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This man is Greg Peppin, who met Lava in passing when she was only 36 days old. And even though the encounter was brief, Peppin has played an extremely important role in Lava’s life. “He literally gave her the American life,” Azai Barwari, Lava’s mother, told NBC 7 news in Atlanta. 

Lava was born in Iraq in 1997, a time when the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s forces sought out and killed anyone involved with Western organizations. This meant that Lava’s mother, who worked with a children’s relief organization associated with American churches, was a target. 

It was because of this that Azai made the decision to leave everything behind and find refuge in the United States. “I just think as a mom I thought I didn’t want my daughter to face everything I faced,” Azai said. 

However, when Azai got to the border, Lava’s name wasn’t listed for transport. While her mother was free to go, Lava could not. That's when Army solider Greg Peppin said the family used his own name in place of Lava’s, which allowed her to travel to the States. 

It wasn’t until 18 years later when Lava emailed him, that the Barwaris and Peppin spoke again. “I wanted to thank him for everything he did for my family,” Lava said.

It was that email that prompted Peppin to travel from Washington to Jackson County, GA to attend Lava’s high school graduation ceremony. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he told Lava.

by Mallory Walker | 2/1/2016