U.S. Defense Contractor Killed In Iraq Was From Sacramento
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A U.S. defense contractor killed in Iraq last month, whose death President Trump cited as leading to U.S. retaliatory strikes, lived in Sacramento and was raising a young family here.
Nawres Waleed Hamid was killed in a rocket attack while working as an interpreter on an Iraqi military base in December. He leaves behind a wife and two boys, ages eight and two.
The Washington Post is reporting Hamid became a naturalized citizen in 2017.
A photo posted online by the Los Rios Community College District shows Hamid in 2015 as an American River College student. The photo is from a newsletter about American River College, where Hamid was a student for five years, studying computer science.
The newsletter includes a question about homework over the holiday school break.
Hamid's response: "Almost all of ESL students have a job or a family to take care of on the weekends... In the end, we all need some space to function properly."
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The answer describes the challenges of a young father, balancing school, work and children. Now his tragic death has neighbors at his Arden-area home heartbroken for the whole family.
"They lost their breadwinner, so he was a really good guy," neighbor Hamid Ullah Tahiry said.
Tahiry has his own young family. Like many refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan who live here, Tahiry came seeking a safer life from the war-torn region he left.
"I don't know how to explain it," Tahiry said. "When I take care of my family, sometimes I really, I ca not understand the situation."
Tahiry says Hamid was a good person.
"He was really kind and he was really close to his family, to his wife, his children," Tahiry said.
Hamid's employer Valliant Integrated released a statement reading: "Mr. Hamid was a consummate professional and highly committed member of the Valiant team who was cherished and valued by his colleagues."
Sacramento-area congresswoman Doris Matsui released a statement about Hamid on Tuesday. She wrote, "Our hearts collectively break for Nawres Hamid and his family during this challenging time. Our U.S. military has relied on the expertise and professionalism of linguists in almost every mission around the globe, especially in Iraq. Nawres served and sacrificed for our nation, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. My thoughts and prayers are with Nawres' widow and children at this time."
This international incident, hitting so close to home. Leaving a Sacramento husband and father dead.
