Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Carmen Gentile reports on the White Helmets of Syrian Civil Defense saving people from the wreckage of bombing attacks. Carmen Gentile
Carmen Gentile at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2013.(Photo: Courtesy of Carmen Gentile)
ISTANBUL – During the course of my career covering conflict, I have witnessed numerous acts of incredible bravery. The ability to race headlong into danger still astonishes me.
And I'd say that members of the all-volunteer Syrian Civil Defense are among the gutsiest people I have ever met.
Commonly known as the White Helmets, these former lawyers, students and stay-at-home moms rush into active war zones after bombs from Syrian warplanes pulverize yet another building. Armed with nothing but simple tools like crowbars and hand-powered jackhammers, they dig through the rubble in hopes of rescuing victims buried under tons of twisted metal and broken concrete.
Since the group's creation in 2013, they've saved thousands, regardless of which side of the conflict those buried may be. More than 700 volunteers have been trained for the risky work.
Among the first to sign up for this job, in which one in seven are killed, was Khaled Hajjo.
Syrian Civil Defense volunteers rescue a man in Aleppo, Syria, on May 1, 2014.(Photo: Syrian Civil Defense)
A soft-spoken young man from Aleppo, Hajjo doesn't like to brag about his exploits. "I saw many people killed and displaced by the fighting," he says almost matter-of-factly of the horrors he has witnessed in his hometown, which inspired him to join Syrian Civil Defense. Before the war, Hajjo was studying to be a lawyer, a dream he decided to put on hold as long as bombs keep falling.
I prodded him for additional details. But Hajjo's more inclined to let his deeds do the talking. At Syrian Civil Defense offices in Istanbul, I'm shown video footage of Hajjo and others pulling victims covered in debris from the dark recesses of collapsed buildings. One of their most incredible saves was that of a 10-day-old baby, rescued after being buried in wreckage for nearly an entire day.
In video shot on the phones of bystanders watching the White Helmets dig furiously for the child, his tiny head emerges. At first there is no movement. Then, as the rest of the debris encasing the infant is removed, he unleashes a mighty wail. The White Helmets rejoice; the one holding the newborn has tears in his eyes.
"There is a joy we get from saving someone that can't be described," Hajjo says. "When we do, we go home laughing and happy."
Currently away from the front lines in Syria, Hajjo is in Istanbul helping train the next generation of volunteers. Working alongside him is James Le Mesurier, a former British infantry officer who started the training center for Syrian Civil Defense. The program – funded by international donors including the United States – brings recruits from Syria to Turkey to train under conditions that replicate the daunting obstacles they'll face when they return home and grapple with the real thing.
Syrian Civil Defense volunteers train in Turkey on Aug. 21, 2014.(Photo: Syrian Civil Defense)
"Quite simply, it is the world's most dangerous job," Le Mesurier says.
Le Mesurier says Syrian Civil Defense is moving beyond search and rescue and is now helping Syrians in other ways, putting roofs back on schools and providing first aid care to those who can't get to a hospital.
The Syrian war will soon enter its fifth year, with no sign of abating. Some of the volunteers, such as 19-year-old Badour Taha, have known nothing else during their formative years.
Growing up, all she wanted to do was go to college. But when the bombs started to fall, and volunteers stepped forward to join Syrian Civil Defense, she knew her plans must change.
"I saw the passion in their eyes and hearts when they were rescuing someone and thought, 'This is where I belong,'" Taha says via Skype from Syria. Her fellow female rescuers agree and say when times are toughest for them, they can always count on Taha to bolster their spirits with her infectious laugh and indomitable spirit.
"It's important to laugh and make jokes," she says. "That's what makes you more courageous."
Listen to the audio version of this story in the player below:
Gentile, who contributes to USA TODAY from Istanbul, is the author of the upcoming book Kissed by the Taliban.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed