From Multi-National Force - Iraq:





Noor Taha Najee gives 1st Lt. Michael Kendrick, platoon leader, 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, a goodbye kiss near the end of a March 26 visit to her house in al Buaytha, Iraq. Noor, whose corneas are underdeveloped, has been blind since birth. The Soldiers of 1-30th Inf. Regt. are working with a nongovernmental organization in Los Angeles, the Eye Defects Research Foundation, to get Noor surgery that may provide her with sight. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky.


Monday, 31 March 2008

By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Her hands run across his hand, her fingers explore his features. She asks her father: Is he fat or skinny? Tall or short? She is trying to learn about the man she cannot see, the one who strives to end the mystery surrounding him and the world around her.

First Lt. Michael Kendrick, platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said it is his goal to replace the mental picture young Noor Taha Najee has of her father with the actual image.

Noor, a 5-year-old girl who lives in al Buaytha, has been blind since birth, a condition caused by poorly-developed corneas, said her father Taha.

It is a problem which runs in the family. Taha's brother, Mustafa, also suffers from the birth defect, one that prevents the eyes from registering anything other than light sensitivity.

Although the condition is genetic, it is one that can be fixed through surgery. Kendrick, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., and his unit have been working closely with doctors to try to get something done for the family.

"To have her see her family, her brothers, to put a face to the voice, it would be a blessing," Taha said of the opportunity to help give sight to his daughter and brother.

The Eye Defects Research Foundation, a nongovernmental organization based in Los Angeles, is already trying to schedule a surgery for the girl.

On March 14, the Soldiers took Noor and her uncle to the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad to get an evaluation done on the two, which showed a higher potential for success with Noor.

"We're on standby now, waiting for a doctor in L.A.," Kendrick said.

He said they are now trying to find a local Iraqi doctor who would be willing to travel with Noor and her family to California. An Iraqi doctor is needed who could be shown the necessary follow-up care.

Such a gift would seem appropriate for a girl who is described as very generous and giving by her father.

"She's different from many other kids," Taha said. "She's always sharing. She'll give you anything."

It is a personality trait which has endeared her to the 2nd Platoon Soldiers.

"We've taken a real vested interest in the people here," Kendrick said, adding his Soldiers spend a lot of time on the ground, interacting with residents. "We empathize with the people. It pays dividends winning the hearts and minds. It keeps things quiet."

Noor has developed quite an attachment to Kendrick, Taha said.

"She likes to sit by him, and is always asking me about him and loves it when I tell her stories about him," he said. "She's only like that with Kendrick."

As a father of two young girls himself – Presley, 3, and Parker, 1, – Kendrick said he knows the importance of family and providing for them.

While she may not be able to see what the Soldiers are doing for her, Taha said Noor can definitely sense the good will of Kendrick's platoon.

"Love begins in the mind, not the eyes," Taha said.


In other news from Iraq:
Iraqi Policeman killed preventing car bomb attempt on SOI leader (Tikrit)
Iraqi Army, MND-B Soldiers kill 7, detain 4 criminals

Labels: 1-30 Infantry Regiment, 3ID, children, FOB Kalsu, Good News, Iraq, photos, US Army

From Multi-National Force Iraq:

Capt. Keri Mullens (left), brigade surgeon, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., begins treatment on 5-year-old Dhuha Khalid Abed's legs. Dhuha was brought to Patrol Base Murray by her father Khalid Abed (pictured on right) Dec. 4 to receive treatment for second and third degree burns she suffered while playing with her brother around a pot of boiling water. Photo by 2BCT, 3rd Inf. Div.


PATROL BASE MURRAY — The day after treating 307 local residents at a coordinated medical engagement in Al Buaytha, U.S. Army medics were back on the job again at Patrol Base Murray, treating a 5-year-old girl for burns on her legs, Dec. 4.

Dhuha Khalid Abed was playing with her brother near a pot of water being heated on an electric heater when the accident occurred, Dec. 1, said Khalid Abed, Dhuha’s father. The pot spilled onto Dhuha's legs, causing second- and third-degree burns to her thighs.

Abed said he received aid from local Soldiers on the ground, including creams and dressings for the wounds. Seeing his daughter still in pain days later, he decided to take her to Patrol Base (PB) Murray for additional help.

Medics from the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., assessed the injury and cleaned the wounds.

"Right now we are more worried about secondary infections," said Sgt. Eric Ironsmith, from Shreveport, La., 1-30th Inf. Regt. aid station medic.

Because the burns removed the top layer of skin from her thighs, Ironsmith said Dhuha is more susceptible to infections. That crucial skin layer blocks potential disease.

To help reduce the chance of infections, medics scrubbed the skin, removed dead tissue around the wound, and applied an antibiotic cream to the injuries.

Despite the severity of the burns, Lt. Col. Hee-Choon S. Lee, 1-30th Inf. Regt., battalion surgeon, said there was hope for the girl. Because the burn did not completely wrap around her legs or occur near a joint, Lee, a native of Larton, Va., said a recovery was possible.

"I've seen many children out there with burns," he said. "There is quite a bit of hope for her."

Although she may receive scarring on the legs and potentially need skin grafts as she grows, Lee said with proper care the injury can be kept at bay. Lee said it was satisfying knowing he was able to do something for the girl.

Dhuha will still need additional visits and follow-up treatments, Ironsmith said. Lee provided Abed with a note allowing him to bring his daughter back to PB Murray over the next few days and instructions on how to care for the burns at home.

"It is good to know there is someone to take care of me and my family," Abed said upon being released with his daughter, adding he hopes local doctors and the clinic being planned in his home in Arab Jabour are just as helpful and nice as the American doctors.

To help the community, which currently lacks a clinic, American Soldiers are working with U.S. State Department embedded provincial reconstruction teams to construct a building for use as a clinic and get the necessary personnel to staff the facility, Lee said.

In the meantime, Lee said he and his fellow medics will continue to help local residents in need of assistance.

"I hope that the community realizes the American presence here is a good thing. We are here to help," Lee said.

(Story courtesy of Task Force Marne Public Affairs)

In Other Recent Developments Here:
BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s top Iraqi Police officials and members of the 18th Military Police Brigades’ Provincial Police Transition Team gathered at the Iraqi Directorate of Police Headquarters here to witness 707 new Iraqi Police Officers graduate and perform a training demonstration, Dec. 4.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Acting on a tip from Concerned Local Citizens, Coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in the neighborhood of Madyriah, Nov. 30.

Labels: 1-30 Infantry Regiment, 3ID, children, Good News, medical assistance, medics, Patrol Base Murray, US Army