ishtartv.com-
11alive.com
Jeremy Campbell, WXIA 12 a.m. EDT May 22, 2015
Eighteen
years ago an American solider loaned out his name so an Iraqi mother could stay
with her daughter. At graduation the helpful strangers were reunited.
GWINNETT
COUNTY, Ga. -- Lava Barwari's graduation ceremony would not be complete without
one man.
"He's
been in my life for as long as I can remember," she said.
Barwari's
referring to a soldier she met just once when she was 36 days old.
"He
literally gave her the American life," explained her mother, Azai Barwari.
Lava
was born under a dictatorship in Iraq to a mother who worked with a children's
relief organization that had ties to American churches. In Iraq in 1997 that
was just cause for beheading.
"Sadaam
Hussein was moving his forces up in to northern Iraq with a kill list on anyone
who had been working with western organizations," explained former solider
Greg Peppin.
Lava's
mother was put on that kill list, offering $5,000 for anyone who'd take her
life.
When
she learned this, she decided there was just one choice. She decided to leave
behind her possessions, her home and her family to seek refuge in America.
"I
just think as a mom I thought I didn't want my daughter to face everything I
faced," Barwari said.
However
when she got to the border, Lava's name wasn't on the roster for transport back
to the States. The mother could go. The baby could not.
"We
were not going to leave our daughter behind. That's for sure," Barwari
said.
That's
when Army soldier Greg Peppin bent the rules.
He
remembers telling the family "Lava's name is not on the list. But if the
baby's name was Greg it's got to be related to me. And so it could go."
In
that brief moment an American life began with a borrowed name.
The
solider and the refugees would not speak again until Lava sent an email 18
years later.
"I
wanted to thank him for everything he did for my family," she said.
Peppin
did more than simply reply.
The
now retired solider flew in from Washington.
"I
am happy you tracked me down," he told Lava. "I wouldn't have missed
this for the world."
On
Thursday, he watched her walk across the stage at Mill Creek High School, her
name on the list of graduates.
"They're
perfect examples of someone coming to America and America embracing them and
helping them achieve their goals," he said.
Lava
plans to begin college this fall. Another graduation ceremony is in this
family's future. Her mother completes her master's degree later this summer.