Back in 2003, NY Newsday published an article by reporter Dennis Duggan titled, The Growing Legion of Wounded. A reprint of the article can be found on this website. Here is an excerpt:
October 8, 2003
When a rocket propelled grenade struck his checkpoint in Northern Iraq on June 1, Sgt. Wasim Khan of Richmond Hill became part of an unheralded and growing legion of wounded.
When Khan, 27, of the Army’s 1st Armored Division, was struck by shrapnel, he was sent to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for five days before being transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington…What makes Khan’s American soldier story even more compelling is that he is a Pakistani who dutifully practices his Muslim faith.
Khan has spent the last four months in Ward 57 at Walter Reed, where the maimed lie in limbo waiting for prostheses…Khan told me over the phone Tuesday that he hopes to get a medical leave in the next few weeks. Departure from the ward is the dream of most of the soldiers who endure pain and humiliation as their wounds are swabbed, poked and scraped. Painkillers are often useless, and sometimes the doctors and nurses break into tears along with the patient who cries out in pain. [Link]
Sgt. Khan’s name re-surfaced in the press once again just last week. Guess where?
“Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices,” said President George W. Bush during his State of the Union address Jan. 31, and listening intently from the balcony with First Lady Laura Bush was wounded-in-action Soldier Sgt. Wasim Khan.
Khan, a native of Gilgat, Pakistan, is a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Khan was wounded in Iraq while serving with the 1st Armored Division. He was a special guest at the State of the Union, nominated to attend by the secretary of the Army.
“I got to meet both President Bush and Mrs. Bush after the Address,” said Khan. “They thanked me for my service and for coming and I told them it was an honor and a privilege to see them…” “It was wonderful to see how the American people support us, and keep up that support,” he said. “I hope they keep doing what they think is right for the country and right for the world. We have a lot of work ahead of us…” [Link]
As you can guess, I’m quite cynical about stunts like this. I’m sure his brown face and his religion made him an easy choice to be one of the soldiers chosen to represent the multitude of others. Usually the press is steered away from wounded soldiers. Also, it is striking (though not surprising) to me how differently an interview of a soldier reads in a regular newspaper, as opposed to a military paper.
After completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and Math from Islamabad College for Boys, 21 year-old Khan immigrated to the U.S. in 1997. Not long after his arrival, he took advantage of an opportunity that was a lifetime in the making.
“As a kid growing up, I always wanted to join the Army,” said Khan. “I liked the way the Army conducted its business, most of the time being on the ground, fighting face to face. It was my wish to become an Army Soldier…”During nearly three years of rehabilitation at WRMC, Khan achieved U.S. citizenship as part of the U.S. military’s time-in-service benefit in September 2003. On April 19, 2005, he was honored with the Medallion of Honor for his courage and sacrifices at the 2005 American Veterans Disabled for Life Awards Gala, held in New York City.
Kahn will have one more surgery during March, 2006, and is optimistic about his rehabilitation and recovery. [Link]
I hope Veteran’s Affairs is keeps it commitments to these soldiers.
