First Lt. Jeff Morgan watched with concern as Soad Jaffar al-Hasan cradled her precious baby girl, the mother’s smile masking the inevitable.Morgan, a single father of five from Georgia, knew that in a few months, possibly weeks, Noor, al-Hassan’s firstborn, would succumb to a birth defect.Noor, whose name means light in Arabic, was born with a severe form of spina bifida. Iraqi doctors lack the resources to treat her. They sent her family home, telling them the baby had 45 days at most to live. Barring a miracle, the light in their lives would go out.But Noor’s family might get the miracle they have dreamed of, thanks to soldiers from the 48th Brigade Combat Team’s 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.”I think every child deserves a chance,” said Morgan, an engineering inspector. “The whole company is focused on getting her help. It means as much to the soldiers here as it does for the parents.”For Charlie Company, saving Noor has been a heart-warming distraction this Christmas season from the routine of daily patrols in the treacherous neighborhoods of Abu Ghraib district, just west of Baghdad.But in the trash-strewn, sewage-infested slums of impoverished Abu Ghraib, few children receive basic medical attention such as vaccinations, much less the kind of intensive care Noor needs.For additional information on “Baby Nora” or how to contribute to a fund for her, call 678-508-9214 or visit the Shepherd of the Hills Web site at www.sothumc.net and click on the Lifeover Ministries link.

Compassion amid horror. For what it’s worth, email your Senator or Representative. It may help get the child to America.