Iraqis name school after Army Ranger

The Daily Advertiser:

Chaz Crawford touched the lives of family and friends in his short 23 years of life.

That's not unusual.

But he also affected the lives of people in an Iraqi village, so much so that the local government dedicated its new school to him.

Crawford, a former U.S. Army Ranger who had studied chemical engineering, was employed by London-based Aegis Defense Services in Iraq to help protect those who are rebuilding the country. He was the youngest member and only American on his team in Iraq.

Crawford was born in Lafayette and attended Lafayette High School and the Episcopal School of Acadiana before his family moved to Texas.

Although his life was taken by a suicide bomber on March 14, 2006, Crawford will be remembered by those he helped.

"It's amazing how many letters I've gotten, from all over the world," said Lafayette's Kellie Rourke, Crawford's grandmother. "I've heard from grateful parents, friends and spouses. Some of the boys came to his funeral.

"Chaz died saving his troops. A vehicle stopped on them, so they circled their vehicles like they're supposed to do. This man was on a mission to kill himself. Chaz ran him off the first time, but he came back on the other side of the group."

Crawford once sent home a photo taken of children in Iraq, with one wearing sunglasses.

"I asked if they were wearing his sunglasses, and he said 'Yes, Nanny, they have so little,' " Rourke said. "He let a different child wear them each day.

"He had his daddy, Geoff Crawford, mail cases of sunglasses from Houston to Iraq to give to these children. No wonder they loved him. I was told that the Iraqis' mourned his death, along with the others."

The plaque for the school reads, "We, the local council of the village, accept this project to help the children of the village. We dedicate it to the memory of Chaz Crawford, an American who worked for the Iraq people in this area. This project will help the children have a better education and make their skills better for Iraq's future."

It is nice to see that Iraqis appreciate the sacrifice Americans have made for their future. It is too bad too many Americans are not aware of that appreciation are just don't care.