The stories and images coming out of Afghanistan are tragic, depressing.
But even in the darkest moments, under he most desperate circumstances, there can be uplifting stories and images.
Here are some:
Above is the heartrending image of an Afghan child sleeping on the cargo floor of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster , kept warm by the uniform of the C-17 loadmaster, Airman First Class Nicolas Baron, on an evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2021. (U.S. Air Force Photo).
Below is the screen capture image – both stirring and heartrending — of a U.S. Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), lifting an infant to safety over the wall of the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul. It is reported that the child’s father handed the infant to the Marine and that he was later reunited with his baby at a Norwegian military hospital, “but it remains unclear what happened after that.”
A Marine with the 24th MEU provides fresh water to a child during an evacuation at HKIA, Aug. 20. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz).
A U.S. Marine plays with children waiting to process during an evacuation at HKIA, Aug. 20. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz).
A Marine calms an infant during an evacuation at HKIA, Aug. 21. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz).
A U.S. Marine comforts an infant while they wait for the mother during an evacuation at HKIA, Aug. 21. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara)
Finally, an Afghan woman flying with her family aboard a C-17 from a staging base in the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base in Germany went into labor aboard the C-17 that was flying at its flight altitude (typically above 28,000 feet) and began to have complications.
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According to CNN, “The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilize and save the mother’s life…”
Once on the ground at Ramstein, Air Force medical personnel assisted in the delivery of the baby in the C-17’s cargo bay.
“Mother and baby were then transported to a nearby medical facility where they are in good condition,” says CNN.
Photo below, shows the mother and family being helped off the C-17 minutes after the mother delivered the baby.
Photo: Air Mobility Command
This piece would not be complete without a salute to the men and women who are or will be part of so many similar compassionate, kindhearted acts. Here (below) are some on their way to HKIA, Afghanistan.
