Injured soldiers say they are ready to go back to battlefield once wounds are healed

Abu Dhabi: Recovering slowly but surely amid an endless stream of get-well greetings from family, friends and top country officials, a number of soldiers wounded in the Yemeni conflict are now recuperating at four hospitals in the capital.

Having arrived from Saudi Arabia where their wounds were first treated, many soldiers were admitted to Zayed Military Hospital in stable condition, said Lt Col Dr Saleh Faris Al Ali, deputy commander of the hospital.

Some soldiers were discharged while the remainder sat in their beds to recover alongside chocolate, flowers and prayers from loved ones and officials.

Four Private First Class UAE military personnel sat in two adjacent rooms.

Latif Abdul Aziz Al Beloushi, a 39-year-old soldier from Ajman, is recovering from burns and debris in his thigh and torso.

“Hearing about the martyrs makes me even more adamant to fight for my country. My morale is very high and if they told me to, I would go back out into the field as soon as my wounds have healed,” he told Gulf News on Monday. “I was a fighter in Yemen. The Al Houthi rebels are incapable of defeating us. Anywhere our country asks us to go, we will be ready.”

The general sentiments among the soldiers were the same, with many feeling a sense of responsibility and determination to fight for their country.

Ali Mohammad Saeed Al Shehi from Ras Al Khaimah, 29, a father of two, expressed his sincerest wish to join his martyred brothers.

“Both my sons are very proud of their father,” he said with a smile on his exhausted face. “Seeing our colleagues martyred makes us even more determined to go and fight the war,” he added.

In the next room, Saeed Obaid Ali Al Suraidi from Fujairah expressed sorrow when remembering his deceased comrades.

“What can I say? This is their destiny and living or dying — it is the same.”

Al Suraidi once had a month-old child who died recently from illness. He did not reveal more about the tragedy.

“The most important thing for a person is to make his country proud, isn’t it?”

Saeed’s roommate, Suood Al Shehi from Ras Al Khaimah, delivered a message to the martyrs’ families.

“Their passing is both a joy and a time of sadness but we are all one heart. Your comrades become even dearer to you in combat than your family because you go through so much together while living daily life as one.”

Meanwhile, in Shaikh Khalifa Medical City, other serious cases were being treated for a variety of injuries.

Sergeant Anwar Abdul Gafoor Al Tamimi was accompanied by his mother who expressed deep satisfaction that all her children belonged to the country’s military and police forces.

Her son was recovering from a torn tendon and a bone fracture in his left foot.

“I don’t know exactly how we got hit but I wish I could heal instantly and immediately join my brothers in the army,” he said. “This country’s leaders have been nothing but supportive. See these flowers over there?” he asked, pointing to a large bouquet sitting at the foot of his bed. “These are from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, himself!”

Sgt Anwar is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday.

Located on the hospital’s second floor, watching a small television, Corporal Khalifa Humaid Mohammad Al Farisi, originally from Al Manama, Oman, greeted reporters with a smile and explained that he is recovering from a small injury in his hip.

He expressed his sincerest condolences to the martyrs, noting their death is something to be proud of.

“If I could go back [to Yemen] today before tomorrow, I would.”

Finally, in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Private First Class Eisa Hassan Al Hosani, 26, is yet to be married and was accompanied by his older brother, Yousuf.

The bandage covering his chest indicated that he suffered an injury in his upper torso.

“Knowing my little brother, I expected him to be frightened but his enthusiasm was even higher than ours,” he said. Eisa’s entire immediate family comprises military men.

Ali Abdullah Mohammad Al Abdooli from Dibba, Fujairah said that his broken leg and wounds in his left arm, shoulder and thigh do not make him sad because he would sacrifice himself for the sake of his country.

Jasem Saeed Al Noobi, a Dubai resident, is recovering from debris in his thighs. He also wished to be among those who died in the line of duty.

Heidi Pullyard is a trainee at Gulf News