Wounded

Farah Nosh

Getty Images / TIME Magazine / The New York Times

Muhammed Ali Abdel Hadi: Civilian, American gunfire. Abdel Hadi on his bed at home in western Baghdad, March 2006. Above him are portraits of his late father and uncle. Injured February 4 2005 by American gunfire resulting in one leg amputation. “It was after lunch. We were five family members in the car, and there was a car in front of us. I didn’t even know there were Americans around. I opened the door and immediately there was fire. I thought it was a car bomb at first. There was gunfire for about ten minutes. The car had 56 bullet holes. I took five. The Iraqi Police came after. They gave us a pass to get into the American hospital. I did two surgeries in the Iraqi hospital instead. My leg was gone after just a few days. They couldn’t keep up with the loss of blood. They said if they didn’t cut it, my life would be endangered. I was ready to die. But you live for your children.”

Farah Nosh, "Wounded," in POYi Archive, Item #46174, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/46174 (accessed November 21, 2024).