Making magic with Dan

Let me tell you about an amazing young American I met a few days ago, and a unique opportunity he gave me. After in-processing to MNF-I (Multi National Force-Iraq), I was stuck for several days waiting for airlift to my final destination. The delay was frustrating but it did lead me to Dan Ogden.

Dan’s a young guy from Provo, Utah, with red hair and an Opie-from-Mayberry face.
You’d never guess by looking at him, but he’s an accomplished Arabic linguist. After getting bored with college, he joined the Utah National Guard and was sent to DLI (Defense Language Institute) in Monterrey, CA, one of the world’s leading language schools, to learn Arabic. Soon after, he volunteered for a year-long tour in Iraq, where he put his language skills to the test in the field.

After returning stateside it only took a few weeks to get so bored he decided to go back. He took a job as a contract linguist, and was soon back in Baghdad, where he’s been working now for close to two years. His interpretation and translation work has had many customers, from general officers and politicians to special operations forces.

But perhaps the most important work he’s done has been in a small clinic set up just inside the perimeter of one of our bases in the Baghdad area. Several times a week, Iraqi families and their kids come there to get simple medical and dental care, basic medications and a few other items to make life a little more pleasant.

Helping gather and distribute those few other items is where Dan comes in. When he saw the needs of people coming to the clinic – especially those of the children – he didn’t wait around for an official solution, he reached out and took action. On his own time and dime, he started collecting clothes, simple toys, toiletries, school supplies and other niceties to pass out at the clinic. Pretty soon, word got around and troops were joining him to help carry things and hand them out.

This has been going on for a couple of years now, and when the kids see him coming there’s at outburst of glee. They call him “Sheikh Dan”, and he knows many of them by name. He passes out the donated goodies, but also reads to them and talks to their moms and dads.

While the place is officially run by Army civil affairs soldiers, Dan’s work has helped turn it into a special haven where Iraqis and Americans meet and interact in a peaceful, happy setting. “I realized that of all the things I have done in Iraq to combat terrorism and help the Iraqi people, this was at the top of the list”, he says. “These wonderful children, mothers, and fathers get to see American muscle being used in a different way.”

I had the privilege of going out with Dan on a clinic run, and saw first-hand what magic he has wrought. It was a fantastic experience relating one-on-one with Iraqis and sharing smiles and laughter with them. What a great way to start off my tour over here this time.

And there’s a way for you to help directly. Dan has set up a website, www.sheikhdan.com, where you can see what things they need most at the clinic and how to send them over. This is exactly the kind of connection that needs to be built between the American and Iraqi people. This type of effort can slowly build a peaceful Iraq, and change hearts on both sides. You want to make a difference? Here’s a golden opportunity.