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June 14, 2004
Teen Spirit
This is an incredible tale of bravery on the part of an Iraqi who risked his life to provide information to the coalition forces. And he's only fourteen.
One day in December, a smooth-chinned 14-year-old approached American soldiers at a checkpoint here and asked surreptitiously to be arrested. He told the soldiers that his father, an Iraqi Army officer under Saddam Hussein, led a 40-man cell of insurgents, and he agreed to show the troops where to find the men and their weapons. . . .With the handover of sovereignty to an Iraqi government less than three weeks away, the troops who have used and befriended the teen are desperately seeking a way to get him to the U.S. The soldiers aren't sure how they can legally take the boy -- who isn't an orphan -- out of the country without it looking like Americans are stealing Iraqi children while there is no local government to stop them. It isn't likely he would qualify for entry into the U.S. without special governmental dispensation. And even if soldiers get him to the U.S., they'd still have to find an American family willing to take in an illiterate, street-hardened youngster who speaks little English.
Insurgents in Iraq know the teen's identity and that he has provided information to the Americans, according to the U.S. military. While U.S. commanders asked that his name and tribal affiliation not be disclosed, they are eager for publicity that might help the boy gain entry to the U.S. His story has been pieced together from interviews with him and U.S. military personnel, and from military records. While aspects of his personal history couldn't be verified because people involved are either dead, in U.S. custody elsewhere in Iraq or have moved, soldiers and Marines who have dealt with the teen say information he has provided about the insurgency has been accurate. . . .
These days, he spends his time lifting weights, watching war movies or action films on DVDs owned by the troops, and hanging out with the seven Marines with whom he shares a plywood-walled sleeping area. He wears his hair Marine-style, tight on the sides and high on top, and sports a set of fatigues the Marines gave him. His bunk is curtained off by a zebra-patterned blanket, and he has wedged a stuffed bulldog into the metal footboard.
In a wooden ammo box, he keeps his belongings: an American flag folded with military precision into a triangle, deodorant sticks given to him by soldiers, a box of Crayola crayons, fingerless gloves for weightlifting, a digital camera and First Sgt. Hendrex's floppy hat. If all else fails, some Marines say, only half-jokingly, they will hand Steve-O a rifle and march him onto the plane when the battalion leaves Iraq, in late summer or early fall.
At night, the teen says he sometimes wakes up in tears, thinking about his mother. For comfort, he assures himself all that has happened has been God's will. "If they don't take me to the States, I'm definitely going to be killed," he says matter-of-factly. He says he would like to return to school and one day enlist in the Army or Marine Corps. "I just want to be one of the American troops," he says.
Read the full story here. And consider whether this is worth a letter to your congressional representative. Mine will be hearing from me.
UPDATE: The link to this article is no longer available online. It was originally published in the June 14 WSJ and I have a copy of the text downloaded that I will send to those who would like to read the rest of the story - e-mail me at deb at marinecorpsmoms.com. I've heard from quite a few readers who would like to help get this kid to the United States. We can start by making sure our Congressional representatives know about this situation. I'll cover Oregon - can we get at least one letter out to reps in every state?
Posted by Deb at June 14, 2004 12:37 PM
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» Good News From Iraq from fredschoeneman.com
Marine Corps Moms is doing a great job covering some of the more positive news out of Iraq. This story is about a group of Iraqi soldiers who've been awarded some of America's highest medals, and this story is about... [Read More]
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» Another Tale of Iraqi Heroism from I love Jet Noise
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Tracked on June 16, 2004 02:46 PM
Comments
Deb:
You're doing a good thing by getting these stories out. This deserves to be passed around - thanks for posting it.
Posted by: Cassandra at June 16, 2004 02:45 PM
Deb:
The link to the story is no longer operative. I understand that the story ran in the Wall Street Journal sometime last week. Can you please provide the date? There are some people that I want to inform about this situation. Good people.
Thanks.
Posted by: spd rdr at June 17, 2004 09:32 AM
I want to help and get this kid OUT OF THERE. The original link shows the story has moved. I wanted to read everything I could get my hands on about this...do you know if anything has been done so far?
Posted by: La Femme Crickita at June 18, 2004 06:17 AM
I would like to know what I can do to help
Steve-o find a home here in America. I think it is his only chance to be protected. I would be willing to adopt him myself. I have e-mailed the story to everyone I know, but I would like to help further. I saw the story on the Foxnews web page. Do you know if the media is making a difference?
Posted by: Lisa Kern at August 14, 2004 11:02 AM