singulus:

” One Little Girl At A Time : Chief Master Sergeant, E9, John Gebhardt, Superintendent of the Air Force’s 22nd Wing Medical Group, Iraq …

” The insurgents intended to execute the little girl, and shot her in the head … but, they failed to kill her.  She was cared for in John’s hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.”

Our Thanks To U.S.Naval Photographer James Gates, Unit Designation Unknown and John’s Wife Mindy …

¹⁵  ” My apologies. Not that it matters, in terms of why I posted this, but I just found out that this photo is three years old, almost to the day. In my mind, at least, this photo states clearly why we are there. One, too support men like Chief Master Sergeant Gebhardt, and Two, to serve and protect little girls like this.”