Mr. M's family settles in

The story of an Iraqi family's trek to begin a new life in North Dakota has captured the heart of a generous donor.

A Texas businessman has pledged to match about $39,000 raised locally to help the family of "Mr. M," an Iraqi man who was killed for helping North Dakota National Guard troops.

The donor wants to remain anonymous, said Capt. Grant Wilz, a member of the National Guard's Valley City-based 141st Engineer Combat Battalion.

"The generosity shown by everybody has been awesome," Wilz said. "It's going to help this deserving family start a new life.

"I'm glad they're here and safe," he said. "It's like having a member of your family come home."

Mr. M was murdered by insurgents in January for welcoming Guard members into his home and for telling them where to watch for roadside bombs and ambush sites, Guard members said.

Wilz and Sgt. 1st Class Shayne Beckert immediately began working to get Mr. M's wife and her seven children to safety in the United States.

The identity of the family has not been released for security reasons, said Amy Dopler, a spokeswoman for Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.

"There is a very real danger, primarily to family members who are still in Iraq," she said. "They often seek revenge on other family members."

With the help of the state's congressional delegation, Mrs. M and her children arrived in the United States May 20.

"Basically, they came here with the clothes on their backs and little else," Dopler said.

Since then, family members have moved into an apartment in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Mrs. M's brother, Ali, lives in an adjacent apartment with his wife and two kids.

"When I came here to the U.S.A., I thought it was a dream," Mrs. M said, as interpreted by her brother.

"Now I think about the future for my kids," she said while sitting on the front steps of her apartment, her infant daughter in her arms.

"Never before have people been this kind to us," the 34-year-old woman said. "I think everyone is my family now."

Some of the children are attending summer school and are quickly adapting to American culture, Ali said.

"They get up early because they are so excited to go to school," Ali said. "They say they want to learn more English."

Ali became a U.S. citizen after he fled Iraq in 1996. He moved from Seattle last month to be with his sister.

Mrs. M's 2-year-old daughter was wounded in the eye when a bomb exploded while she stood in line for passports to leave Iraq, Dopler said.

The girl needs a cornea transplant. The family's supporters are talking with medical providers in the Twin Cities in hopes of getting the costs waived, Dopler said.

Mrs. M and her children entered the United States on parole status, which prohibits them from getting public assistance, Dopler said.

The family's supporters have raised about $39,000 at fund drives in Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks. The local donations and the Texas businessman's match will help support Mrs. M's family while they await asylum status, Wilz said.

Fargo-area residents can watch for a few more fund drives, Wilz said.

Donations will be accepted during the Fargo AirSho July 9 and 10. Also, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers is donating all the proceeds from its June 14 golf tournament at the Moorhead Country Club.

The family's supporters will continue accepting donations and may hold more fund drives if medical bills mount or if efforts to gain asylum status drag on, Dopler said.

Supporters hope to get asylum status for the family within six months, but the process can take longer than two years, Dopler said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter

Jeff Zent at (701) 241-5526