Praying for Corporal Hassoun

It may be too early for me to write this piece. Key facts are still under debate. Details are still unclear. But if I wait for things to clear up, it may be too late.

Did Wasser Ali Hassoun go AWOL before being captured by terrorists in Iraq, or did the enemy somehow lure him away from his secure base? When U.S. military authorities first responded to inquiries about his capture, they gave sketchy information that he had been reported on “unauthorized absence” since June 20th. The terrorists holding him, however, claim to have tricked him into leaving his post and then taken him hostage. Yes, there are many things about this that need to be clarified. But this much is clear. Corporal Hassoun, USMC, is in the hands of murderous terrorists and under threat of a brutal execution.

Putting aside the question of how exactly he ended up there, let’s focus on essentials. Why is Corporal Hassoun in this precarious situation? Granted, it may be that he was singled out because of his ethnic heritage, but more likely he was just in the wrong place in the wrong time and he could just as well have been a Chicano from East L.A. or a fair-haired boy from Peoria. The terrorists are threatening his life not for who he was, but for who he is. And knowing who Corporal Hassoun is has importance for us today, as we wait and hope and fear for him.

As I said, the facts right now are sketchy, so forgive me for extrapolating. I could be wrong, but between the lines I think we can glimpse a story of classic American proportions.

Wassef Ali Hassoun comes from the mountains of northern Lebanon but emigrated to the United Staes in the the early 1990s along with his parents and six brothers and sisters. They settled in a nicer area of West Jordan, the sprawling suburb outside Salt Lake City. The family has apparently prospered here, and seems to have business interests both in the U.S. and back in Lebanon. It’s obvious they’re close-knit and are said to be respected and faithful members of the Salt Lake-area Muslim community.

Wassef is characterized by his family as quiet and studious, fluent in Arabic, French and English. He’s always valued education and began attending Salt Lake Community College in 2000, where his declared major was Humanties. It’s not clear when (after 9-11?) or why, but at some point Wassef decided to enlist in the Marine Corps.

Among immigrants to America, enlisting in the U.S. armed services is a fairly common pathway to U.S. citizenship. But Wassef had already received American citizenship some years before, so that clearly wasn’t his motivation. Moreover, signing up as a Marine is hardly the path of least resistence if you’re just looking for education benefits or a steady job.

No, I’ll venture to guess that something else was driving him to join the Corps, where everyone learns to be a rifleman first. I have to assume that--as so many before him--he was looking to give something back to his adopted country.

As you go to work this morning, or wash the car, or get the boat ready for this weekend, think about what it means that a young Lebanese-American, a fellow Utahn and a Muslim, may be called upon to give the last true measure of devotion for this country. When he enlisted, Wassef probably knew he’d be serving somewhere in the Middle East, and for two tours of duty he’s been helping forge a new future for the people of Iraq and a safer future for us. Now his life is on the line.

We have a long tradition of prayer and fasting in this community. We’ve prayed for religious leaders, family members and missionaries, and fasted for rain and healthy crops. Now let’s put Corporal Hassoun in our prayers, and fervently ask God to bring him home.

T.T.

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