When a Warrior Focuses on Humanity

I was looking for a contact’s name on Ft. Hood’s website and saw links to several really neat articles. We have troops stationed in Africa helping them build an infrastructure. Kenyan officials visited West Point… we have people everywhere doing so many great things.

I clicked on this article because the picture was so touching. A female Sergeant is smiling down while she holds a tiny Afghan baby boy who is curiously looking up at her. The article is touching. They discovered this little boy just a few months old with all sorts of medical complications AND malnourished. The medics took him in and are providing around the clock care as he recovers from surgeries. He is still with them and is now 7 months old. If he was left alone, not only would he have died before he turned 1 year old, he probably would have been left in on an empty mat with no one to hold him and hug him. Babies NEED affection, humans need connection. I always imagine soldiers as hard warriors, with rough edges, decked out in gear and guns. This is a nice image of a different kind of warrior.

I get annoyed when people say why not be a missionary in America, people need you. YES, they do, desperately and we have soooooo many programs in place and available and most of the time those programs and resources are abused or just plain unappreciated. PLUS, I’m here 50 weeks out of the year, what’s two weeks loving on someone in another country? What’s so wrong with spending our time and money to rescue the rest of the world from death and destruction?

I’ll get off my soap box now – point is, this is a really touching article and I thought you would enjoy reading what our troops are up to over there.

Follow this link for the story:
http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/03/11/18092-special-ops-medical-troops-help-sick-afghan-baby/



Excerpt from the article:
In the meantime, Ramazan, now 7 months old, has found nothing but warmth and affection from the CJSOTF-A medical troops. Caregivers said the wide-eyed baby loves to be held and played with; thankfully, there are always troops on hand to shower him with hugs and kisses."Ramazan's presence here showcases the 'softer' side of Special Operations, the side that focuses not on kinetics, but on humanity," said a medic who helps provide extensive around-the-clock care for the baby.