Alaa’ Khalid Hamdan was severely injured when a U.S. tank round slammed into her family’s home in Al Qaim, Iraq. The attack occurred at three in the afternoon. The children in the home were having a tea party. Two of Alaa’s brothers and three of her cousins were killed, all children under ten. The men were at work.
No More Victims Orlando Continues to Aid Iraqi Children
By Ashley Severance Alaa’ left Florida a little over a year ago. I had full intentions of keeping a journal during her stay; however, when I found time to write, I would draw a blank. It wasn’t due to writer’s block, lack of time, or even apathy. It was because I had a mixture of…
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Project helps Iraqi children hurt by war all year round
Is there something about this time of year that makes stories featuring children more poignant? Or is it just that as we get closer to the holidays, we naturally hear more about the plight of children who have to make do with less in a can't-get-enough world? I have to confess that this has been…
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3-yr-old Iraqi girl injured by US forces arrives for treatment in US
On May 5 2005 Alaa’ Khalid Hamdan was severely injured when a U.S. tank round slammed into her family’s home in Al Qaim, Iraq. It was around three in the afternoon, and the children were having a tea party. Two of Alaa’s brothers and three of her cousins were killed, all children under ten years of age. Fourteen women and children were killed or injured in the attack, which occurred while the men were at work.
Alaa’ was peppered with shrapnel in her legs, abdomen and chest, and urgently needed an operation to save her eyesight. Micro-shrapnel from the US tank round was embedded in both eyes, her retinas detached. If the fragments were not removed soon, she faced a lifetime of blindness. We received her medical reports in June of 2005.
No medical services were provided by the US military for Alaa’ or her injured mother. Alaa’s impending blindness was of no consequence to occupation authorities.
Ashley Severance, a 22-year-old law student from Melbourne, Florida, contacted NMV and offered to help. She worked for months to set up pro-bono medical care in Orlando. Dr. Saad Shaik, a gifted retinal surgeon, agreed to provide his services free of charge. Alan Pogue traveled to meet Alaa’ and her father in Amman, Jordan, helped them the difficult process of obtaining medical visas, and accompanied them to Orlando. They arrived in November, 2005.
Seeking to Recover from the Wounds of War
By ELEEZA V. AGOPIAN / The Orange County Register NEWPORT BEACH – After nearly three months in the United States, 3-year-old Alaa’ Khalid Hamdan Abd still gets frightened when she hears the word “Americans.” The Iraqi toddler associates Americans with the American military. Her home in Al Qaim, Iraq, was inadvertently hit by a tank…
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Orlando holds hope for young war victim
Orlando Sentinel - November 2005 Tiny shrapnel bits pepper the left side of 2-year-old Alaa’ Abd’s face, looking at first glance like black freckles. Metal slivers in her left eye have left her with little vision, and each day she sees less.In hopes of restoring her sight, Alaa’ and her father arrived Saturday in Orlando,…
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Singing out for war’s youngest victims
First, there are the children Mary Kay McNeil sings with: kids in Seattle schools and in choirs who infuse their own ideas into the lyrics of songs about peace and friendship. And now there are the children that the choirs will sing for: among them, Abdul Hakeem Ismael, age 7, and Alaa’ Khalid Hamida, age…
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