Safe in my arms
Scots RAF man on cradling baby as she and exhausted mum fled Kabul
A SCOTS RAF sergeant on one of the last mercy flights out of Kabul has told how he held an Afghan baby girl for an hour because her mum was so exhausted she could no longer hold her safely.
Loadmaster Andy Livingstone saw the baby fall from her mum’s arms during one of the last evacuations.
His RAF flight was carrying 153 locals fleeing brutal Taliban rule, with many barely able to stand from shock and exhaustion.
The 31-year-old dad of two, of 70 Squadron, recalled: “This family caught my eye – a mum and dad, three sisters and a brother. One of the sisters was in the early stages of shock or exhaustion so without any medics there we just cracked on giving her food. I was dealing with the dad, ensuring he was able to give food and water to his family.
“A little little bit later, I saw something falling on to the floor. I saw the mum scrambling and realised a baby had rolled off her lap.
“She was just so exhausted. She couldn’t keep her eyes open and couldn’t keep her arms up.
“I gave her the baby back, asked a few questions and strapped the baby in best as I could, using seat belts. Within minutes, I see the same thing happening. So I went over and said, ‘You really need to sleep. Please let me take this baby off you for half an hour just so you can shut your eyes – anything that will make you feel better.’”
The traumatised Afghan lady looked into his eyes, unable to communicate.
Sgt Livingstone added: “I cannot say there was gratitude. She was a woman who had seen her family go through too much looking at me as if to say, ‘Is it OK? Can I go to sleep now? Is my baby going to be OK with you?’ I will never forget it.”
The RAF sergeant held the little baby for an hour on the flight.
He said: “This baby weighed absolutely nothing and you think, ‘How exhausted must this poor woman be that she cannot bear that weight?’
“We put headphones on the baby as it’s a noisy aircraft and let the little girl sleep for an hour while the mum had a kip as well.
“It was no problem – anyone would have done the same to give her a bit of respite.”