STORIES YOU WON'T FIND IN THE LOCAL PAPER, OR ON THE TV NEWS

I wonder if the plans for this little boy will be altered by Katrina.

Ali Base, Iraq -- Although Baher, 8, looks like a happy, healthy boy on the outside, the joint Iraqi and U.S. Air Force C-130 aircrew, who gave him the ride of his life Aug. 22, knows he isn’t healthy - at least for now. Baher and his mother, Afaf, are headed to New Orleans, La., to repair a hole in his heart via a new program called Operation Mend a Heart. “I was very happy to (be a part of the aircrew to) help him,” said Iraqi Air Force Navigator Atiya, Squadron 23 (Transport), whose name is protected. Atiya was one the C-130 crewmembers who flew Baher from Baghdad International Airport to Basrah Air Station on the first leg of his journey. He has reason to sympathize. “I have three boys myself,” said Atiya, who held Baher on his lap to show him the airplane’s control panel. “They’re 11, 10 and 5.” From Basrah, Humanitarian Operation Center (Kuwait) Army Civil Affairs were waiting to whisk the family to Kuwait to pick up the proper visas and paperwork. Later in the week, the mother and son are to board a plane headed for their ultimate destination - Tulane University and Hospital Clinic where Baher will receive surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. The $100,000 surgery, which is donated by TUHC, was facilitated through Operation Mend a Heart - a joint effort between TUHC, the U.S. military and Coalition forces. More than 10 different U.S. and Coalition military and civilian agencies will have their hand in getting Baher to TUHC doctors to perform the life-saving surgery. “Let’s just say, it’s a network of inspired people,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark N. Matthews, Sr., 90th Regional Readiness Command, Camp Pike, Little Rock, Ark., who was in Southwest Asia in January 2005, where he helped facilitate intra-theater airlift and began dreaming of ways to help Iraqi children with heart problems. Matthews knew about the Iraqi Air Force and heard they wanted to help. So even though he currently isn’t in the Middle East, he helped smooth over the logistical bumps and get a hold of the right people to involve Squadron 23 Airmen. Although the airlift portion of the trip the Ali Base C-130 aircrew flew was short, it left a lasting impression. “This was the first (Advisory Support Team) mission that flew humanitarian airlift for their country,” said Maj. Bob May, Squadron 23 AST pilot instructor who is assigned to the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here. “It was a great feeling being able to do this together with so many Iraqi crewmembers on board,” he added. May was the copilot and an Iraqi officer piloted the aircraft. “I got to share some of my wife’s homemade chocolate chip cookies with him,” said Major May, who is deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. At the end of the trip, the U.S. crewmembers asked one of the Iraqis to translate their well-wishes to the mother and son. “We asked the translator to tell them it was an honor for us to be able to help him,” said Major May, whose son is Baher’s age. He also has two more reasons to sympathize with the concerned mother: his children, ages 6 and 3, who are anxiously waiting for him to come home from his six-month deployment as a C-130 instructor to Iraqi Airmen here. “When Baher and his mother were driving away, they were all big smiles,” said Major May. “It’s good to know you’re making an impact and doing something good for other people.” That same spirit of kindness is what moved Matthews, who started the seeds for the idea of the organization, while helping an Iraqi 5-year-old girl named Noor get airlift to Kuwait a Japanese aircraft earlier this year. The story reached wide acclaim and recognition through the recently-deceased reporter Peter Jennings. “On a phone call home, I described how humbled I was to have been a part of helping Noor,” Matthews said. Later, the organization came up with the phrase ‘You must have a heart, to save a heart.’” The fever for the program snowballed until it involved a long list of supporters, to include U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. “The people behind Operation Mend a Heart understand that one way we can support our troops is by supporting the people they are fighting for, the children of Iraq,” said Landrieu in a press release. “Operation Mend a Heart will help provide the humanitarian medical assistance to the underprivileged children of Iraq who would otherwise not have access to the pediatric medical and surgical care they need,” she said. During the expected four-week recovery period after the surgery, an Iraqi professor at the TUHC will host the mother and son. They’re expected to return to Iraq sometime in October.Ali Base, Iraq - Baher, 8, sits next to his mom Afaf, who took him on an Iraqi C-130 stationed at Ali Base to complete the first leg of their journey to Tulane University and Hospital Clinic, New Orleans, La., where he’ll receive heart surgery. Ali Base is home to the 407th Air Expeditionary Group and is located near the town of An Nasiriyah, Iraq. It’s the U.S. Air Force’s only major airfield in southern Iraq. The group operates C-130 Hercules and trains more than 100 Iraqi Air Force members how to maintain and fly C-130s. Ali Base’s more than 1,100 Airmen reside on Base Camp Adder, which is home to the U.S. Army’s 122nd Corps Support Group and houses 3,500 sister service members and 3,300 coalition forces here. For many of those involved, the intense logistical coordination required by U.S. and Coalition military personnel is indicative of a key role that the military plays in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but is often downplayed in the news. “Most Americans think of our military in combat roles,” said Operation Mend a Heart program founder Karen Troyer-Caraway and vice president of TUHC. “Many Americans do not realize that our military mission also includes humanitarian assistance, rebuilding communities and investing in the future. Operation Mend a Heart is ordinary Americans helping the U.S. military accomplish their mission.” The mission is immense, and involves the lives of many caught in the struggle between the insurgency and the hardworking people of Iraq. Sadly, Atiya says he knows of many children in Iraq in need of healthcare. In fact, his cousin’s child is 11 and has leg and eyes problems that prevent him from attending school. “I want all babies to be healthy and happy, and I was very happy to be a part of helping another Iraqi get healthy,” said Atiya. “I want to thank the American people for all the help they gave this child.”

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