Fort Drum veteran honored at dinner with VIPs for taking care of wounded warrior
March 15, 2012 - Paul Steven Ghiringhelli, Staff Writer
Army veteran Nate Haddad, an employee at Fort Drum's Network Enterprise Center, appeared in uniform as an honored guest Feb. 28 at the historic Union League building in downtown Philadelphia, Pa., where Lt. Gen. William Troy, right, director of Army Staff at the Pentagon, was a featured guest speaker. (Courtesy photo)
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Organizers said the Feb. 28 event was aimed at raising awareness of the challenges, transitions and unique conditions today’s service members undergo. Haddad, who was medically discharged from the Army in 2010, said he didn’t do anything special to deserve the attention.
The story of why he was singled out by a community hundreds of miles from Fort Drum began late last year, when he received a call from a 10th Mountain Division (LI) buddy, “Kyle” – a combat engineer who was left with a broken back when a roadside bomb detonated under his vehicle in Afghanistan.
... Haddad then traveled to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and drove his injured buddy three hours up the road to spend Christmas with the man’s family. “The worst time to be in the hospital is during a holiday season,” Haddad said. “What I didn’t know at the time was that (my friend) sent out a mass email telling people he had two disabled vets coming over for Christmas and that it would be nice if they had a few letters or presents.”
That email reached Marian L. Moran, president of the Philadelphia chapter of Blue Star Mothers. Haddad said, largely due to her efforts, some 100 gifts showed up for Christmas. “It was absolutely astounding,” he said. “We gave away a bunch of it because there was just too much.”
But the expressions of support did not end there. Soon after the holidays, Moran followed up with Haddad, discovering he was acting not only as a friend but also as a mentor to the injured Soldier – helping Kyle get back on his feet, explaining the Medical Evaluation Board process to him and just offering to help in any way he could.
“I guess she was very inspired and impressed,” Haddad said. “She said the story went along well with the theme of ‘From War to Home’ at her upcoming dinner (at the Union League).”
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[at the dinner] “When Kyle came in, I don’t think there was a dry eye in that whole place,” ...[Haddad] said of the young specialist, who was told by doctors in Bagram that he would never walk again. “They gave a brief synopsis of what had happened to him … and here he came walking up (unaided). No cane. No kind of assistance at all.”
Haddad said he believed the evening’s theme, “From War to Home,” was a topic that’s crucial for communities across America to understand and support.
“Yeah, we need to support the troops overseas,” he said. “But at the same time, when they come home, the war is not really over, and they still need support.
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After more than a decade of active duty, Haddad left the Army just over a year ago. He had been a ground surveillance systems operator when he severely injured his back and shoulder during Army Special Forces selection training at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2005. He was re-classified as an interrogator and spent the last several years of active duty undergoing multiple surgeries.
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“Nate deserves some kind of award for the leadership he has shown in watching over his buddy,” she said. Melinda Roney, NEC’s Logistics Branch chief and Haddad’s supervisor, said she fully understands what kind of asset the former Soldier is to the Army. “Nathan is the type of employee that supervisors wish they had a dozen of,” Roney said. “He consistently works hard, is good-humored and always goes above and beyond without thinking twice.
“Giving 100 percent of himself comes naturally to Nate,” she added.