Posted on 07/01/2006 11:14:37 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
BALAD, Iraq – Soldiers from Logistical Support Area Anaconda in Balad saved the life of an abandoned, near-death baby June 9.
Staff Sgt. Donald White, patrol leader 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, and his team came across a box on the side of the road while on patrol.
Initially, he thought it was an improvised explosive device until he heard crying coming from the box. White made sure there were no wires protruding from the box and made sure it was not booby trapped. Then he picked it up.
“I ran as fast as I could, snatched the box off the ground and kept on running, thankfully nothing blew up,” White said.
White then asked Spc. John Sullivan, healthcare specialist, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, to evaluate the child and assess its medical needs.
The skin was literally hanging off the child and we could see it was massively dehydrated and malnourished. Sullivan told me we needed to get the child to a hospital right away and we jumped into the trucks and drove to the hospital as fast as we could, Smith said.
In transit to Balad Air Base hospital, Sullivan turned the air conditioning vents in the baby's direction so the air would cool the child.
I was nervous because I have never had to professionally treat a sick child before, Sullivan said. “(He) did not cry at all in the vehicle but his eyes rolled in the back of his head and I thought ‘oh my goodness he is starting to die on me.'”
By the time the patrol made its way to the Balad Air Base hospital the staff was already waiting for them when the vehicles pulled up. The Air Force medical staff treated the child by putting a feeding tube into him to replenish lost fluids. After a while the baby regained its strength and was in stable enough condition to be released. A civilian liaison with the Iraqi hospital in Balad was called and the child was released to hospital care.
White credits the success of the rescue to the members of his patrol, not just himself and Sullivan.
In all this mess of arresting people, killing people and getting blown up, finally something good has come out of it, Smith said. Hopefully as a result, God will bless us for the next few months we are here.
The baby was reunited with his mother June 19. The mother of the child told Iraqi Police she left the child in her daughter's care. The daughter was carrying the baby on the road near the LSA when she was chased by wild dogs and left the baby so she could run faster, according to reports given to Capt. Lance Awbrey, commander, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery.
Senior Airman Christine Noldee, an aerospace medical technician with the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Group at Balad Air Base, Iraq, feeds a baby who was found on a patrol.
(Photo by Army Pfc. Paul J. Harris, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division)
Wow
The mom shows up **TEN** days later with a story about "dingos got my baby?!"
No way that story holds water.
And the dogs didn't take the 'bait'?
Thankfully, our guys didn't recon the potential IED with a round or two and checked the box out. That takes some stones, and they not only saved the baby, but avoided what could well have been a 'baby killer' set-up.
Well done, gentlemen, well done.
I gotta question what they are doing given that baby back to the mother. It sounds like that baby is going to be dead in two weeks.
Will "Soldiers save baby's life be front page news?"
Bingo. Bet the bad guys had a video camera...no...bet the bad guys had alerted the news media to watch that box.
The wild dog story just didn't flange up, hungry dogs would have taken the easy meat and let the girl run.
Correct.
Besides, you called it. The bad guys had our traitorous news media watching that box for a "baby killer" story to be filmed live and in color.
Ours or theirs, or even amateurs, they'd all play that feed. Right out of the RVN era epithets, too. Sheesh!
God I hate muslims. I know if wild dogs were chasing me and I had a kid in my arms I would start kicking wild dog ass to the best of my abilities.
That was the most surprising part of the story to me too.
I've gotta love these guys for their bravery in recovering the box and their instincts in saving the baby's life.
We do have a superior culture of life.
Certainly will not be front page news of the NYT.
Bears repeating, imo.
Bears? I thought it was wild dogs. This story is getting almost unbelievable. ; )
Oh my!
I know of a couple documented cases of dingos killing children.
Dogs do, too.
Now why they didn't notice daughter didn't have baby, and why they didn't go back to see if they could find the baby....
Question. Will the next baby in a box be wired now that they know our guys are softies at heart?
Yes: Tha daughter shows up at home absent the baby and no one decides to go back and look for it?
I am sure they had no choice but to give the baby back to Mom. Now she has a second chance to grow a suicide bomber.
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