My First Feature!

I'm pretty proud of my last JMC-201 assignment. My TA liked it, as well. So, here it is.

Enjoy it. But feel free to critique, as well. I can use all the advice I can get.

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One Man Finds Purpose in a Land of Chaos.
By Ryan Murray.

War-torn Iraq is a difficult place to be stationed much of the time. Surrounded by pain and suffering, and in the midst of horrific danger, it takes much physical, mental, and spiritual strength to even make it through the day.

Yet, despite all the chaos, it’s still possible for a man to find his true purpose in life. Some people find solace in the written word. Some people find religion. But Scott Southworth found his purpose in an entirely different fashion: He found a son.

It’s September, 2003. Capt. Southworth commands the Wisconsin National Guard 32^nd Military Police Company. He is serving a 14-month tour instructing and training Iraqi police officers in the ways of proper law enforcement. But this is a difficult time to be in Iraq, and the soldiers need a way in which to escape the violence and bloodshed inherent to their everyday lives.

Southworth and company find this peace in their visits to an Iraqi orphanage. The home, run by the Catholic Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, is an oasis to the men…a small pocket of hope in an otherwise dark city. It was here that Captain Southworth would meet his purpose in life: a ten-year old boy with cerebral palsy named Ala’a.
"People ask me how I chose him, but I didn't. He chose me," explained Southworth as he describes the meeting. Ala’a could not walk, but somehow found the strength to crawl across the room over to near where Southworth was sitting and pull himself up to sit beside him. Yet, this simple act of friendship was only the beginning of what could only be described as a miracle for Ala’a.

As Southworth’s tour continued, he and Ala’a grew closer and closer, forming a strong bond that one normally only sees between a father and son. Ala’a began to make attempts to walk. At night, he would pray not for himself, but for the safety of Scott, who he now referred to as “Baba”…or “father.” And, it was not one sided, either, as Southworth began to realize that his friendship with this child was making an incredible difference. "Everybody on the planet needs to feel special to somebody,” explained Southworth. “And I could see that happening for him."

But as time passed, things began to take a turn for the worse. As Christmas approached, the children of the Baghdad orphanage were treated to a Christmas party by the soldiers. And, as Ala’a laughed, and played with the blocks brought to him by “Baba Noel,” or Father Christmas, Southworth began to talk with one of the doctors at the orphanage about the boy’s future…a future which was beginning to not look so good for Ala’a, who had been through so much and come so far.

The doctor explained to Southworth that Ala’a was becoming too old to stay at the orphanage. Soon, he would have to be moved to a new home, a home for the disabled run by the Iraqi government. Southworth had heard of this home, and became frightened. The doctor confirmed his worst fears. "If he goes there, his life is over." Southworth, on the verge of losing his small glimmer of hope, blurted out "Then I'll adopt him." And, immediately after saying these words, Southworth began to think, and wondered if there was any possible way he could follow through on that offer.

Southworth, a man raised in a family with a strong love of God, began to pray that night, hoping for guidance. Southworth was looking for a sign, any sign, to guide him to a decision, one that he knew he could not make on his own. And soon enough, that sign came, in the form of a DVD mailed to his company from home: Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” It was then that Southworth knew what he believed in his heart to be true was, in fact, true: He would adopt this boy and bring him home.

Southworth soon began to realize the difficulties inherent in his decision. Under Iraqi law, foreign adoptions were not allowed. Bribing Iraqi officials was always an option, but Southworth, being a man of law and honor, was not willing to break the law…not even to save a life. “I had to show them that if you really wanted something, there was a (legitimate) way," he said. The way Southworth was looking for was no picnic, either: Southworth had to write a letter to the Iraqi Minister of Labor (the governmental figure officially recognized as the boy’s guardian) asking permission to take the boy from Iraq for medical care. In addition, Southworth would have to acquire a passport for the boy; something he knew was an impossibility in the current political climate.

By the time Southworth’s tour of duty had ended in July, 2004, permission had come back from the Minister of Labor, giving Southworth to bring the Ala’a home with him. However, Southworth knew he could not. He had not gotten permission from the U.S. government to bring the boy home, and without that, Ala’a could not enter the United States legally. Southworth would have to come back for the boy.

Southworth made one last visit to the orphanage as he prepared to leave Iraq. He knew he would have to tell the boy something, but feared what he would say; for he knew he would not be able to make a promise to the boy he could not keep. Southworth simply told the boy that he would come visit him again. Ala’a did not cry. "He had made a decision that I was his daddy and he had absolute faith that God was going to make it happen," Southworth said.

Southworth returned home to Juneau County, and was relieved of active duty. Southworth began to campaign heavily to become Juneau County district administrator. Yet throughout the campaign, Southworth kept looking for a way to bring Ala’a back. During the campaign, his network of attorney friends brought his attention to Laura Danielson of Fredrikson & Byron, a law firm out of Minneapolis, MN. Danielson, an immigration lawyer, and her firm were up for the task. “They have a real heart for the disadvantaged…but they had never dealt with Iraq before” explained Southworth. “It was a real challenge for them."

Danielson was able to bring the boy home. So, in September 2005, Ala’a entered the country under humanitarian parole, an opportunity granted in only the most extraordinary circumstances. And, so far, both Scott and Ala’a have adjusted to their new lives together. So far, on this Friday, Southworth has enrolled Ala’a in school and arranged for the boy’s medical care, while still finding time to see “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” together. And, Southworth hasn’t given up hope that one day he will legally be able to become the boy’s father. Nor, Southworth believes, has Ala’a.

"He has the true faith of a child," explains Southworth. I think he knew what was going to happen."