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DEL.ICIO.USIraqi baby’s new name: Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Baghdad, Iraq — The first time Georgia soldiers entered her house, Soad was scared. Americans had detained her eldest son for questioning once. She didn’t like gun-toting men in camouflage uniforms poking around the family home in Abu Ghraib.
But out of that frightening moment came a gift of joy.
Gainesville-based soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team promised to help give new life to Soad’s granddaughter Noor al-Zahra, born three months ago with a severe spinal cord defect that was untreatable in Iraq.
“I am so thankful for everything,” Soad said. “We will call the baby Noor al-Zahra Georgia.”
“Georgia! Georgia!” she told her daughters when she called home from Baghdad’s Camp Liberty on Thursday. “We want to name her that because the people of Georgia are helping us,” Soad said. “It will be a nice name for her.”
Just hours before an anticipated departure from Iraq, Soad sat in an Army trailer sorting out a host of emotions racing through her heart.
She had never left her family behind or flown on a plane before; the only times she had left Iraq was by car to neighboring Syria and Iran.
Now she was about to travel halfway around the world with a sick child in her arms. She had surrendered her granddaughter’s future to people she didn’t know in a foreign and faraway land.
“I am amazed by the generosity of the Americans,” Soad said through an interpreter. “They came to my house so many times. They paid for everything.”
Soad, 45, said she never dreamed that one day she would see the United States. She was excited, even though her trip was under such stressful circumstances. She knew that even with the best medical care, there were no guarantees for Noor.
Military doctors who have examined Noor said she would probably be left with paralysis in both legs. No one knows with certainty whether potential fluid buildup has caused any significant brain damage.
Soad knew, too, that she was putting her family at risk by accepting American help — insurgents often target Iraqi citizens who are seen as cooperating with U.S. soldiers.
But she said she had to take the chance and accept the soldiers’ offer to fly Noor to Atlanta. She could not live with herself knowing that she had not done everything she could to give her granddaughter the possibility of a productive life.
The full names of Noor’s family members have been withheld because of security reasons. Soad said she told friends and family that she was going to Georgia, not to America.
“It can be dangerous for us to be associated with America,” she said, fixing the tan, crocheted scarf around her head.
Noor, nicknamed “Baby Nora” by the soldiers, was born with spina bifida. Her spinal cord had not fully closed during her mother, Iman’s, pregnancy, leaving a tumorlike growth on her tiny back.
Iraqi doctors told the family that they lacked the facilities to treat the baby and that she would not survive long.
Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment’s Charlie Company discovered the little girl during a search of the family’s house. They were determined to save her.
Noor’s father, Haider, 23, cradled the frail baby in his arms, thankful that the medical treatment she desperately needed was finally within reach. He’d spent a good chunk of the afternoon getting Noor’s name added to his passport.
He poured hot tea for his mother and the interpreter and occasionally stuck his head out the door to smoke a cigarette. He said he had seen America in magazines and movies. He, like his mother, was incredulous that he would soon be there himself.
Capt. Anthony Fournier, 38, commander of Charlie Company, was optimistic that, after weeks of negotiations and efforts to expedite travel arrangements, Noor and her guardians would arrive in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.
Late Thursday night, Fournier, a schoolteacher from Augusta, drove to central Baghdad’s heavily fortified International Zone and collected the visas that would enable the family to enter the United States.
Soad, Haider and the baby are expected to leave Baghdad today for Kuwait, from where they will board a commercial jet that will fly them to Atlanta.
Childspring International, an Atlanta-based charity that matches sick children from the developing world with U.S. hospitals, has made arrangements for Noor and her family to stay with an Arabic-speaking host family. Children’s Healthcare has offered to perform surgery to correct Noor’s spinal cord at no cost.
The traditional Muslim family decided Noor’s mother, who is only 18, was too young and should not be traveling out of the country. “Iman has been crying a lot,” Soad said about her daughter-in-law. “She misses her baby but is happy that she is getting help. She is very young. She doesn’t leave the home.”
Soad fired off a dozen questions about Georgia. “Where will we stay in America?” she asked. “How will I let my family know we are safe? How tall are the buildings there? What is the weather like?”
She worried about leaving behind the small shop she runs with her sons at Abu Ghraib market. She worried, too, about one of her daughters, Niran, 24, who is eight months pregnant.
“I didn’t have time to make any preparations for her,” Soad said. Charlie Company soldiers traveled to Soad’s house Tuesday night to fetch her, Haider and Noor. The family was given minutes to pack their belongings for the long journey ahead. Since then, the three have been housed in a trailer behind Charlie Company’s headquarters at Camp Liberty.
Soldiers have been stopping by to make sure the family has everything it needs.
Thursday evening, Staff Sgt. David Squires wished the family a safe trip. “I hated that it took so long to get administrative and logistical things taken care of,” said Squires, 47, who works for a hearing aid company in Gainesville. “We’re all hoping for the best possible outcome for this baby. It’s our little project here. It’s our mark on this country.”
Soad sipped her tea and tried to placate her sobbing granddaughter.
She held up a small stuffed animal, tickling Noor’s cheeks.
“Georgia,” she said. “Look here, Georgia.”
The baby stopped crying. She looked into her grandmother’s eyes — and smiled.
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Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Alexis Dubois
December 30, 2005 07:42 AM | Link to this
LOVE IS AN ACT! It’s what you do for a person that will last forever. This is truly an act of love.
By Kay
December 30, 2005 07:56 AM | Link to this
Dear Moni, I can not start my day until I read your column and get updates on baby Noor, I mean Georgia. I keep her and you in my prayers and hope that you will continue to give us updates on baby Georgia once she gets to the United States. May God continue to bless you.
By greg wilson
December 30, 2005 07:58 AM | Link to this
What a wonderful country we live in, that soldiers who are trained to fight a war have such compassion for a child! The soldiers are representing what the USA is all about. This story will be retold thousands of times and passed down through generations of how kind the American soldiers are.
We will all be praying for baby “GEORGIA” ,and continue to pray for all the fine soldiers doing a fantastic job. We are so proud of all of you. Your hard work IS making a difference to a lot of people. It definetly will make a difference in “GEORGIA’s” life. God bless all of you. and thank you!
By Auntie Coosa
December 30, 2005 08:20 AM | Link to this
THANK YOU, AJC, for publishing this story. Not only is this good news for the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team, it’s good news for America.
In every war theater, the soldiers of the USA and their allies have been humanitarians as well as fighting soldiers. There are many other stories, some small, some great, of troops demonstrating kindness amidst the bombs and bullets. Yes, some soldiers have made mistakes, but many many more soldiers have shown compassion and a willingness to help others. These stories of heroism, of compassion to an enemy who attacks with suicide bombs, of a nation whose belief system dictates that all others must be killed or converted, are begging to be told to the world.
I hope that the AJC will ferret out the other stories of heroism and humanitarianism by our soldiers who are fighting in the Middle East.
THANK YOU again, AJC, for making this story a priority. You have made many friends by following up on this story.
By E. Lewis
December 30, 2005 08:32 AM | Link to this
This is the kind of good will that is earned not bought. God bless these good people.
By ron
December 30, 2005 08:34 AM | Link to this
There are few stories that are as touching as this one. God bless baby Georgia and our troops.
By Lynda Funderburke
December 30, 2005 08:44 AM | Link to this
Moni will you please keep us all up to date on the other daughter that is 8 months along? I also want to know how Baby Georgia is doing and what the out come is. God Bless the men and women of ours who are doing this and i pray that they keep an eye on the part of the Family that had to stay behind. Thank You to one and all.
By Joe
December 30, 2005 08:45 AM | Link to this
Awesome! Thanks to AJC, Senator Isakson, Children’s Healthcare, and most of all our Brave Guardsman for giving this little girl a chance.
By Anna
December 30, 2005 09:01 AM | Link to this
This is only one of many instances that I personally know of involving Soldiers giving what little they have (in theater) to those with less. Soldiers have the biggest hearts you will ever witness. To see a child hurting, hurts them, and they will do what they can to fix that and make that child smile!
God Bless my fellow Soldiers!
By Val Champ
December 30, 2005 09:02 AM | Link to this
It is truly a blessing to hear that in the midst of all that is going on in Iraq, the act of love has not dissipated. I want to let all of the soliders that has shown true love to this family that I have found inspration from them. I pray that blessings will fall upon them and their families.
Moni, by all means, keep us updated on the progress of Baby Noor Georgia.
By Barbara
December 30, 2005 09:48 AM | Link to this
This kindness will live on forever in the hearts of many. Many thanks to the soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team for their good works and other soldiers who do kind deeds and acts that go unrecognized. Our soldiers are making a mark on this war-torn country with their remarkable kindness. I agree that we need to hear more stories of heroism and humanitarianism. Capt. Fournier’s optimism and working to get this miracle accomplished will not go unrewarded. The faith of this grandmother for her granddaughter is very strong to leave her country to go with strangers to a foreign country. She will know that she did what she could to save her granddaughter. AJC, please continue to carry this story so we may follow the progress of this case and the future of this precious child.
By Nancy
December 30, 2005 10:06 AM | Link to this
Please include in your stories how Georgians here at home can also help this beautiful little girl and her family. It must be agony for her mother who must stay at home while her child is undergoing serious surgery. Is there a method of donating money or other much needed supplies? I would think that our generosity would boost the morale of our Georgia troops serving in Iraq.
By Steve
December 30, 2005 10:10 AM | Link to this
This is truly a wonderful story. I am so very proud of the brave men and women of the GA National Guard and the Armed Forces (speaking as a Veteran myself). God Bless these fine men and women and the professionals here in Atlanta that have made saving this little girl a priority.
I too want to know how the daughter that is 8 months pregnant. AJC Staff…keep us informed—PLEASE!
By Lysa Parker
December 30, 2005 11:40 AM | Link to this
Well done, Charlie Company! Well done indeed!
By There are more!
December 30, 2005 01:01 PM | Link to this
In response to Nancy: you can check this website - Shepherd of the Hills UMC in Douglasville to make a donation. There may be other sites but this is the only one I have seen.
http://www.sothumc.net/Lifeover/index.cfm?pageType=Home
There are other stories of kindess to the Iraqi people. Cpt Hicks who tried to help a child who was blind - how did that turn out? Was he successfull? SSG Neeley who purchased wheel chairs, crutches and other things for crippled Iraqis. If you have followed the AJC blog for the 48th from day one you would have seen these compassionate acts. They all deserve comment; however, this is the one that all will remember because it involves a baby, a journey, an entire military company and hopefully a successful surgical procedure that will return her to her homeland with a chance for a good life. It shows the true spirit of the American culture. God bless each of these wonderful people who have given of their time and resources to help those less fortunate than we. Even the unsung ones who were not reported because one correspondent and photographer can do only so much. Baby Georgia will be known to and remembered by the entire country because CNN has finally taken notice of more than the atrocities of war. I have my first time to see this on TV but someone wrote it is there. These heroes are ‘building a bridge’.
God bless the soldiers who made this happen, Senator Chambless (GA) who helped get the visa from the US Embassy in Baghdad, the airline (I read Delta at the beginning), the hospital and the surgical team for their compassion and this beautiful baby and her family.
I, too, would like to know how Georgia’s aunt does with her last month of pregnancy and delivery. I pray that child will be born healthy. We have shown that these people do not have the medical care that we take for granted. Perhaps there can be a program set up throught the free world to train Iraqi doctors and they, in turn, return to Iraq and train their own.
By Karen
December 30, 2005 01:28 PM | Link to this
May God bless “Baby Georgia” and all of those who have volunteered their time and money to help her. I am VERY proud of the people of my home state. Please keep us updated.
By Doris Monson
December 30, 2005 02:16 PM | Link to this
How wonderful! After we Americans invade and occupy this country, kill thousands, destroy property and install a puppet government, there is the occasional, tangential and abberational story designed to warm our hearts and convince us how virtuous and caring we Americans truly are. This war is about power, control and oil. Anyone who believes otherwise is deluding themselves. Americans and Iraqis will continue to die and suffer because of this obscene, illegal and immoral war. These little “feel-good” stories are a shameful attempt to make people forget this grim reality.
By David M
December 30, 2005 02:19 PM | Link to this
May God Bless each and everyone involved in helping this child. I am so proud to be an American, to have myself served in the National Guard, to know that we can truly make a difference abroad, and thankful that beauracracy did not hinder this wonderful opportunity to show the world what Americans are really about. I SALUTE YOU!
By Christine
December 30, 2005 02:48 PM | Link to this
Doris Monson states that “These little “feel good” stories are a shameful attempt to make people forget this grim reality.” She is far from correct. It is a story to remind Americans that our soldiers do have hearts and blood running through their veins. They are given a job to do and they are doing it the best of their ability. Many soldiers are doing good by protecting these young children and babies, they just aren’t reconginzed as much as the killings are. We need to remember they are protecting our country and people like Doris that disagree with this conflict. I disagree with this conflict also, but I support the good that our soldiers are doing for this country desperately in need of our help. May God Bless and Protect our soldiers and the many innocent victims in Iraq.
By Arturo Meuniot
December 30, 2005 03:22 PM | Link to this
When I read stories like this it makes me realize how AWESOME our soldiers are. It makes me so proud to be an AMERICAN! I wish the media would give this story the same coverage they gave to the Abu gharib prison abuse scandal. Our Military Men and Women deserve nothing less than our FULL support as if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be a free nation! Arturo
By Jean
December 30, 2005 05:01 PM | Link to this
What a joy to read your article, Moni. Thank you for that and Curtis for the beautiful picture of Baby Noor. Thanks to Christine, too, she took the words about Doris Monson right out of my mouth! I am so proud of all of you in Iraq. We appreciate you, too. God bless you and keep you safe.
By Patricia Roudebush
December 30, 2005 06:07 PM | Link to this
Our military personnel have learned this lesson well…”God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.” May blessings abound for them as they have extended such love to little Georgia and her family. We will be praying for all, especially for total healing for little Georgia.
By Sam S
December 30, 2005 08:52 PM | Link to this
“I am amazed by the generosity of the Americans,â€? Soad said
I am not amazed . Anyone who has bothered to look into it will see Americans are the most generous people on this planet . I live in Canada , sadly many of my fellow Canadians say ” Americans are greedy ” . Canadian statistics show Americans give 2 and 1/2 times more than Canadians do . Canada and the rest of the world fall far short of America in virtually every aspect of helping the planet .
By John
December 31, 2005 12:07 AM | Link to this
The only thing I can say is our men and women who wear the uniform of this Great Nation are Bold “AWESOME!.” This is not the first time I have seen such a story where a unit has come upon a very sick child and they have taken on the job/burden of getting the child the correct medical care! These children would not survive long except for the efforts of our men and women! GOD Bless them and all who are in harms way fighting the war on terror!