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A former U.S. soldier and refugee connect 35 years after Iraq mission

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A mission in Northern Iraq shaped two lives, one through service and the other through survival. Those lives unexpectedly intersected more than three decades later at a KBR office in Northern Virginia.

1st Lt. Alan Seise of the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, deployed with the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm, but what followed the fighting left a lasting impression on him.  

In the aftermath of the Gulf War, uprisings broke out across Iraq as citizens attempted to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime. Those efforts failed, and Kurdish families in Northern Iraq were forced to flee their homes and escape into the mountains, often with little more than what they could carry. Families lacked food, shelter or proper clothing, and a humanitarian crisis quickly unfolded.

A multinational response effort known as Operation Provide Comfort was launched in April 1991. Alan was part of that mission, which aimed to create a safe zone, push Iraqi forces away from vulnerable populations and provide desperately needed aid. Over six months, he operated across Northern Iraq – Zakho, Sersing, Kirkuk and Dohuk – as well as Silopi, Turkey. He supported displaced families, restored safety and helped people return from isolation.  

At the same time, a six-year-old girl named Jeen Saadallah and her family were forced to leave their home in Zakho and were displaced into the mountains.  

Uncertainty and hardship became part of daily life. Operation Provide Comfort eventually allowed Jeen’s family to leave the mountains, but returning home was not possible.  

They were relocated to Camp Silopi in Turkey, where they spent the next three years as refugees. In 1994, the family’s resilience, adaptation and hope for a better life carried them to the United States, where Jeen grew up and built her life in Northern Virginia.  

After his deployment, Alan returned to Giebelstadt, Germany, where he was stationed, and went on to serve a 20-year career with the U.S. Army. He carried with him the profound sense that Operation Provide Comfort had been his most meaningful mission, defined not by combat but by compassion.

Decades passed.  

In April 2026, an ordinary day at KBR’s Chantilly office turned into an extraordinary moment. Alan walked through the office kitchen where Jeen and a colleague were talking. A simple introduction was made.  

But then Alan asked Jeen a question.

“Where are you from?”

Jeen answered simply: Kurdistan, Iraq. She shared that her family had fled during the Gulf War.  

Alan paused and then shared something of his own.  

He had been there.  

In Zakho.  

The same small town Jeen had come from.  

Time seemed to collapse in that instant. Jeen was stunned. After more than three decades in the U.S., she had never met anyone who knew her hometown so personally, let alone someone who had served there during one of her life’s most defining moments.  

The connection deepened as they continued talking. Jeen spoke about her years in Camp Silopi. Alan revealed that he, too, had been at Camp Silopi as part of Operation Provide Comfort. Their stories connected in a way neither could have imagined. The soldier who had helped bring relief and the child who had lived through the crisis were now standing face to face as colleagues. What followed was emotion. Gratitude. Recognition.

Jeen thanked Alan for being part of a mission that shaped her life’s trajectory. There were tears, hugs and a shared understanding words can barely capture. They exchanged photos, pieces of memory finally finding their place.  

For Alan, the experience reaffirmed something he had carried with him for years: Beyond the battlefield, the U.S. military can be a force for humanity, compassion and hope.

For Jeen, it was a moment of full-circle clarity and a reminder that even in the darkest chapters of life, threads of kindness and courage endure.  

And sometimes, after 35 years, those threads lead people back to each other.