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Ayesha Waller, left, and Cindy Kurtz hold a picture of Alea Nadeem at their home in Toledo on Thursday, April 5, 2018. Cindy Kurtz is the mother of sisters Ayesha Waller and Alea Nadeem. Alea is now in the military currently stationed currently in Qatar. Alea was kidnapped by her father and was forced to live in Iraq when she was just a kid.
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Alea Nadeem's patriotism is rooted in her past

The Blade/Kurt Steiss

Alea Nadeem's patriotism is rooted in her past

Yes She Can, a series of articles featuring local women who excel in their fields, continues today in Blade NewsSlide. You can submit nominations to Larry Graham, The Blade’s assistant managing editor, at lgraham@theblade.com.

It took her two decades, but Alea Nadeem has forgiven her father.

From her current deployment location in Qatar, Ms. Nadeem — an Air Force captain — recalled the events from her childhood. After all, it’s largely what she learned during the four turbulent years she was kidnapped that led her to later enlist in high school.

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She once suppressed these memories: Only recently has she publicly peeled back the layers on why her father kept her away from her home in the United States.

WATCH: Alea Nadeem’s family recalls her kidnapping

It’s a complicated situation to digest: When Capt. Nadeem was eight years old, her father took the family to his home city in Iraq to visit his ailing grandmother. Once they arrived, Cindy Kurtz and her two children discovered their relative wasn’t as sick as they were led to believe.

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That’s when Capt. Nadeem’s father forced her mother into making an impossible choice: She could only pick one child to take home to the United States.

To read the full story and watch the full video, download Blade NewsSlide at bladenewsslide.com

First Published May 7, 2018, 11:30 a.m.

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Ayesha Waller, left, and Cindy Kurtz hold a picture of Alea Nadeem at their home in Toledo on Thursday, April 5, 2018. Cindy Kurtz is the mother of sisters Ayesha Waller and Alea Nadeem. Alea is now in the military currently stationed currently in Qatar. Alea was kidnapped by her father and was forced to live in Iraq when she was just a kid.  (The Blade/Kurt Steiss)  Buy Image
Ayesha Waller, left, and Cindy Kurtz hold a picture of Alea Nadeem at their home in Toledo.  (The Blade/Kurt Steiss)  Buy Image
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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