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Shot to pieces in Iraq,
he still inspires everyone
By GINA GALLO
of TheColumnists.com
Don’t let my slightly tarnished halo fool you.
And just ignore what most would consider a slightly checkered
past.
These days I’m an angel, an elite member of a wingless corps
called Alan’s Angels, spirits who may not have glimpsed
the firmament yet, but still band together for a common purpose.
And while I never imagined myself as the harp-plucking type,
my friend Rosie Babin tells me there are hundreds more just like
me: people with whom she’s shared the miracle of her son,
Alan.
Last March, Round Rock, Texas natives Alain and Rosalinda Babin
prayed, as always, for the safety of their 23-year old son, Alan,
a medic with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division fighting
in Northern Iraq. Nine months later Alan is a hero, his family
a magnificent testimony to the power of faith and love, and countless
people inspired to become his angels.
Alan was terribly wounded on March 31 during a battle outside
the Iraqi city of Samawa. While assisting injured soldiers on
the battlefield, enemy rounds ripped through his abdomen, destroying
his spleen and 90 percent of his stomach--internal damage so
devastating, doctors subsequently removed his pancreas, gall
bladder and a portion of his intestines. His injuries were so
extensive he wasn’t expected to survive the transport to
the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship in the Persian Gulf.
But as his mother proudly notes, Alan is a fighter. He survived
the ship’s stay, a minor stroke, meningitis and more than
a dozen subsequent surgeries. When he was finally transferred
stateside, the Walter Reed Hospital medical staff was astonished
that he’d lived beyond the battlefield. A miracle, they
said, considering his condition--one that would require countless
surgeries over the next year, teams of specialists, endless medical
procedures and always, always, the caution to his family that
his prognosis was guarded at best.
What they failed to consider was that this young hero, now attached
to chest tube vacuums, an intestinal feed tube and bleeping monitors,
had inherited something from his parents besides his gorgeous
smile.
“He called us from Kuwait on March 13,” recalls Rosie.
“Naturally we were terrified of what could happen over there.
But Alan told us, ‘We know what our mission is, we’re
ready and well-trained, and I’m a child of God.’”
Alan’s family nurtured that unflinching faith and reaped
its rewards in their son’s heroic strength and will to recover.
And in the past nine months, he’s continued to amaze them
with his determination and spirit, enduring the most difficult
medical procedures with grace and patience. Those who’ve
treated him or witnessed his courageous fight know that Alan’s
story is one of continuing miracles.
“They told us last spring that it would be eight to twelve
months before the surgeons would be able to close his abdomen,”
explained Rosie. “Because of that, Alan had to be monitored
constantly for fever and signs of infection. But the doctors
were able to close it six months after the original prognosis.”
Another miracle is that Alan was finally brought home to Texas,
transported just two weeks ago to San Antonio’s Brooke Army
Medical Center. There are more surgeries planned for him. A permanent
shunt was implanted in his brain last week to relieve pressure
from medical complications, and eventually, what remains of his
stomach must be connected to his intestines. Rehabilitation will
be long and arduous, but the Babins consider it just another
portion of the miracle.
“There were so many times we thought we’d lost him,”
said his dad. “First, on the battlefield, then on the hospital
ship, and later when he arrived at Walter Reed. He never gave
up. For that alone, my son is a hero, and I couldn’t be
prouder.”
It’s a sentiment shared by the military, who awarded Alan
the Purple Heart as well as the Bronze Star Medal of Valor. And
for those of us called Alan’s Angels, Rosie and Alain Babin
have shared a daily report of their son’s triumphs, strength,
and recovery.
After spending each day at her son’s bedside, Rosie sends
out an evening e-mail that chronicles his condition, the day’s
treatments, progress or complications, and her family’s
gratitude for our prayers and support.
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near-fatal injuries in the Iraqui war zone |
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What she may not have noticed is that her son has become our inspiration, a symbol of courage and fortitude that motivates us all while rekindling our own faith.
What she does know is that Alan’s Angels have grown exponentially, and now include statesmen, movie stars, and so many high profile people, Alan’s guest roster resembles a page from the National Who’s Who.
Maybe it’s because angels always hover in the presence of miracles. Alan has displayed the kind of grace and conviction of purpose most of us can only imagine. Without so much as a Superman suit, he’s shown us all what a real American action hero is. And while he continues his relentless march toward recovery, his angels hover, dazzled by his example and anxious to give something back.
One of Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first stops in Washington, D.C. was a visit to Alan at Walter Reed Hospital. On another day, actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump’s ‘Lieutenant Dan’) sat by Alan’s bedside, chatting with his parents.
Prayers, cards and gifts for both Alan and his family poured in from friends eager to show their love. And back home in Texas, more angels went to work.
A 400 foot square, wheel-chair accessible first-floor room addition has been added to the Babins' home in Round Rock, expressly designed to facilitate Alan’s special needs.
Local residents joined with the Home Builders’ Association of Greater Austin, donating the materials and labor to complete the project for Alan’s eventual homecoming.
A family friend of the Babins emphasized that the community wants to show their love and support not just for Alan and his family, but for all of our military troops--gratitude for their sacrifice and their gift of our continued freedom.
Now as the days count down to Christmas, the miracles haven’t stopped. While Alan’s recovery continues, the rest of us are awed by his example. And each evening after Rosie Babin writes her daily chronicle for Alan’s Angels, she counts her blessings. Just nine months after the fact, that nightmare of shrieking mortar shells has been replaced by the gentle flutter of angels’ wings, hovering around the quiet presence of this true American hero.
©2003 by Gina Gallo. The Gina Gallo caricature is ©2001 by Jim Hummel.
Author’s note: Donations,
cards, letters and support may be sent to Cpl. Alan Babin
c/o his parents, Alain and Rosalinda Babin, 1900 Hunters Trail,
Round Rock, TX 78681.
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