U.S. troops in Rushdi Mullah help local children

Courtesy Photo | Raad and Ahmed, two local Iraqi children, visit with Soldiers of Company B, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) Dec. 25 at Patrol Base Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, south of Baghdad. Raad and Ahmed received medical care from the Soldiers of the company.  

12.25.2006

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

By Capt. Chris Sanchez
4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment

YUSUFIYAH, Iraq — Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) receive attention for their rapid air assaults and fierce fighting. But in the village of Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, they are now also known for their tenderness toward local children.

Soldiers of Company B, 4-31st at Patrol Base Rushdi Mullah were visited by two young boys seeking medical help Dec. 25. One of the boys, Ra'ad, had been shot several weeks before when terrorists wanted to use his family's house to attack the patrol base. When Raad's father refused them entry, one of the terrorists shot the boy.

The Soldiers treated Ra'ad after the attack and transported him to Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad's International Zone, and have been changing the dressings on his wounds regularly ever since. They changed the dressings again on Christmas, and also treated Ra'ad's brother, Ahmed, for a skin rash affecting the boy's scalp.

But assistance to the children of Rushdi Mullah didn't stop there.

"The Soldiers of 4-31 care a great deal for the people of Rushdi Mullah," said Capt. Christopher Vitale, a native of Washington, Penn., and commander of Co. B. "They have gathered donations and provided soccer cleats and other equipment for the children of the town out of their own pockets."

The people of Rushdi Mullah have responded to this act of generosity by providing tips to the Soldiers on terrorist activities, forging a strong relationship with benefit to all involved.

• Date Taken: 12.25.2006
• Date Posted: 01.03.2007 13:58
• Story ID: 8734