For those of you who don't know, Scottie is a much beloved member of this blog. He, Nurse Judy and Chris Sears have been with us since before we were the TwoBabes Blog. I have "known" them longer than I have known Lisa. He is always there for us in whatever we need. He brings good humor and laughter and a much needed non-American perspective. We love him and are glad for his insights.
He sent me the following and I think it is a wonderful story to tell. I think that in the same way we don't hear enough about the wonderful things our servicemen and women do, we don't hear enough about these kinds of stories. Heroics and bravery should be acknowledged and honored in all who demonstrate it.
I'll shut up now, but I ask you to post your get well wishes and keep these wonderful people in your thoughts and prayers.
From Scottie:
Today I received an e-mail from an old friend telling me his daughter’s partner had been injured in Iraq.
Hello Scottie,
“I have some bad news, Alice’s partner Mo was badly injured by a roadside bomb whilst on patrol in Iraq.
Mo’s
injuries are extensive; in the blast he lost his right hand and
suffered serious shrapnel injuries to his thigh, calf and left wrist.
He was immediately evacuated to an American field hospital in Baghdad
and from there he has been brought back to England and is being treated
in a military hospital for his injuries. The current prognosis is
that he will be in hospital for 3 months and then undergo specialist
rehabilitation for a further 9 months. Today he has been down to
theatre, for the third day in succession, this time to close his wounds
and carry out skin grafts
We were able to visit Mo and you will know exactly what I mean when I say that his cheeky optimism and humour
remain undiminished and his determination to get back on his feet as
soon as possible is palpable. He and Alice have faced up to the
dreadful injuries he has received and decided that they have no choice
but to make the best of the situation. This they are doing with a
mixture of wry humour and quiet dignity which has made us very proud.
(Currently plans are afoot to design a prosthetic hand that incorporates a bottle opener, GPS and extending arm, as well as all the normal features.)
As
you can imagine, as word has got round Alice’s’ phone has rung none
stop and she has become overwhelmed by the number of calls and messages
she is receiving on a daily basis and can’t possibly deal with them all
as she would like. That said, the cards and the messages wishing them
well are very much appreciated and are undoubtedly helping them keep
their spirits up so if you have a mind to send a card, then please do
--- but just send it via us, so Alice can focus on looking after Mo.
Remember though that humour and optimism are the bywords!
I
should also like to ask a second favour and that is we keep this news
between ourselves as a circle of friends, as there are still some
friends and relatives that have not been tracked down and told the news
yet – or will not be told it at all, for reasons of age and infirmity,
so out of consideration for them it’s important not to go too public
with all this!
For those – who like me that need to know what happened, below is what I have learned from Mo’s colleagues.
Mo
was the Platoon commander in the lead vehicle in a patrol of three
vehicles with a helicopter overhead; they were in close proximity to
civilian traffic and returning from a patrol. They were about three
miles outside of their base when a roadside bomb was detonated. All the locals in nearby cars were killed in the explosion.
Mo’s driver lost both legs, Mo sustained the injuries previously
described, and the soldier behind the driver lost one leg and a fourth
soldier sustained shrapnel wounds.
Despite
his injuries Mo remained conscious and in control of his men,
supervising both their deployment for their own safety, the call for
assistance and the first aid of his injured colleagues and then himself
with an infectious calmness and efficiency until help arrived.
Nuff said I think!
The army is doing a fantastic job of looking after both Mo and Alice and they currently want for nothing.
We will keep you posted on developments.”
Regards, Stan
I have met Mo and as you might gather from the last couple of paragraphs he is an exceptional soldier. His primary wish is to get back into action and if possible back to Iraq. Of course Mo’s experience is not unique; there are thousands of brave young men a similar position. So why am I posting this?
Mo is a young BRITISH MUSLIM whose parents emigrated from Pakistan around 35 years ago. He is also a graduate. I am sorry to say that I cannot post full details or real names as UK extremist have threatened to murder British Muslim soldiers.
So there we have the two sides of British Islam, the thousands of bright young people who are an asset to their country and the bitter radicalized faction who want to kill those who disagree with their warped view. I wish I had an answer!
Your prayers for his recovery, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim will be most welcome. If none of these a “Good Luck” would be nice. :0)
Scottie.
PS. HUMOUR and FAVOUR are spelled the correct (UK) way. ;0)
