Sharjah: Just a month and a half after their father passed away, siblings of the Bader Sulaiman family received the news that their eldest brother, Khalifa Bader Sulaiman, who had taken on the role of his deceased father, was martyred in Yemen.
Khalifa, 27, laid down his life on September 4 in Yemen, along with 51 other soldiers while performing his national duty in the Saudi-led Operation Restoring Hope.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters, Aisha, who is one-and-a-half-years old and and Reem, who is six months old.
He also left behind his mother and 11 siblings, whose ages range from four to 26 years.
Gulf News visited Khalifa’s family home in Sharjah and spoke to his mother and siblings who said they were sad but proud of him. “My father died in a car accident, but I never felt like I was missing a father figure because my elder brother Khalifa took on that role. He was caring but also firm when he needed to be. He always called to check up on us, so it was really difficult when we received the news that he had passed away,” said his 20-year-old sister Mariam.
As the news of the martyrs kept coming in, the entire family stayed up all night checking social media sites to learn about Khalifa’s fate, said Aisha, 23, another sister.
“When I saw his body, I was heart-broken,” she said.
Khalifa’s determination to serve his country was among his many strengths and memories of his love for his nation is what keeps the family going in his absence. “He wanted to go to Yemen. He insisted upon it. He said the country has given us a lot and it was time to give back,” recalled Aisha.
Khalifa, who joined the army at the age of 18, dreamed of completing his education.
“Despite not having graduated from university, he was very knowledgeable. He had an answer to every question and if he didn’t, he would research the topic. He excelled in his army evaluation and he told us that we too must excel in our studies to make our parents proud,” said Aisha.
Soad, 15, among the younger siblings, said her brother always told her to be strong and depend on herself.
“He also taught me to always put family first,” she said.
Soad recalls how Khalifa would always call their mother from Yemen. “The last thing he told her was that he was happy and safe.”
Aisha remembers her brother gathering the entire family in his room to watch anime cartoons, which were his favourite. He also loved fishing and PlayStation, she said.
Even today, Khalifa’s one-and-half-year old daughter also called Aisha, runs excitedly to the phone each time it rings, saying ‘Baba! Baba!, thinking it is her father calling, said her aunt Aisha.
Recalling her eldest son’s personality, Umm Khalifa (Khalifa’s mother) said: “He especially spoiled his youngest brother Ahmad, 4. Before he had his own children, he considered Ahmad to be his son. He was the same with his youngest sisters Shaikha, 7, and Fatima, 9. He would call me from Yemen to make sure that we bought them sweets and took them on outings,” she said.
Umm Khalifa said her family was paid a visit by UAE leaders including His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior,, who offered their condolences to the family.
She thanked the leaders for standing by her family and said she was proud of her son.
