Thanks to the spontaneous actions of a US soldier, Lava Barwari was able to live her entire life, happily, in Atlanta, Georgia.
If it weren’t for Greg Peppin, her life would have been drastically different.
In 1996, the child’s mother, a Kurdish woman on Saddam Hussein “kill list”, had been offered asylum in the United States, but found her daughter missing from the list when she arrived at the border.
That’s when Lt. Colonel Peppin stepped in and claimed her as his own so she could get into the country.
Peppin’s plan worked.
Now 18, Lava Barwari was graduating from her high school and in honor of the occasion, she set out to track down the soldier who brought her here–and found him.
All three treasured the reunion. Awaz Barwari, mother of the girl said, “You saved the day for us.”
(WATCH the video above or READ the story from WPVI-TV News)