Ahmed’s Kelb (Dog)
A Story From Iraq
Ahmed was having a great day. His sheep were behaving and not roaming too close to the road and his best friend, his dog, was by his side helping him tend the sheep. Down the road he spotted a patrol of Americans. They came down his stretch of road quite often. Ahmed loved the Americans because they brought his family food and water occasionally and were always friendly to him. His dog did not particularly like or dislike the Americans – he just hated vehicles coming down his road. The dog bolted for the road before the before Ahmed could stop him. Ahmed turned to make sure his sheep were staying put and as he turned he heard a yelp. The American patrol flew by and raised a cloud of dust. He dare not approach the road until the Americans were gone and the dust settled. When it did, he saw a small, still figure lying in the road. Ahmed’s dog had been hit by the passing patrol. Ahmed picked up his dog and stood there for a long time. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he walked the dog back to his flock of sheep. They did not look up, oblivious to Ahmed’s sadness and his lifeless dog.
Ahmed heard a familiar sound. Another American patrol was coming. Ahmed was filled with anger. What should he do? He mustered all the courage he had and carried the dog to the road. Crying now, he shouted at the Americans, “Look what you did!” The American patrol (not the same one who hit the dog) slowed and recognized the young boy as a shepherd who lived nearby Camp Cedar. The members of the 214th FA Base Defense Force stopped and talked to the boy. He told them the entire story in broken but fair English. They did not know what they could do but they told him they would do something.
When Staff Sgt. Miller heard the story, he knew what could be done. It just so happened that a family of pups had been abandoned at one of the towers on Camp Cedar’s perimeter. The dogs had not been fully weaned and the mother was long gone. He selected one of the puppies and brought it to the BDOC. For the next two weeks the BDOC RTO, Battle NCO, Sergeant of the Guard, and Platoon Leader took turns feeding the dog with a syringe and making sure it stayed healthy. 1st Lieutenant Thibault even gave it regular baths. Spc. Nephew was especially attached to the puppy, though he often denied it! The puppy grew and soon was drinking milk and eating soft foods (his favorite was refried beans). A CMO mission was coming up and it was decided that part of that mission would include a visit to Ahmed’s family to see if they would accept this dog as a replacement for Ahmed’s sheepdog.
The day of the CMO mission arrived and the supplies were packed up in the vehicles. The last box to be loaded was the dog. Operation Doggie Drop was underway. Sgt. Thomas and an interpreter approached the head of the household and explained what we wanted to do. He said that was a fine idea and, indeed, “It was the Iraqi way.” To replace something lost or destroyed with something of equal value is an appropriate way in Iraqi culture to resolve disputes. The father called to Ahmed. He came out, a little confused at all the visiting Americans. When the father told him what the Americans brought him, he was overjoyed. He looked at the dog, grabbed the box, and ran to his house – yelling behind him, “Shukran, shukran!” (Thank you, thank you!). We did not see Ahmed again until the end of the visit – he was spending his time with his new best friend. The rest of the family received our gifts of shoes, toys, food, candy, and water. It was a joyous visit. We were invited inside the home for a meeting and to see the younger children who were too sick to come out in the blustery wind that day. Part of the CMO mission was bringing a medical specialist to the families we would see to assess any medical conditions noted. Spc. Gaddis, a medic with the 466th Medical Company, listened to the parent’s description of their children’s illness through an interpreter and performed a medical assessment. She told the parents the children had a simple cold and gave them medication with instructions for its use through the interpreter. The family was so very grateful. We left with warm wishes and blessings all around. Ahmed said his final thank yous and goodbye and we were off to visit another family.
As we drove away from the family we talked about the impact we were having on these families around Camp Cedar. Long after the Americans leave Iraq, there is at least one little boy here whose idea about Americans was forever changed. Ahmed and his new dog will be roaming the countryside around Camp Cedar for years to come. What could have been an angry young man with a grudge against Americans was transformed by an act of kindness and the Iraqi way. Come to think of it, it’s the American way too: Treat others the way you want to be treated.