Dearborn councilman serving in National Guard honored for helping homeless Iraqi refugees
(CBS DETROIT) - While many on Memorial Day honored those who have fallen while giving the ultimate sacrifice, Dearborn City Councilman Kamal Alsawafy is being recognized for his active service in the U.S. National Guard.
As a council member, Alsawafy says serving the city he grew up in is "one of his greatest honors."
"When I announced that [I was being deployed], it was only nine months that I had been on city council. I was relatively new," Alsawafy says.
But after heading to the National Guard in September 2022, he is now being honored for helping displaced Iraqi refugees return home for a better life.
"These are families, children, women who are living in IDP camps and to see them go to a home and potentially live a productive life is so rewarding. It means a lot to me personally because my family and I are displaced people in this area," Alsawafy says.
Just as special as helping people from the place his parents call home, is the support he continues to see from his.
"These are some of the letters we get from Dearborn residents and schoolchildren. And these really mean the world," Alsaway says.
And while many have gone out of their way to recognize Alsawafy for his service, Alsawafy is making sure those who have died while making the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten.
"Two months ago because of enemy attack, we lost the life of an American contractor not far from where I'm sitting here today and it's those Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice that should be remembered on Memorial Day and every day."
Alsawafy is nine months into his one-year deployment but despite his service overseas, he continues to fulfill his duties remotely as a Dearborn city council member.