Posted on 12/19/2005 8:07:38 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
MOSUL, Iraq—U.S. Army Spc. Lucas Crowe didn’t know what to expect Saturday when he arrived at the home of 2-year-old Muhammad.
Two days earlier, Crowe revived the boy after he nearly drowned in a flooded basement. He hadn’t gotten word on whether Muhammad was still alive or suffering lasting effects after he was taken to a hospital by Iraqi paramedics.
Crowe and other soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 172 Stryker Brigade Combat Team visited the family’s home Saturday in hopes of finding out how the boy was doing. They didn’t know if he was still in the hospital or not. But Crowe was relieved to find Muhammad wrapped in a pink fluffy blanket and sleeping in his father’s arms as Crowe and the other soldiers entered the family’s yard.
“He looks good,” Crowe said, smiling and greeting the family as they crowded around.
The near-drowning took place Thursday as U.S. troops were actively patrolling areas near polling places on election day.
A cousin of Muhammad’s said she heard the boy crying from the basement and went downstairs to investigate. She immediately called for her husband, who pulled the boy from the standing water and carried him outside to find help.
“Suddenly we find the coalition forces,” she said through an interpreter. “We saw the coalition forces and yelled, “Baby! Baby!”
Troops with the 2-1’s tactical unit responded. Crowe said it took him about 15 seconds to get Muhammad breathing again after using back blows to clear his airway of water. He said the water was easily expelled and the boy began breathing on his own again.
“I turned him over and God knocked the water out,” Crowe said.
Crowe and the soldiers called paramedics and waited until they took the boy to the hospital.
Crowe said he didn’t know how long the boy had been without oxygen before reviving him. When he first saw Muhammad sleeping in his father’s arms Saturday, he said he worried the boy might not have fully recovered.
But the boy’s father said Muhammad had just stayed overnight in the hospital. He had been playing and eating about an hour before the troops’ visit and was just taking a nap. Doctors at the hospital told the family, who asked not to be identified by name, that Muhammad is healthy.
“Everything is good,” Muhammad’s cousin said. “This is big happiness for us.”
Many members of Muhammad’s extended family were also present Saturday because Muhammad’s mother had just given birth to a baby boy. She was resting Saturday afternoon and family members said they still had not told her what had happened to Muhammad because she was in labor at the same hospital at the time.
As the extended family gathered around troops, the soldiers passed out stuffed animals, soccer balls and children’s clothes they had brought for Muhammad and his family.
After Crowe kissed the boy’s forehead and was on his way back to base with the soldiers, he said he was relieved the boy had fully recovered. He was most worried about the hypothermia that set in after the boy was pulled from the water.
“That’s what I was concerned about, having been without oxygen for long,” he said. “But he was far warmer today. I felt his head and he felt like a little boy should.”
Crowe said following up on Muhammad’s condition was a rare treat.
“I’ve treated people before and we take them to the hospital and never get any word back on their conditions,” he said. “That’s what is unique about this, to see the outcome of the treatment.”
Crowe, a 26-year-old Pennsylvania native, was a nurse’s aide and attended nursing school before joining the Army 2 1/2 years ago. He said Muhammad’s accident exemplified his reason for joining the Army.
“At this point I’m doing what I joined up to do,” he said.
But he said what happened with Muhammad is not uncommon for Army medics. Crowe and other medics often treat Iraqis, usually when a civilian is caught between an insurgent attack on troops or from injuries due to improvised explosive devices, but also when other ailments occur and medics are available.
“This kind of thing happens a lot, treating Iraqi civilians,” he said. “It is not an isolated incident.”
Margaret Friedenauer is embedded with the 172nd Stryker Combat Team in Iraq. Contact her and read her stories and behind-the-scenes blog entries at www.newsminer.com/iraq.
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 at 5:19 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Here's a nice feel-good story about our troops in Iraq.
I'd like to take a copy of this article and stuff it in John F'n Kerry's ... er, mail box.
But, but. . . Kerry said our troops are terrorizing "children and kids." Sounds like this is one family who doesn't agree with Kerry. God Bless our courageous military and prayers for the success of their mission.
Now this should make you feel good.
"I'd like to take a copy of this article and stuff it in John F'n Kerry's ... er, mail box."
Good idea. E-mail it to the F'n.
GOD BLESS SPC CROWE!
Let the raving commies in the beltway continue to screach their garbage that probably less people are believing, and let the Iraqi people continue to find good reasons to like the American GI's.
THEY SERVE WITH HONOR.
Is it just me or are journalism students sleeping through the composition courses? I see more and more articles like like that make no sense. The child could not be crying if his airways were blocked. Or either there was no need to revive the crying child. I tend to believe the soldier rather than the journalist. Good job Mr. Crowe!
HEY KERRY ,read this you worthless bag of CRAP!
No doubt the MSM will lead the nightly news with this story. /sarcasm
No matter what they say, our troops actions outwiegh words. Suck on that, Kerry, McInsane, Mothra, and the rest of you little commies!
LOTS of people should e-mail it to him.
Thank you for posting this...Jet.
A good Christmas present to all of us is reading the wonderful stories about our heroic troops.
My pleasure. I still have a couple of friends from Alaska that are in Iraq.
This does not fit the Dean/Pelosi/Clinton agenda....
Bump to the top.
Is it just me or are journalism students sleeping through the composition courses? I see more and more articles like like that make no sense. The child could not be crying if his airways were blocked. Or either there was no need to revive the crying child. I tend to believe the soldier rather than the journalist. Good job Mr. Crowe!
A 2-year-old can cry and fall back in water and drown in an instant. I see no inconsistencies here.
This is something to crow about!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.