Wow! Just goes to show what is possible with a little publicity! Just two days ago the Baltimore Sun published a story about the deplorable living conditions of an Iraq War translator. We, actually Chris Coen, told you how Lutheran Social Services was falling down on the job. Well, check out this update on Ahmed’s story.
Today is moving day for Saad Ahmed, a wounded Iraqi interpreter who lost both legs to a roadside bomb last year while working for the U.S. military.
Ahmed is moving to a high-end apartment in North Bethesda that is wheelchair-accessible, with a spacious bathroom and an elevator to the lobby.
“I saw it. It was nice, beautiful, like a hotel,” he said after being shown the apartment by Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, the nonprofit agency that is coordinating his resettlement.
The change of address is one of several positive developments for him this week. A donor has contributed a motorized wheelchair to improve his mobility.
And the nonprofit agency says he will see a doctor within a week and already has referrals to medical specialists.
The article goes on to tell about other good things coming Ahmed’s way —many thanks to private charity. Americans are famous for their private charity and its only when people start expecting government (and these non-profit government contractors) to be the charity that we lose sight of the real meaning of the word.
Endnote: Be sure to click on the comment by Chris Coen, Friends of Refugees, at the Baltimore Sun article.