Alumnae/i Spotlight
Yasir Bahrani
Since graduating from Dominican University, Yasir Bahrani ’99 has quite an impressive list of accomplishments. He is now a dentist and a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. But it was his year of service in Iraq that produced “the kind of experience people write books about,” he says, and he has a Bronze Star to prove it.Bahrani—an Iraqi native who settled with his family in the Chicago area when he was 14—was deployed to Iraq from July 2006 to July 2007, serving as a liaison for the State Department and the U.S.-led Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I) with Iraqi agencies and officials. “It was a violent time there, and I fell into the middle of things,” he says. “Iraqis felt more comfortable dealing with someone who shared their language and culture. I served as a link between a number of Iraqi Ministries like Defense and Interior and the State Department and because I was also a U.S. Navy officer, I was also a link between MNF-I and the State Department. As time went on, my role grew, and it was a thrill to be involved with multiple issues.”
The work included many long hours in meetings and working to resolve issues, frequently putting him outside the relative safety of the Green Zone. One unique area of focus was security planning for religious holidays which kept him always on the move. “To do my job, I had to interact with the Iraqis,” he explains. “Religious events presented an opportunity for massive attacks which could result in a large loss of life. We had to have a plan to protect the Iraqi people who were practicing their religious freedom. Should something happen, we needed to know what to do.”
The danger to Bahrani was particularly acute since he “was a high target of the enemy because my language background facilitated getting things done,” he says. In recognition of his “ exceptionally meritorious service” he was awarded a Bronze Star and notes that “his cultural and Arabic language skills proved crucial to establishing critical contacts and building relations with key members of the Iraqi government.”
On his own time, Bahrani devoted himself to humanitarian efforts. “I realized I could bring more to the table than my language and cultural skills. I’m a dentist,” he explains. In dental school, he was involved with the American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile initiative, where volunteers visit schools to introduce low-income children to dentists and teach them about oral health care. With the support of the ADA, he teamed with an Iraqi dentist and implemented the program in a Baghdad elementary school.
The team which also included U.S. Military and Department of State personnel, brought puppets, dental supplies and calendars to record daily teeth brushing to a school crowded with more than 800 kids. He explained about dental disease, how to brush and floss, and engaged student volunteers. “The kids were very receptive, happy and eager to learn, and it was a great forum for helping them receive dental care in the future.”
Bahrani visited the school often throughout the year, collecting the completed calendars, delivering donated computers and helping with the massive clean-up efforts. In addition, he participated in other humanitarian efforts, including delivering essential supplies to families and toys to children in hospitals. “It was important for us to reach out to win the hearts and minds of the people. Once they knew we were there to help, it was easier getting the job done,” he says.
In reflecting on his experience in Iraq, Bahrani says “I learned a lot about myself and I became a better person.” Now in his second year of a three-year periodontal residency at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School in Bethesda, Maryland, he contemplates returning to Iraq “when things are better there.”
“Our mission was to transition to the Iraqis taking control,” he says. “Our success comes when the Iraqis are successful.”
