Marine Cpl. Ian Kutner, left, and Lance Cpl. Aaron Simons, third from right, pose with two Iraqi soldiers and three other Marines.
Posted on 07/26/2006 7:10:53 AM PDT by LouAvul
Marine Cpl. Ian Kutner always will carry the shrapnel that hit him when his best friend, Lance Cpl. Aaron W. Simons of Modesto, was killed in a rocket attack in northern Iraq.
And every day he strives to carry out the pledge the Marines made the day before Simons died to save a dying Iraqi girl.
"I'll adopt her if they will let me," said Kutner, of Milwaukee. He was talking by telephone from his base in Al Qa'im in northern Iraq near the Syrian border.
The girl is 12-year-old Hamade Hadael... She is suffering from kidney failure, a condition that claimed the lives of at least four siblings and possibly five. She has one surviving younger brother.
Adoption may be best
One American doctor close to the case agreed that adoption might be the girl's best chance. Dr. Kenneth Lieberman is part of the Hackensack University Medical Center's kidney transplant team in New Jersey.
Lieberman said Hadael is one of hundreds of children who need help.
"The majority I can help because they are here or can get here in a reasonable way," Lieberman said. "If you can find your way to America legitimately, you can get everything you need.
"If (adoption's) a possibility as some kind of pathway leading to American residence, that would almost be the only really good way," Lieberman said.
The perils of kidney disease, transplants and the need for lifetime care make cases like Hadael's complicated, and Lieberman understood why people who wanted to help could get discouraged.
Kutner remained undaunted. He talked about his friend, the day they were hit and their commitment to the Hamade family.
"There's always one guy in the service you do everything with," Kutner said. "Aaron was that person for me.
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
Marine Cpl. Ian Kutner, left, and Lance Cpl. Aaron Simons, third from right, pose with two Iraqi soldiers and three other Marines.
"The goodwill is keeping soldiers alive," Lieberman said. "The Iraqi community recognizes what the Marines are trying to do."
God bless these young heroes. America's best.
Bump
Great story. I Pray that it ends well.
B T T T
Wow. What a story. What a mensch.
Where do you find young men like that?
In the USA.
sniff.....God Speed.
Bears repeating. What a great story! I'm all teary over it. I hope Kutner succeeds - I have a feeling he just might. I'll keep them in my prayers.
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