iraq

By Army Sgt. Paul Evans

310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Sept. 6, 2011 – Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Corey Blankenship often spends his time here occupied with very weighty issues.

Blankenship, who hails from Corbin, Ky., is a weightlifter who motivates himself and others to stay in shape through his one-hour, twice-daily workouts.

“You’ve got to make it part of life where you stick to it … but you get lazy sometimes. I’ve always got someone to work out with me for motivation,” said Blankenship, who’s assigned to 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Blankenship is a human resources specialist, and he’s known to lead by example both at his military workplace and in the gym.

“I like to consider Sgt. Blankenship as the backbone of the section. He brings the knowledge and leadership to the section when I can’t and keeps them active in their duties. He’d be tough to replace,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Terry Roark, Blankenship’s supervisor.

Altogether, Blankenship has some pretty good statistics to show for his exercise regime: he can bench press 455 pounds, bicep-curl a 225-pound-bar and squat about 500 pounds, just to highlight a few of his impressive feats. He also follows a strict, low-carbohydrate diet.

Besides spending two hours in the gym daily, Blankenship tries to include about 30 minutes of cardio work twice a week, either running or bike riding. He said consistency “is about the only way” for people to stay fit in top physical condition.

Blankenship, who’s married with a daughter, joined the Army in November 2006, he said, because he was bored with civilian jobs.

“I had a lot of friends in the Guard pulling me towards joining,” he said, “and the idea of getting college benefits was cool.”

Blankenship has held three jobs during his military service, to include infantryman, diesel generator mechanic and human resources specialist. He also attended schools for air assault and rappelling. This is his first deployment.

Stateside, Blankenship works full-time as the human resources NCO at Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 149th Infantry Regiment, in Barbourville, Ky. Blankenship also attends Columbia Southern University, where he’s working to earn a bachelor’s degree in human resources management.

Serving in the Army offers many rewards, Blankenship said.

“Aside from friends and camaraderie,” he said, “there’s always something new… whether it’s getting to travel, go overseas or attend interesting schools, the opportunity is always there to do something big.”

Idaho Guard member driven to serve by patriotism

By Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell

310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (7/21/11) – Army Spc. Crystal Gregan, a driver and gunner assigned to Golf Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, and a member of the Idaho National Guard, does not mince words regarding why she is stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

The reason she joined the military and came to Iraq was simple: patriotism. "This deployment is my patriotic duty. I've always been proud of my country," Gregan said.

Gregan stepped out of a management slot at a chain retail pharmacy store in her hometown, and into the role of a Soldier more than a year ago. The transition from Citizen to Soldier carried its own unique challenges.

"In civilian life, I tell people what to do. Here, I do what people tell me to do," she said.

Gregan said there are times, though, when as a lower ranking Soldier, and a female, it is important to ensure her voice is heard.

"Sometimes you have to go outside the bubble and say, 'This is what I think,'" Gregan said. She also said she's faced challenges since her deployment began, but the experience she has gained is invaluable.

"There have been times when I said, 'I hate this', but it has still broadened my horizons," she said.

While she enjoys her role as a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle driver, she also benefits from her time in the gunner's turret.

"I'm one of those people that if something goes down, I want to be in a position to do something about it," she said.

Gregan also said Iraq has made a lasting impression during her deployment. The differences in the quality of life between the villages in Iraq and her hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho are striking. Everyone, she said, should ensure they get an opportunity to see how other people in other countries live.

"Iraq is everything you see on TV. Many children don't have shoes or socks. It is really like that over here," she said. "I think every American should [deploy], so they get a concept of what they have at home. At some point in their lives they need to experience what the real world is all about."

Gregan said her year-long deployment has helped her to reflect on her life and plan for the future. She already has framed a post-deployment plan.

"During this deployment … I've had time to look at my life," she said. "I'm a goal-oriented person. I plan to go back to [my civilian job] and go back to Idaho State University. I'm not sure what I'll major in."

The challenges and triumphs all added into hard-earned and critical experience, she said.

"The military has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of different people," she said.

National Guard Cavalry Soldiers stay focused

By Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell

77th Sustainment Brigade

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (5/16/11) – It is an adversary that cannot be seen or touched, but the Citizen-Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command have spent a lot of time developing ways to combat complacency while deployed here.

“When units do routine missions, Soldiers are over the process of learning new tasks,” said Army Lt. Col. Phil Appleton, commander of the 3rd Battalion. “They can get complacent about executing routine things routinely.”

Appleton said the fight against complacency is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week campaign.

But exactly what does it mean to fight complacency? The question sparks an array of different answers from the Soldiers and officers of the 3rd Battalion. All of the responses, though, revolve around typically mundane tasks that, added together, keep Soldiers alive.

Appleton said he considers the fight against complacency one of the most important clashes for the 3rd Battalion.

A good first step Appleton said he instituted was to bring his junior leaders together and discuss methods to tackle complacency.

“I energized the company commanders to increase the expectations of leaders,” Appleton said.

For Appleton, the basics such as pre-combat checks and pre-combat inspections are crucial. But in the end he said it comes down to the first-line leader level.

“Leaders have to get engaged,” he said. “Leaders can’t get complacent. They can get complacent, me included. But you brainstorm things that could go wrong and start putting a plan together to mitigate it.”

For the 3rd Battalion, the battle against complacency begins at the lowest level – the convoy escort teams.

Army Staff Sgt. William Childs, a convoy escort team commander for Company Alpha, 3rd Battalion, said the effort to quell complacency boils down to the fundamentals of soldiering. The focus on preparation and repetition pay off for Childs’ convoy escort team.

“We run battle drills,” he said. “Even in the middle of the day I will have them grab some shade then talk me through it so I know it is second nature.”

Pre-combat inspections are critical, Childs said.

“I like doing PCIs as a surprise so they don’t know what I will hit on that day,” he said.

Key items make the difference, Childs said. Such potentially tedious actions, such as checking to see if ammunition is clean, pay dividends outside the wire.

“It is always a constant battle. It is an every day thing,” Childs said.

He also said he is fortunate because the Soldiers in his escort team are curious and want to know how best to prepare for work out on the roads of central Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Allen Iverson, a CET commander with Company Delta, 3rd Battalion, said one method he utilizes in the CET he commands is simple: Change crew positions.

“That is the easiest way to combat complacency,” he said.

Army 1st Sgt. Daniel Ishaug, the top noncommissioned officer for Company D, 3rd Battalion, said he and his men spend a lot of time finding ways to overcome complacency.

“It sneaks up on you,” Ishaug said.. “About the six-month mark is when you fight it the most.”

Ishaug uses another simple method to keep his Soldiers out of the complacency bubble: physical training.

Like Appleton, Army Capt. Seth Musgrove, the commander for Company Charlie, 3rd Battalion, said in the end the complacency fight is one that demands leadership.

“It takes a great deal of command emphasis and NCO execution to combat complacency,” he said.

However, Musgrove said, he isn’t comfortable using the word complacency.

“I try not to use the word but opt to use ‘mission-focused,’ he said. “We focus Soldiers on the basics, because that is where a lack of mission focus occurs.”

And, like Childs, Musgrove said spot inspections remain a crucial tool to defeat complacency.

“The important thing is to spot-check and inspect the work of Soldiers,” he said.

Idaho Guard members protect officials in Iraq

By Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell

77th Sustainment Brigade

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (5/12/11) – If a top general or high-ranking dignitary needs to go from one place to another in central Iraq, chances are a special detachment of Idaho Guard members gets them there.

The personal security detachment from Company Golf, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command boasts one of the most important, and low-key, missions in Iraq.

The small unit, consisting of Idaho Citizen-Soldiers from places like Boise and Pocatello and Blackfoot, is commissioned to escort and protect high-level officers and civilians as they move around the central part of Iraq.

“Our responsibility is the protection of some very important people,” said Army 1st Lt. Adam Rios.

As the commander of the PSD, Rios said his unit decided to secure a high standard of excellence when it arrived in Iraq in December.

“We set the bar really high when we got here,” Rios said.

Rios said the PSD role was a new one for his Soldiers when they began mobilization training at Camp Shelby, Miss., last fall.

“The training was the hardest part,” he said. “No one else was doing it, and we had to research a lot. It was up to leadership to define things.”

The mission tempo for the PSD in Iraq is one of feast or famine. The unit can spend many days out on the road escorting a high-ranking official then hit periods of downtime.

“You’ll have nothing going on and then be packed for four or five days,” Rios said.

The PSD’s operational tempo has steadily increased since it arrived, Rios said.

“We average 2.6 missions a week,” he said. “We visit multiple [forward operating bases]. We’ve had a total of five multi-day missions.”

The PSD, though, doesn’t just escort dignitaries and top officers on tours of Iraq. When a high-ranking American official must meet with his or her Iraqi counterpart for a key meeting, the PSD must ensure they get there safe and on time.

“It is battlefield circulation, and we make sure that happens,” said Army Staff Sgt. John Hallenberger.

The role of the PSD is critical, because travel by plane or helicopter is not always guaranteed, Hallenberger said.

“There is a lot of dust here and dust will ground the [helicopters],” he said. “They do try to use air, but it isn’t as reliable as we are.”

That reliability is a key asset of the PSD. The PSD must adhere to the same standard of operation as any other unit, Hallenberger said.

“We have the same responsibility as anyone else,” he added.

Army Sgt. Mike Main made his way to the PSD and Iraq after previously serving in the Marine Corps and going to Afghanistan with the Army.

Main said the death of a friend in Iraq sparked his decision to re-enter the military and deploy.

“I decided I wasn’t too old to chip in and participate,” Main said.

He said the PSD has evolved into a solid unit since its arrival in Iraq.

“As a team, we are very competent in getting our passengers to where they need to go and get there safely,” Main said. “We’re knowledgeable, well-trained and able to work well together.”

Something worth fighting for

By Army Staff Sgt. Pat Caldwell

103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (3/22/11) - In Iraq, there is often the known and the unknown and sometimes the two merge and overlap so that even the clearest scene is marred, obscured like sand pushed over a road by a hard, hot wind.

Ten-year-old Ahmed’s tale, though, is straightforward and horribly simple.

One day in November, Ahmed’s father bought a car. He asked a man to take the car to fill it with gas. Ahmed wanted to go along. So his father said go ahead.

Somehow gasoline spilled over Ahmed. No one, not even Ahmed, is sure how he came to be soaked in gasoline.

When the man tried to start the car there was a spark. The car erupted and caught fire. Ahmed was engulfed in flames.

Ahmed said he can remember crawling out of the vehicle and running. Running on fire, and, of course, he recalls the pain as his skin became ash.

Two nearby men grabbed Ahmed. One covered him with a shirt; another man pulled his coat over Ahmed’s scorched body, and took him home.

His family traveled to Baghdad to seek help. At a local hospital the doctors were firm with the family. Ahmed was burned too badly, and there was nothing they could do.

The family took Ahmed home to his village northeast of Baghdad, and there, in a farmhouse with no electricity, Ahmed began to die. A local nurse arrived and treated Ahmed as best she could, but offered an option as final hope – take him to the Americans. So the family packed Ahmed up and drove from his village north, through central Iraq toward Joint Base Balad.

Hard decisions prove easy

When Ahmed was admitted to the hospital he suffered third-degree burns over more than 54 percent of his body.

“He was the most seriously burned kid to ever survive coming through an Air Force Theater hospital,” said Air Force Maj. Todd Bafus, surgeon.

One thing was crystal clear when he came into the hospital: He was dying. Not slowly, but all at once.

“He was black. He was knocking on death’s door,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Frances Robinson, a critical care technician at the hospital.

Ahmed’s chest, back, arms, face and portions of each leg were scorched. He was placed on a ventilator.

“We thought he was going to die,” intensive care unit nurse, Air Force Capt. Lani Cuebas said.

Hard decisions had to be made. To keep the boy or send him home. There were other issues to address. The priority was always wounded American servicemembers. Going back home for Ahmed, would mean death.

“We thought, ‘how could we make this kid get better? We got to try,’” Cuebas said.

So Ahmed stayed, and then the real fight for his life began.

A hard battle

A team of surgeons, nurses and technicians worked to save Ahmed during a three-month period. Some were members of the Air Force; some were assigned to the Army.

Right from the beginning, it was apparent Ahmed’s condition presented an intricate series of nearly overwhelming challenges. He needed skin grafts. He needed surgeries.

Ahmed was wrapped in bandages and lived in the little room just off of the ICU on a ventilator. Several times a day a team of nurses and technicians changed his bandages and his bedding. It was not an easy task, either for Ahmed or the medical personnel.

“His sheets were soaked in body fluid,” Robinson said.

Doctors kicked off a series of operations to replace the skin burned away. Eventually Ahmed was placed in a full-body cast. And every day the medical personnel battled unseen bacteria and viruses, working to get ahead of any infection.

For the first six weeks, Ahmed required skin grafts every three days. He was on a breathing tube for six weeks. Gradually, though, the medical personnel began to sense, if not victory, then hope.

“I thought if he didn’t get an infection ...” Cuebas said.

But he did get one. First a lung was compromised by microbes, and then Ahmed acquired a blood infection.

A song of hope

Every night, Cuebas would tend to Ahmed inside the gloom of the darkened room off the ICU ward and hold his hand and whisper to him. Then she would sing.

She would huddle next to the bed and squeeze his little hand and sing songs she’d heard as a young girl growing up in Olympia, Wash. Songs she knew. The words didn’t matter. Only the sound, so the little boy could hear. Could know he was alive. That he was going to make it. She sang, “Amazing Grace” and “God Bless America.”

She sang softly to the shadows and to the walls and most of all she sang to the little Iraqi boy who was burned over 54 percent of his body and no one was really sure would live.

His face was swollen shut; he had a tube down his throat. She squeezed his hand as she sang. He squeezed her hand back.

“He couldn’t talk. I figured he missed his mom,” Cuebas said.

Cuebas saw victory on the horizon. Almost close enough to touch.

“I guess I bonded with him. He became like my little brother,” she said.

Sometimes Ahmed cried for his mom. Cuebas sat with him then, held his hand, told him it was going to be all right, because despite everything weighing against him, she knew he was going to make it.

She knew.

When little things are huge

Ahmed improved enough in December to move out of the ICU room and onto the main, intensive care ward.

Air Force Registered Nurse 1st Lt. Stephanie Allen began to care for Ahmed, right after she reached the Iraq Theater.

Allen said Ahmed’s progress was steady, but not without challenges.

“It was a process. By the time I got him, I knew he’d make it. What my focus was on was we needed to rehab him to improve his functions,” she said.

Ahmed’s improvement hinged around a series of milestones. His feeding tube was removed. His tracheotomy was repaired. Then his body cast was discarded.

Even something as seemingly small as a smile was considered real progress.

The hard work, the rehab effort, though was just beginning. That is where assistant physical therapist, Airman Carolina Marin-Soto, came in.

“It was a challenge,” Marin-Soto admitted. “He couldn’t stand on his own.”

So Marin-Soto found a soccer ball.

“We started working on his legs. We’d sit him up and he would slowly kick the ball. His main goal has always been to play soccer,” she said.

Rehab also meant more operations. Ahmed endured surgeries through December and January. Still, progress was measured with small victories.

“The little things were huge. When we first started, I had to carry him to his chair. It was a big challenge and I can’t say it was easy.”

If Ahmed could walk from his bed to a chair, that was a victory. Then, if he could go from the chair to the door, that was a victory. Then from the bed to the door to outside was another win. Eventually Marin-Soto and the rest of the medical staff built, and then capitalized, on those victories.

And he began to speak, finally, after months of living with a feeding tube and a tracheotomy, Ahmed began to talk with the nurses, especially Cuebas.

“He’s come such a long, long way. He’s been so strong,” Cuebas said.

What hath God wrought?

Marin-Soto considers Ahmed to be a miracle.

So does Ahmed.

“I’m lucky, yes,” he said through an interpreter. “But not just lucky. God is watching over me.”

By February, Ahmed improved enough that he could walk, play soccer and eat on his own.

While medical technology had improved Ahmed’s chances – had, in fact, pushed him back from death – his body will be forever disfigured. As the skin grafts healed, the skin tightened, forcing his arms into an embrace.

That meant more work for Marin-Soto, who worked with Ahmed twice a day, every day.

Sometimes they practiced writing numbers. Sometimes they practiced turning the pages of a book, or stacked cups, or placed paperclips, one by one, into a cup.

“Every day I saw him progress. From the first time I saw him kick the ball, to the first time I saw him get dressed,” Marin-Soto said.

Going home

Then the operations were over. Ahmed’s time at the hospital evaporated. While some agreed there was more that could be done for Ahmed, the reality was his care could only go so far in an American hospital.

“With Ahmed, you do the best you can do and hope for the best,” Allen said.

The day before he was to leave, the medical staff held a small party for Ahmed. There was a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of victory and also sorrow. The little boy who had lived in the hospital for four months was going home the next day.

“He needs to be in his own home. He’s been away from his siblings long enough,” Allen said.

Marin-Soto said she was sad he was leaving. “Do I wish I had more time with him? Yes,” she said.

That night, back on the ICU ward, as Ahmed prepared to go home, Cuebas summed up her past four months with the Iraqi boy. “You can’t put a price on life. We’ve definitely made an impact on his family. Before this, probably Ahmed’s only interaction with us was raids and the war,” she said.

Then she glanced down the ward at the little boy who was ready to go home. Cuebas nodded as she looked down the ward at Ahmed.

She smiled slightly.

“There is one less kid who will grow up to be a terrorist,” she said.

Maybe, in the end, that isn’t much.

Maybe all that really matters is a group of American medical personnel did what they were trained to do. They went the distance and saved a little boy from death.

For a brief moment in a country ravaged by war on a base far from home, a small group of Americans made a difference.