U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan's combat brigade commander when he was killed in Iraq in 2004 comes to his family's defense in a column published Wednesday by The Washington Post, saying "we lost a member of our team — of our family."
Dana J.H. Pittard writes of how Khan died as a part of his effort to build better relationships with the local Iraqi community after several innocent Iraqi drivers had been killed or wounded for failing to heed warnings from U.S. military personnel guarding the gates.
On the day he died, Khan approached a taxi driver approaching slowly during rush hour in an attempt to warn him. But has he got closer, he realized something was wrong and ordered everyone to hit the dirt. As a car bomb exploded, it killed Khan.
"Humayun’s death caused sadness throughout our entire brigade combat team," Pittard writes, noting that three memorials were held: "one with our soldiers at Camp Warhorse, a second with our rear detachment and family members at our home base in Vilseck, Germany, and a third with the Khan family in United States."
The 201st Battalion headquarters building on Camp Warhorse was named the Khan Building in his honor, Pittard said.
"Humayun was one of 36 men and one woman in our brigade who died during our year in Iraq. Our fallen comrades were of all races, religions and genders," Pittard wrote. "They represented sacrifice, service, duty and the essence of what makes our country great. And, yes, it is a great country right now. Despite our flaws, the United States remains a beacon of hope around the world."
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump recently attacked Kahn's parents, who spoke against his call for a moratorium on Muslim immigration at last week's Democratic National Convention. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Trump for responding to the critism.
Without mentioning Trump by name, Pittard said "any attack on this wonderful American Gold Star family is an attack on all patriotic and loyal Americans who have sacrificed to make our country great. Any politically or racially motivated attack on the Khans is despicable and un-American."
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