From Deseret News archives:

After being injured working for the Army, Iraqi's life in Salt Lake is a letdown

Published: Thursday, June 5, 2008 12:07 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
By the time his plane landed in Salt Lake City late on the night of April 11, things weren't going very well for Diyar al-Bayati. His motorized wheelchair had been mangled on the flight from Jordan to New Jersey, and then his luggage was lost. Still, al-Bayati was optimistic about one thing: that he would be greeted in Salt Lake City by Americans who were happy to see him.

After all, hadn't he lost both his legs while working as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Baghdad?

But there were no grateful soldiers at the airport that night. Instead there was one Somali refugee, sent by Catholic Community Services. The man insisted on speaking Arabic, in an accent al-Bayati couldn't understand, and he wanted to take al-Bayati to the home of another Somali refugee.

"I said, 'no, dude,'" remembers al-Bayati, who had perfected his American slang during his 200 combat missions with the 4th Infantry Division in 2005 and 2006. When Catholic Community Services then wanted to put him in a cheap hotel — "with the drugs dealers," says al-Bayati — he said "no" again. At 22, al-Bayati is an Iraqi with definite opinions and a belief that he deserves a measure of respect for risking his life.

Like other Iraqis who have contracted as translators for the U.S. military, he says he cannot go back to Baghdad, for fear of reprisals. And his life since Baghdad — first in a hospital in Jordan and now as a refugee in America — has been full of disappointments.

Story continues below
The interpreters are hired by contractors — at the time al-Bayati was hired it was L-3 Communications/Titan — so the Army doesn't consider the interpreters its responsibility. His medical treatment in a Jordanian hospital, covered by insurance through L-3/Titan, wasn't very good, al-Bayati says, and the prosthetic legs he was given there are so painful and heavy they're not usable. "I can wear them three, four minutes, and then I fall down," he says.

Instead of getting special consideration because of his work with the military, he's considered just "a normal refugee," he says. So far the letters of recommendation from U.S. Army officers haven't helped him get a green card.

Al-Bayati is a talkative, sociable man. "Would you like coffee? Tea? Coke?" he asks his guest as soon as she steps inside his apartment. He wheels himself over to the sink and begins filling a teapot, using only his left hand. He can't bend his right arm at the elbow, and several fingers are injured.

Recent comments

I don't understand, although L-3 may have lost the translation...

L-3 Employee | June 17, 2008 at 6:24 p.m.

This man is a HERO. Who cares what country he's from. His sacrifice...

U.S. Soldier | June 6, 2008 at 10:20 a.m.

Sorry to hear of your disappoints my friend, and thanks for your...

dr.scientistphd@yahoo.com | June 6, 2008 at 1:38 a.m.

Image

A wheelchair ramp next to Diyar al-Bayati's apartment is of no use to him without a motorized wheelchair because he has only one usable hand.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

watch out for next year for sure, the negatives are just closet (and...

And something else, I generally follow players from the state schools when...

I could care less that Max Hall said what he did. The feeling is mutual BYU...

BYU is champion of the state

Dear Max, probably could have done without that comment. Probably would've...

Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

As a Utah fan, let me first say congratulations to Max Hall, the Cougars, and...

Geno's and Pat's are good.. but, they are mostly for tourists, the real...

Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

(You even got a middle initial... how's that for 'ya Max) It's nice to see...

Air Up There, The

Even today, I still cannot get enough of this movie or Charles Gitonga Maina....

Cougars beat Utes in overtime

...disappointed with Max Hall's comments that he hates everything about UofU....

Over the last few days I read comments of people complaining about tasteless...

Advertisements