Public Employee Press

First in a series on DC 37 members in Iraq

Local 1455 member injured in Iraq
Miraculous timing

By JANE LaTOUR

On Tuesday, Dec. 21, Sgt. Kenny Ghany was standing on the chow line in a mess tent in Mosul, waiting for lunch. Seconds after Sgt. Ghany stepped away to talk with someone on the other side of the tent, a suicide bomber detonated his deadly vest.

The huge explosion killed 22 people — including 14 U.S. soldiers — and injured 44. Shrapnel pierced the sergeant’s leg, but his life was spared.

At their home on Staten Island, wife Lori Ghany learned of the massacre from the television. Horror-stricken, she called her pastor, who prayed with her on the telephone.

Moments later, she received a call from her husband, who said he was fine.

Her dread-filled moments waiting for news were a heightened part of the daily vigil that soldiers’ families keep as they try to hold onto hope. The Ghany family has received strong support from their church, the International Christian Center. All 2,000 congregants have been praying for the sergeant since the day he left for Iraq, last February.

Ms. Ghany learned of her husband’s injury later, after another soldier e-mailed the Daily News with details.

Somber Christmas
The explosion occurred just days before Christmas. “I didn’t send my cards this year,” said Lori Ghany. “I just wasn’t able to do that.” Her children, Richard, 11, and Crystal, 8, set up the Christmas tree by themselves. “They came to me and said: ‘Mommy, can you help us with the lights?’ ” After that, the tree offered some solace for the little family.

Kenny Ghany, a 14-year veteran Traffic Device Maintainer for the Dept. of Transportation, is a shop steward in Traffic Employees Local 1455. “He’s a good steward who has solved problems for a lot of members,” said Local President Michael DeMarco. “We are all very proud of him, and we wish him a complete recovery from his wounds.”

Sgt. Ghany has been a member of the U.S. Army National Guard for over 18 years. He is serving in Iraq with the 204th Engineering Battalion. “They trained for combat, but that’s not their primary mission,” explained Ms. Ghany. “They construct buildings and do electrical work.”

“He volunteered to go to Iraq,” she said. “He felt it was his duty. But it’s getting very bad. It seems that we should be packing up and getting out of there,” she said.

General hits policies
The bloodbath in Mosul occurred inside a heavily fortified military base. It was one of the worst attacks on U.S. forces since the Iraq war began 22 months ago. Now Lori Ghany’s concerns are being echoed at the top of the chain of command. The chief of the Army Reserve, Lt. Gen. James Henley, calls the Pentagon’s policies “dysfunctional.” The day before the mess tent attack, Henley issued a bluntly worded memo. “I do not wish to sound alarmist. I do wish to send a clear, distinctive signal of deepening concern,” he wrote.

“Kenny has a lot of friends in the DOT,” said Lori Ghany. “I know they’re all wishing for his safe return. We’re coping pretty well. We speak to him on the phone a few times a week. As long as he’s in good spirits, it helps us,” she said.