Remembering Roy

By Blake
Hall



Nearly two years ago, I wrote an article, "Remembering
Roy," as a eulogy to my Iraqi interpreter, Mohammed, who I loved like a
younger brother. Though it was edited from the published version of the story,
the last time I spoke to Roy, as my platoon was preparing to leave Baghdad, he
told me, "I'm scared." I'd never seen him express himself so openly
or express anything but teenage bravado. I felt very selfish -- ashamed of my
joy for having completed my tour of duty, powerless to fight a bureaucratic
rule that prevented me from bringing Roy to America before he had completed a
year of service.



The creed I swore to uphold as a Ranger reads in part, "Never shall I fail
my comrades." Yet, as I stood before Roy on that dark night in Baghdad,
his over-sized boots stubbing the gravel outside the trailers where we slept, I
felt like I was failing him -- my country was failing him -- by leaving him
behind when he had given himself to us so completely. When I learned of his
death several months later, the guilt was all consuming.



For two years, my guilt prevented me from writing his story; the words were
tangled in a web of powerful emotions that I navigated all too slowly. But,
thanks to two wonderful teachers in Boston, Thomas Delong and Michelle Seaton,
I was able to tell Roy's story, so that my men would be able to remember him
and so the world would know that he had character and honor. I will always
treasure the hundreds of responses I received from readers. The responses affirmed our common humanity.



One of those readers, Colonel Dan Vannatter, helped me identity the contracting
company that employed Roy. In January, 2011, almost three years to the day that
Roy was killed, I called a phone number, the only contact information on file
with the contracting company. After several rings, Roy's mother answered the
phone.



Roy's mother and father, a college-aged brother, and a teenage sister (names
withheld for safety issues) are all alive, though not safe, in Baghdad. With
the help of two UC-Berkeley law students, Matthew Pelnar (a former marine corp captain) and Arusha Gordon, along with Wynne Cathcart, a partner at Morrison Foerster,
we have been able to process visa applications for each of Roy's family members.
I know that bringing Roy's family to America is what he would want.



At one point, we thought that the family was going to arrive in the U.S. last
December. Each family member had completed interviews and medical screenings at
the embassy and we thought that we were home free. They want to come to
Virginia to live near me, and I was getting ready to help them make the
transition. Unfortunately, that is not the case.



Roy's family is currently in a state of limbo as the case is pending a
background check for the family members. His mother is understandably bitter
about the long delay. She rightly wonders why, "she and her family are
being treated like terrorists." In fact, after Roy's death, the guards at
the Green Zone refused to let the family into the hospital in order to claim his
body. The indignities that the family has endured in the wake of Roy's death
are many.



We can do something about it. With the help of Morrison Foerster, I've
established a trust fund for Roy's family. They sold everything they had in
Iraq back in December when they thought they were coming to Virginia. Now, they
are running out of money. We desperately need your help.



Donations may be sent to:



Mohammed A. A. A. Family Trust (make out checks or money orders to this name)

C/O Blake Hall

7927 Jones Branch Drive

Suite 3350

McLean, VA 22102



or



Bank of America

3 Dupont Circle NW

Washington, DC 20036

Mohammed A. A. A. Family Trust

Paper/Electronic Routing: 051000017

Wire Routing: 026009593

Account: 435028724399



A support group for the American soldiers killed with Roy can be found on
Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sinsil-Seven/181921918497606

Blake Hall is a former army captain and a member
of the army Rangers. He led a scout platoon in Iraq from July 2006 to September
2007. His military awards include two bronze stars with one "V"
device for valor in combat. He graduated from Harvard Business School and
co-founded  TroopSwap , a platform for the military community.