Public Employee Press

Lifesaver in the killing zone

By JANE LaTOUR

Some people go to war to save lives. In April 2010, after serving two tours in Iraq, Local 1549 member Tunde Babawale shipped out to Afghanistan. He landed at Bagram Air Base in northeastern Afghanistan, spent a few days getting acclimated and took over as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the operating room at Forward Operating Base Salerno.

He found himself surrounded by death and destruction.

"This war has no boundaries. We were attacked with mortar bombs. This one day, I thought it was my day to die," he recounted.

"As medical personnel, we were a target. I saw a lot of injuries. It always breaks my heart to see soldiers hurt or killed. My prayer is for peace to come to Afghanistan and for our soldiers to come back home."

At home, as an Eligibility Specialist at the Food Stamp Center on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn, he is part of a team of DC 37 members dedicated to saving families from hunger. At war as a U.S. Army medic, Babawale and his expert team were dedicated to saving lives.

"We took care of U.S. military personnel, other allied armed forces and local people, like children hurt from picking up shrapnel," he said.

"My mission is to prepare the operating room for any eventuality and to keep it stocked with supplies," Babawale said. "We handled all levels of injuries."

During his absences, Babawale's own family has been growing up. In 2005, when he first went to war in the Middle East, his children were little. Now Sam is almost 13 and Mariam is 10.

The children of Afghanistan are also close to his heart.

When some of the kerosene-gasoline mix used as fuel there caught fire and seriously burned three Afghan children, Babawale and his team were their only medical care. The oldest, 12, died, but the other two lived. Babawale promised to get Azim, 10, a bicycle if he could hang on and survive the burns that covered over 40 percent of his body. His sister, Joke, sent a bike and a helmet. Major Guy Lewis and Babawale put the bike together.

"I never saw a kid light up like that - he was the king of the village. People would line up to see him on his bike. That's the future of that country - the children," Babawale said.

Right now, the country is lawless. "But we have brought a lot of improvements and we are building relationships," he said. "We are training people in medical and critical care nursing. We are not just making war and killing and destroying. We left a lot of medical supplies so the locals will not have to travel so far for care."

He spoke proudly of a doctor from Atlanta: "Dr. Wilson set up something he called Operation Shoes, to provide footwear for the children. I really enjoyed working with him on that."

On April 3, Babawale arrived back home. Now, his dream is to help build schools for Afghan children - especially for the girls in the countryside. "I wouldn't mind going back on a humanistic mission like that," he said.

Have YOU served in the Mideast wars? If you are a DC 37 member who has served in the U.S. military in Iraq or Afghanistan, PEP wants to tell your story. Call 212-815-1520 to speak with a reporter.