Recovering Iraqi Orphans Face Bleak Future

Lara Logan Checks Back In With The 24 Boys Discovered Neglected Last Week

(CBS)  It was a welcome Capt. Ben Morales could not resist. He walked into the room and a little boy reached out his arms to him, CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports.

Morales was back to check on the 24 boys he and his soldiers rescued just more than a week ago.

The boys were literally starving to death in a government-run orphanage for special needs children. Those in charge left them naked and tied down, while piles of new clothes and food were stored right down the hallway.

Thanks to these soldiers, and the joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol that first found them, the boys' lives were saved.

"Hey guys?" asks Lt. Jason Smith as he walks up to boys in cribs making noises like them.

When we visited them again today in the safety of a different special needs orphanage nearby, the contrast was stunning.

"Look at 'em," Morales said. "They are all smiling; they're all laughing!"

It's obvious how much better off these boys are at this orphanage. The problem is they are still special needs children with no access to specialized care.

Smith and his wife, Kara, in North Carolina are both special education teachers. Logan asked Smith if one of the boys was in the United States, what kind of care would he get.

"He wouldn't be sitting in this, that's for sure," Smith said of the crib the boys are kept in. "He'd be in a wheelchair most of the time."

But in Iraq, they're understaffed, underpaid and the social workers lack specialized training.

"The problem here is what you said earlier: There is no education, so they're gonna do the same thing everyday — until they aren't here any more," Smith said.

One little boy almost did die. When the soldiers found him, he was covered in thousands of flies, unable to move. They never thought he'd recover as much as he has.

The boys are being fed now. They're safe. They've got somewhere to sleep. But what kind of future do they have?

"This is it, right here," Smith said. "This is their future."

The plight of the boys has outraged Iraqis, with excerpts of our report aired constantly on local TV for almost two days. The public pressure forced the Labor and Social Affairs Minister to speak out — but instead of taking responsibility, he lashed out at the U.S., calling America Iraq's enemy.

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Find out how to help the orphans.
See the photos given to CBS News.
Watch extended video of Logan’s interviews with the soldiers who rescued the orphans.
Read Lara Logan's reporter's notebook on this story.

---

As CBS News was filming new scenes on Wednesday, the minister was telling the nation these boys are perfectly healthy — and that Logan's report was a lie.

And these are the same soldiers the minister said have no compassion.

"We'll leave here and he'll remember us 'til the day he dies," Smith said. "He'll remember us as the guys that came in here and took him out of the situation he was in and put him in this situation. He'll never be able to tell us thanks. He doesn't need to really."

The fear in Iraq is that there may be other vulnerable children in similar or worse conditions who haven't yet been found.

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If you’d like information on helping out the orphans, click here.

[johnshaft4]

Bush's "conservative compassion" 'legacy' and phoney 'Christain' love exposing itself. Why isn't any of our tax dollar funded "faith based"
payoffs to Robertson, Falwell and "Pastor Ted" helping these innocent children that the Evangelicals decimated?
Hypocrite 'Christians" and their false prophet/idol Bush that they elected profess "right for life" but in deed, are vile killers.
They are opposed to stem cells that could care for the living, but delight when people suffer and die as a result of their deeds.

[hawksprings]

Boy, JohnShaft4, you are one bitter dude.
Have you ever considered going to a counselor?

This is a story about American soldiers rescuing deprived orphans and later checking in on them and you're ranting about Bush and others "decimated" them?
That's one twisted mind you've got there.

I bet there are thousands of couples in the USA who would adopt these kids in a heartbeat.

[jgaspard09]

Good Job Lt. Smith!

[johnshaft4]

Hawksprings- Hell YES, I am bitter... This should have never happened in the first place. Got money to pay for Blackwater and Dyncorp professional mercenaries, but NO money for babysitters?

[radiob-2009]

This is a tragedy, instead of casting blame place some of your hard earned dollars towards helping these children.The government of Iraq should likewise do the same. Thanks to our soldiers for averting this tragedy from becoming worse.

[formrusmcsgt]

They are opposed to stem cells that could care for the living, but delight when people suffer and die as a result of their deeds.

Posted by JohnShaft4 at 07:49 PM : Jun 20, 2007

I don't know about "delight", but they are most certainly cavalier about causing suffering.

[j-whitman]

This kind of abuse didn't exist under Saddam... Thanks a lot Bushies,,, Pro-life ********, rotton SOB's everyone of you.

[twinkie1cat]

Now the Baghdad boys are safe, clean and fed. It is time for the Peace Corps or a missionary group to recruit some retired special education teachers to go over there and give those boys an education.. Some are probably not retarded or only mildly so and just have cerebral palsy. The little one with microcephalis (small head and not much forehead) probably functions in the moderate or severely retarded range. He can learn many functional things. A few appeared to be autistic, butit may be that they just act that way because they have been deprived of stimulation. With a little therapy many of them could probably walk. I only saw a few who looked like they would not be able to.

It would probably take 3-4 career special educators and one therapist who knows adaptive equipment and these kids could live productive lives. The army, Peace Corps, Red Cross, and Iraqi government need to get on the ball immediately and work together. These kids need a life and deserve one as much as any American child.

ONe thing that bothered me is that they had no toys or stimulation. Even though they were clean, fed and dressed, there was nothing for them to do. They need toys, videos and music now that they are better. There is no way they can demonstrate their potential if they live in a room that contains only beds and them. Mental and emotional neglect are a close second to physical neglect.

[mgpm-2009]

We could do better taking care of special needs people here in the US, that's for sure, but by and large certainly the care they get here is better than what these poor souls have gotten. I'm no Bush fan, understand, but this situation probably has nothing to do with the war. Unfortunately it's how a culture looks at people who are disabled. It hasn't been too long since we treated people like this. I've worked with people who were tied up, kept in basements, were stick thin when they were found. These people are elderly now.

I wish those children could come to the US for adoption and care.

[vkngdtr]

Bush vetoes stem cell research, claims to respect life -- but he doesn't think it's wrong to kill Iraqi families by dropping bombs on them while they sleep -- for war profiteering. He and his criminal cabal created the Iraqi orphans, the children who survived the attacks. What a phony loser.

[twinkie1cat]

JackSteen1: If you know of disabled kids or adults who are not being educated or cared for you need to contact Family and Children's services right away. There has been a law in American since 1975 that said that all disabled children have the right to be in school from the age of 3-21. There are also other laws to protect disabled adults. But they have to be enforced.

Americans also need to stop objecting to group homes being opened in nice, middle class residential neighborhoods. In some cities the residents demand they be located in commercial areas or slums---the old NIMBY disease that Katrina survivors have also been experiencing for 2 years now.

Now that the Republicans are getting kicked out of the federal government it is time for some restoration of the social programs that Reagan cut so that Americans don't suffer like the Baghdad boys did. If we care for the least of our own God will bless our country and maybe other countries will follow suit.

[j-whitman]

getreal,,,, How the hell do I know ??? I pay attention the the GD News ***,,,, It would do you some good to do more of the same. You want to be a proud American then start acting like one you ignorant SOB.

[sandy19731]

Our soldiers did a really good job here. Thank you for doing your job and going the extra mile.

But, I have to wonder why all boys. Surely there were special needs girls, where are they? Are there other orphanages like this around. Seems peculiar, just one place and just one gender.

[twinkie1cat]

MGPM you are so right about it being a cultural thing. I am sorry to say this because I am sure there are good Muslims who care for their folks with disabilities. A few years ago, it was Romanian orphans, also Muslims. Mother Teresa started her ministry because the leaders in India were leaving their sick and disabled to die in the streets. I saw a few days ago on Larry King a little boy in Darfur who was kept tied to a post because he hurt himself and others. He was only 3. Who did the Nazi's kill first in order to desensitize the citizenry to death of certain groups, the handicapped and elderly. As a culture deteriorates, the first people to be neglected or abused are the disabled. We had institutions in America that were very similar to the one in Baghdad until the 1970s. Geraldo Rivera did an expose called Willowbrook and spurred the movement to change that, but, even here things are not as they should be.

[feelfree1]

Re: "Recovering Iraqi Orphans Face Bleak Future"

So do the rest of Iraqis, thanks to a horrific and illegal, lie-based war of aggression, and daily propaganda submissions from yellow-journalists like Lara Logan.

[feelfree1]

Re: "As CBS News was filming new scenes on Wednesday, the minister was telling the nation...that Logan's report was a lie."

Safe bet. The odds are clearly in his favor.

[j-whitman]

Bushies would rather keep on with the "Iraq is Rosey" --- "We can shop & go dancing,, It's every bit like Disneyland George said it was"

[j-whitman]

twinkie1cat,, You are right, these children need everything humanity can provide for them --- Several real big problems in the way,,
, We destroyed every bit of help that was given them,& for 4 years did nothing to help them. The aid money from thier government never gets there & we do not protect orphanages, mosques, museams or much else as far as that goes. We would need 2 million more troops.

[ourtomorrows]

Wow, to read some of these posts. So much venom. The story above is about US troops saving 24 children from certain death. It was a good thing that those soldiers did. It speaks to the many other good things that our soldier do everyday in Iraq. You don't have to agree with the war, you can continue your uncivilized attacks on the President and Republicans, but for goodness sake, can you people not, at least once, look at something like this and say "Yes, the American soldiers did a good thing; yes, they saved 24 lives; yes, it does how the compassion and humanity that our troops are capable of." without lacing it with hate speech, name calling and venom directed at the President or a member of the administration or, perhaps most disturbingly, in some posts on here, against our troops themselves. Iraq is not rosy or a disneyland, but it is also not a place of only darkness and death as many of you on here would have us believe. If you take the time to read reports outside of the US press, you can find hope.

[ourtomorrows]

, We destroyed every bit of help that was given them,& for 4 years did nothing to help them. The aid money from thier government never gets there & we do not protect orphanages, mosques, museams or much else as far as that goes. We would need 2 million more troops.
Posted by j-whitman at 09:56 PM : Jun 20, 2007

I am sorry, but you are just wrong on some of your facts. If you look at reports that filtered out of Iraq before we arrived, you would know that for decades human rights groups had been protesting the treatment of mentally handicapped children and adults. If anything, the new Iraqui government, though clearly with limited success, has worked to improve the lot of those individuals. The United States and the British have helped that effort immensely. You can find evidnece in reports published in the Christian Science Monitor, the Times of London, and on various human rights websites. Jwhitman, I know you disagree with the war and you are one who dislikes the President, but you should perhaps at least try to be even handed in your criticism. You always bring up the lies you believe have been fed to the American people by the government, but then in your own posts you yourself twist facts and do the exact same thing you condemn the government for doing.

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,,,, Quit trying to turn this around on our troops, It's a Nixon GOP strategy that is not going to work anymore.

Our troops need at least 1.6 million more to continue doing good & they need them now.
. The problem outmorrows, has always been & will be Bush, The "Decider" & his totally failed policies & deadly rhetoric that has all been proven wrong.

[hedonist3]

j-whitman - You, sir/madam, are an excellent argument against pro-life.

Yours must be a miserable existence, so filled with hate. Without knowing your background, I can't know whether to fear, hate or pity you.

I do know this: You are sorely misguided.

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,,,
, Take a snap shot of right now,,,, Going on 5 years later in Iraq --- 0 progress at all.

Going on 6 yrs in Afaganistan,, not much change exeept for Taliban gaining & the government losing.

Democracy was a bust to begin with & so was any expectation this administration has had.

[ourtomorrows]

ourtomorrows,,,, Quit trying to turn this around on our troops, It's a Nixon GOP strategy that is not going to work anymore.

Our troops need at least 1.6 million more to continue doing good & they need them now.
. The problem outmorrows, has always been & will be Bush, The "Decider" & his totally failed policies & deadly rhetoric that has all been proven wrong.
Posted by j-whitman at 10:08 PM : Jun 20, 2007

And where exactly do you get this figure? I am not disputing it but I would be interested in your source. As for my "Nixon GOP strategy" I was not trying to turn anything "around on our troops" as you so oddly put it. I said that this story is about something positive and it would be nice if some of you could acknowledge that without expressing your hatred and vitreal for a change of pace. I also said that your assertion that this kind of abuse did not happen under Hussein's government was patently wrong. I watch the news too and read the papers and visit the websites, you would have to be pretty cut off from the flow of information not to know that Saddam's government was criticized as early as the early 80s by even some fellow Arab states for its treatment of the mentally challenged. Now you can call me every name in the book, accuse me of being an "ignorant SOB" as you did another person on this site, but all of your hate speech, all of your anger, all of your venom won't make you right.

[j-whitman]

Hedonist3,,, I guess your screen name sums you up... Pro-Life ??????? What part of this admiistration is Pro-Life in any way ?????????

Our National Graduation Rate is 67 percent,, You folks are some of the worst..... You are Pro-Life only untill birth,,, Get it right.

I am real happy,, I just hate idiot dishonorable lying people who clame to be Super Americans abusing our nation & laws running our country.... Just for thier own profit & radical religious views.

[evanttseven]

Unconscionable that some commenting here would even suggest any of this footage was staged. Much of the commentary being left here and in related posts since the story first came out has been political in nature and often very distasteful and shocking. If this is any indication of the mentality of the general public it is quite frightening.

[ourtomorrows]

ourtomorrows,,,
, Take a snap shot of right now,,,, Going on 5 years later in Iraq --- 0 progress at all.

Going on 6 yrs in Afaganistan,, not much change exeept for Taliban gaining & the government losing.

Democracy was a bust to begin with & so was any expectation this administration has had.

Again Jwhitman, your are twisting the truth. Iraq and Afghanistan are certainly not havens of peace and security, but there have been scores of developments, positive developments over the last five years. The Kurdish area of Iraq alone has experienced unknown peace and prosperity. Yes, what we see on the news everyday is horrific, but the car bombs, the shootings, the bombings are effectively limited to several specific areas of Iraq. There are many other areas in central Iraq and even in the south that are witnessing the building of new hospitals, schools, publich buildings, not replacing things damaged in the war but brand new additions to the landscape.

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,,, You have no concept of what our military needs..... Try listening to our generals instead of ignoring what you & Bush don't like. --
-- It's already costs us more American lives than necessary & for absoultly no gain at all

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows -- Come on man,,, We all have heard that BS for the entire time of this adminstration -- Either you are high as a kite or one of the die hard loylast Bush has that's still lying to America ----- WHAT'S MORE,, , NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY CREDIBILITY LEFT AT ALL

[ourtomorrows]

As for Aghanistan, I interviewed a young woman last year who had escaped from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. She has since returned. She has been amazed by the changes, by the new freedoms, by the new opportunities especially for women. It is far from perfect, there are areas where the Taliban is on the move, the central government is fragile, but for many people, their lives have imporved exponentially since the Taliban was removed. I get this information now from a paper or a website, but from a person who has been there and lived there before and after. She is not among the wealthy, she was just fortunate to be able to get out and now to return. The stories she told me about then and now, there is just no comparison.

[ourtomorrows]

ourtomorrows -- Come on man,,, We all have heard that BS for the entire time of this adminstration -- Either you are high as a kite or one of the die hard loylast Bush has that's still lying to America ----- WHAT'S MORE,, , NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY CREDIBILITY LEFT AT ALL
Posted by j-whitman at 10:25 PM : Jun 20, 2007

Thanks for the insults, always a way to ferment intelligent conversation. It seems to me that my main crime is not agreeing with you, a person I gather who has all the answers and is omnipotent. Congratulations j-whitman, the rest of us meer mortals have to depend on doing research, reading extensively and seeking out data from a variety of sources. I hate to break it to you j-whitman, but moveon.org and Michael Moore are not the be all end all of information. You accuse me of being out of touch with reality or just a calculating liar because, in effect, I see the world differently than you do. Yet one could argue, that your hatred has poisoned your mind to the point where you can only see what you are willing to accept, what does not fit in with your slanted picture of reality must be a lie. I am sorry for you.

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,, Thier are many stories from Afaganistan.. Stop using the ones that soley agree with your opinions
-- There is always more than one side of a story& it isn't a real bright picture.., Otherwise progress would be standing out on it's own.

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,,, Republican Congressmen told Bush to his face he is no longer credible on the War in Iraq, just recently...

You keep spitting out half baked lies & I'll keep insulting you,,,, It's called honoring the truth, our country & troops

[jonesforch]

Whats REALLY!! sad about this is it has happened long before we got there...Just now CBS picks it up........saw this story on Discover History Channel....3 weeks ago........

[j-whitman]

ourtomorrows,,, You see things through religious Zionist blinders --- Absoultly no different than a radical militant Muslem...

[jonesforch]

ourtomorrows

Your 100% right BUT that is not news worthy for any of the news.

[j-whitman]

Jonesforch,,, Yes, you are right.. But when it is that way all over Iraq, & you could lose your life by reporting it, I think they did a hell of a job.

[jonesforch]

j-whitman

Agreed in fact they said these miltary peoples careers will not go past this cause the were brave enough to speak freely.........That is sad

[j-whitman]

Jonesforch,,
, Shame isn't it ?? This is the 21st centry & we have let this happen to our country... High school graduation rate is only 67% & getting worse, standards have been lowered for colleges & it cost more ---
-- Don't want to scare anyone,,, but it will get much worse before it gets better --- The only support you hear for Bush is his few remaining loyalists. And we can't get him fired.

[j-whitman]

Jonesforch,, That's just the way it is in the military,, It's too important to put on the politically correct face than it is to have successfull missions & fewer casualties.... Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[iceman_1960]

We certainly know where Rudy Giulinai's priorities are.

"Giuliani: Joining Iraq group a mistake

DES MOINES, Iowa [AP] - Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday it was a mistake for him to join the Iraq Study Group, on which he lasted just two months and failed to show for any official meetings. The former New York mayor has tried to tamp down criticism in recent days after Newsday reported that Giuliani was a no-show for two of the group's meetings and instead attended paid public appearances.

Giuliani said the main reason he quit was that it "didn't seem that I would really be able to keep the thing focused on a bipartisan, nonpolitical resolution."

[j-whitman]

Iceman_1960,,, I'm glad that story is out, it should have legs --- That's what's really up with Rudy Guiliani,,, He's made multi-millions off of 9/11 profiteering hard core

[iceman_1960]

"Iceman_1960,,, I'm glad that story is out, it should have legs --- That's what's really up with Rudy Guiliani,,, He's made multi-millions off of 9/11 profiteering hard core"
- Posted by j-whitman at 11:08 PM : Jun 20, 2007

In fairness to Giuliani, I did take his quote out of context.

[iceman_1960]

"In fairness to Giuliani, I did take his quote out of context."
- Posted by Iceman_1960 at 11:13 PM : Jun 20, 2007

I may be partisan, but I should also strive for honesty. The two seldom go together.

Here's what Rudy Giuliani said, in context:

"It didn't seem that I would really be able to keep the thing [Iraq Study Group] focused on a bipartisan, nonpolitical resolution. It was a mistake because I had an active political career that could interfere with the way in which the recommendations of the commission would be viewed. All of the other members of the commission have had distinguished public careers, but none of them were prospective candidates for office."

[j-whitman]

Iceman_1960,,, Sure he did come back with that, just as he has for every oral misjudgment -
- Problem you are missing is,,,, This guy could care less about finding a solution for Iraq even if he was on the commission.

[feelfree1]

What should we do in Iraq?

Get out!

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[linjsmit]

This isn't a debate, the ONLY thing that people should be commenting about on this particular video is thanking the Lord that OUR soldiers are over there. Politics should not be an issue here. Get over it, our soldiers are in Iraq and they're not going anywhere any time soon. Instead of bashing the president try SUPPORTING the troops, try finding an organization to join that helps support the UNITED STATES MILITARY & the decisions that the government makes. GIVE THESE SOLDIERS SOMETHING TO COME HOME TO! MAKE IT KNOWN TO THEM THAT THEY ARE OVER THERE FIGHTING FOR A REASON, AND NOT JUST OVER THERE TO LISTEN TO EVERYONE BACK IN THE U.S. WHO IS SITTING IN FRONT OF THEIR TELEVISION DISAPPROVE OF WHAT THEY HAVE DEDICATED THEIR ENTIRE LIFE TO! THEY ARE THE REASON WHY YOU CAN TALK BAD ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT. Thank you to ALL of the soldiers fighting for OUR country.

[vancouverboo]

They're softening us up for the influx of Iraqi refugees that will be inundating us after this war fiasco is done.

Here they come, right into the heartland, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Arab Moslems. The first wave of adults - meek though they may be - will breed 5 or 6 children each, many of whom will become islam fanatics anxious to avenge their parents sell out of their homeland. Thanks, George, your legacy will live on and on and on.

[feelfree1]

linjsmit,

Re: "MAKE IT KNOWN TO THEM THAT THEY ARE OVER THERE FIGHTING FOR A REASON"

O.K....for example???

Re: "GIVE THESE SOLDIERS SOMETHING TO COME HOME TO!"

No excuse required. Just come home.

[j-whitman]

linjsmit,,,,, Hey *******, They are in that neglected condition because of this war, Don't try to blame the soldiers for starting it.