Iraqi orphanage

[Aussie George]

Troops Discover Iraqi Orphanage Nightmare
(CBS News) BAGHDAD It was a scene that shocked battle-hardened soldiers, captured in photographs given to CBS News.

On a daytime patrol in central Baghdad just over a week ago, a U.S. military advisory team and Iraqi soldiers happened to look over a wall and found something horrific.

"They saw multiple bodies laying on the floor of the facility," Staff Sgt. Mitchell Gibson of the 82nd Airborne Division told CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan. "They thought they were all dead, so they threw a basketball (to) try and get some attention, and actually one of the kids lifted up there head, tilted it over and just looked and then went back down. And they said, 'oh, they're alive' and so they went into the building.”

Inside the building, a government-run orphanage for special needs children, the soldiers found emaciated little bodies tied to the cribs, CBS News reports exclusively. They had been kept this way for more than a month, according to the soldiers called in to rescue the dying boys.

"I saw children that you could see literally every bone in their body that were so skinny, they had no energy to move whatsoever, no expression on their face,” Staff Sgt. Michael Beal said.

"The kids were tied up, naked, covered in their own waste — feces — and there were three people that were cooking themselves food, but nothing for the kids," Lt. Stephen Duperre said.

Logan asked: so there were three people cooking their own food?

"They were in the kitchen, yes ma'am," Duperre said.

With all these kids starving around them?

"Yes ma'am," Duperre said.

It didn't stop there. The soldiers found kitchen shelves packed with food and in the stock room, rows of brand-new clothing still in their plastic wrapping.

Instead of giving it to the boys, the soldiers believe it was being sold to local markets.

The man in charge, the orphanage caretaker, had a well-kept office — a stark contrast to the terrible conditions just outside that room.

"I got extremely angry with the caretaker when I got there," Capt. Benjamin Morales said. "It took every muscle in my body to restrain myself from not going after that guy. But I did the right thing and I turned him over to the Iraq authorities which were also on the scene."

He has since disappeared and is believed to be on the run. But the two security guards are in custody, arrested on the orders of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The two women also working there, who posed for pictures in front of the naked boys as if there was nothing wrong, have also disappeared.

"My first thought when I walked in there was shock and then I got a little angry that they were treating kids like that, then that's when everybody just started getting upset," Capt. Jim Cook said. "There were people crying. It was definitely a bad emotional scene."

There was nothing more emotional than finding one boy who Army medics did not expect to survive. For Gibson, that was the hardest part:

Seeing a boy who was at the orphanage, where Logan reported from, "with thousands of flies covering his body, unable to move any part of his body, you know we had to actually hold his head up and tilt his head to make sure that he was OK, and you know the only thing basically that was moving was his eyeballs," Gibson explained. "Flies in the mouth, in the eyes, in the nose, ears, eating all the open wounds from sleeping on the concrete."

All that, and the boy was laying in the boiling sun — temperatures of 120 degrees or so, according to Gibson.

Looking at the boy today, as he sits up in his crib without help, it is hard to believe he is the same boy, one week later — now clean and being cared for along with all the other boys in a different orphanage located only a few minutes away from where they suffered their ordeal.

Another little boy shown in the photos was carried out of the orphanage by Beal. He was very emaciated.

"I picked him up and then immediately the kid started smiling, and as I got a little bit closer to the ambulance he just started laughing. It was almost like he completely understood what was going on," Beal said.

When CBS News visited the orphanage with the soldiers, it was clear the boys had been starved of human contact as much as anything else, Logan said. Some still had marks on their ankles from where they were tied. Since only one boy can talk, it's impossible to know what terrible memories they might have locked away.

The memory of what he saw when he helped rescue the boys that night haunts Ali Soheil, the local council head, who wept throughout the interview.

Later at the hospital, Lt. Jason Smith brushed teeth and helped clean up the boys. He and his wife are both special education teachers and he was proud to tell her what the soldiers had done.

"She said that one day was worth my entire deployment," Smith said. "It makes the whole thing worthwhile."

This is a tough test for the Iraqi government: How a nation cares for its most vulnerable is one of the most important benchmarks for the health of any society.


http://cbs5.com/topstories/topstorie...169185222.html

Just saw the report on tv. Very sad. Some of the soldiers mentioned that they were quite angry to say the least. One even said that he had to control himself from taking it out on the caretaker.

The footage of the soldiers visiting the orphans later in another orphanage was very touching. Must have been heartbreaking to be there.

All the best to the troops.

[Drummadude]

I got a nightmarish slew of images in my head from that. That was heartbreaking. Even how in a country torn apart from war, they had a kitchen full of food, and rooms full of clothing, but they were being sold and not given to the children. It's just horrible.

My mom works in special education.

But it's good that the authorities went in there, and did not act too fast with their guns when they saw movement. They got the kids nourished, clothed, and clean, and moved them to an orphanage, hopefully, without a punk running it.

[Aussie George]

I got a nightmarish slew of images in my head from that. That was heartbreaking. Even how in a country torn apart from war, they had a kitchen full of food, and rooms full of clothing, but they were being sold and not given to the children. It's just horrible.

My mom works in special education.

Yeah, like I said, the footage was quite disturbing. I bet some of those boys involved were tasting themthat day!!

[Wombat311]

Damn. Even in a war torn country, that should not happen, in those circumstances, with the food and clothing available but not being distributed.

I'd like to get my hands on the three that disappeared and hope that no Iraqi law enforcement official helped them disappear, unless of course, they've been dealt with already.

[Lawson]

But of course... we still shouldn't be over there 'cause we're obviously not helping anyone, isnt that right oh leftist hippies? :rolleyes:

[Aussie George]

But of course... we still shouldn't be over there 'cause we're obviously not helping anyone, isnt that right oh leftist hippies? :rolleyes:

Well if you didn't interfere and give them all those nice clothes and food parcels, then they wouldn't have been able to sell them on the black market and succumbed to the vile desires of greed that are also brought to their fine nation by you capitalist swine infidels. :p

[TXCharlie]

The damn Iraqi police must be extremely inept and/or extremely corrupt to let those three slip away. There should have been three executions on the spot :mad:

[Cat_Doc]

you capitalist swine infidels. :p

Point well taken, George.

Us cruel, oppressive Americans and our aggressive military are well known for savagery, uncaring and tyrannical conduct. Just ask those who suffer from the "Shiny New Bicycle Syndrome."

They will enthusiastically tell you, with bright red faces, veins popping out and spittle flying from their mouths as they scream about how evil the U.S. Empire is.

This story actually brought tears to my eyes as I not only tried to imagine the carnage, but the emotional struggle those American troops were going through.

May God bless those troops and give them strength to deal with this terrible example of human savagery; and then lock it away in a little closet somewhere.

And to all the envious haters of our great nation and its great people; you can just kiss my ***, not on the right side, not on the left side, kiss it right smack in the middle.

(George, I know you and know you were being facetious; my post is not directed at you, my friend.)

[Aussie George]

Point well taken, George.

Us cruel, oppressive Americans and our aggressive military are well known for savagery, uncaring and tyrannical conduct. Just ask those who suffer from the "Shiny New Bicycle Syndrome."

They will enthusiastically tell you, with bright red faces, veins popping out and spittle flying from their mouths as they scream about how evil the U.S. Empire is.

This story actually brought tears to my eyes as I not only tried to imagine the carnage, but the emotional struggle those American troops were going through.

May God bless those troops and give them strength to deal with this terrible example of human savagery; and then lock it away in a little closet somewhere.

And to all the envious haters of our great nation and its great people; you can just kiss my ***, not on the right side, not on the left side, kiss it right smack in the middle.

(George, I know you and know you were being facetious; my post is not directed at you, my friend.)

No probs, friend.

And I would rep you for the last line but I have been spreading too much love the last 24.

The soldiers and officers interviewed were obviously affected by it. And the vision was as bad as it sounded. The children were left tied to beds, naked and covered in their own waste. One was not expected to live (by the US medics who attended to them). It was incredible to see the soldiers who got to go to the new orphanage they were taken to and see this child alive and (considerably) well. Some of the other children had been so starved of any sort of affection that it was appalling to see how they reacted to the soldiers visiting them. One just held the soldiers hand to his face and wept. I am sure that soldier will never forget that moment.

[Mantisz]

The damn Iraqi police must be extremely inept and/or extremely corrupt to let those three slip away. There should have been three executions on the spot

Not quite on the spot, just on LIVE WORLDWIDE TV.

[sfb92]

That is terrible that someone could possibly treat special needs children like that. Those kids must be scarred for life after losing their parents and being treated like that. I can't believe those adults could not spare the food meant for the orphans and used it to make money. The soldiers were very professional in the way they handled that; it must have been hard for them to show such restraint. I'm glad they were able to rescue the kids.

[Firestorm]

I'd like to wrap my hands around those three throats and strangle them slowly to death. Or maybe starve them to death. I can't decide which one I prefer. Maybe lock them in a cage and place a plate of food out of their reach....

But then again.... it makes me think if I were to do the second one, or even continue to think that way, it would make me no better than them. So thus, the vision of strangling each seems more appealing.



I hope those kids will turn out all right and that they remember who their rescuers were. I also believe God lead to their rescue. He knew they needed someone to save them from torment and death.

The soldiers who rescued them should be noted for their awesome deed.

[Lawson]

It took every muscle in my body to restrain myself from not going after that guy. But I did the right thing and I turned him over to the Iraq authorities which were also on the scene."

I will say this, that captain sure does have a lot more restraint than I think I would have.

[Aussie George]

I will say this, that captain sure does have a lot more restraint than I think I would have.

I guess it is the type of restraint shown by Detectives investigating child pornography/exploitation cases.

A job I couldnt' do.

[Darin]

My wife told me about this. Absolutely horrible but it doesn't surprise me. And that in itself is tragic.