April 22, 2003. Samawah to Baghdad. Off first thing in the morning. Pretty uneventful ride moving through Iraqi towns, waving to well-wishers, etc. until we got to within 20 miles of Baghdad. On the way at one point, there were two sand tracks paralleling the highway on either side off in the distance. We were in the middle on the highway. To our right was a column of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and to our right was a column of Abrams Tanks. Just then, overhead flew a squadron of helicopters. I looked around at all this and thinking of that line from “Band of Brothers” yelled out, “Saddam, what were you thinking?” Also along the way we passed through not a few battlefields and hulks of Iraqi armor: tanks, armored personnel carriers, missile carriers. If you’ve seen the opening scene of the movie “Patton”, it looks a lot like that only more burnt.
On the road ahead of us the Iraqi Army (or what was left of it) had ignited a flame trench. A flame trench is about three feet wide and up to a mile long and filled with crude oil. The idea is to light it and obscure your opponent with a thick smoke screen. We halted on the road to figure out what to do next. The decision was made to blow through it, which we did in short order. In less than 30 minutes we were at the outskirts of the Saddam International Airport.
The road network around the airport is very dense. In addition, it’s quite a fertile area with lots of irrigation and small farms. So we snaked through this maze and eventually arrived at the airport and promptly drove onto the runway. It was filled with bombed out wrecks of what once was the Iraq National Airlines. Also, several US Army helicopters were parked on it. We sat there for a few hours to try and get guidance on where to go next. In the meantime, we had our pictures taken on the tarmac in front of the Saddam International Airport sign.
Orders were to head into town. There is a high speed expressway that goes from the airport directly into City Center to what is now known as the Green Zone. So we barreled down the highway, past more burning wrecks - this time some American – and into the center of the city. My first recollection was the giant crossed swords of the parade field where Saddam took salutes from his military units as they drove past him on the podium. The swords were held up by massive sculpted hands that were modeled after Saddam’s. The entrance to the parade route under the crossed swords was a “speed bump” made up of the tops of Iranian Army helmets from the Iran-Iraq War. The idea was that soldiers would walk on them as they entered the parade field. Also, there were Iranian Army helmets stuck into the base of the swords with cement. On the parade field itself were this day three US Abrahms tanks enjoying the moment. They deserved it. We came to one of the many bridges that cross the Tigris River. This particular bridge was labeled in both Arabic and English, as were all the directional signs in Iraq. It was the 14th of July Bridge, named after the date in 1978 when Saddam came to power. Well, who could resist? Someone had a can of white spray paint and painted over the number “1” so that it read, “4th of July Bridge”. Hey, Kilroy was here!! We pushed past the parade field and into what would become our home for the next year. Along the Tigris River on the western bank was a very exclusive enclave where Saddam’s top people lived. The area – about 2 square miles – was laced with huge mansions, artificial ponds stocked with fish, interconnecting canals with paddleboats, huge fountains, leafy green irrigated gardens, etc. It was beautiful! One of our sister Civil Affairs units had gotten there ahead of us so lots of the houses had signs on them noting who lived there and to stay out!
On the road ahead of us the Iraqi Army (or what was left of it) had ignited a flame trench. A flame trench is about three feet wide and up to a mile long and filled with crude oil. The idea is to light it and obscure your opponent with a thick smoke screen. We halted on the road to figure out what to do next. The decision was made to blow through it, which we did in short order. In less than 30 minutes we were at the outskirts of the Saddam International Airport.
The road network around the airport is very dense. In addition, it’s quite a fertile area with lots of irrigation and small farms. So we snaked through this maze and eventually arrived at the airport and promptly drove onto the runway. It was filled with bombed out wrecks of what once was the Iraq National Airlines. Also, several US Army helicopters were parked on it. We sat there for a few hours to try and get guidance on where to go next. In the meantime, we had our pictures taken on the tarmac in front of the Saddam International Airport sign.
Orders were to head into town. There is a high speed expressway that goes from the airport directly into City Center to what is now known as the Green Zone. So we barreled down the highway, past more burning wrecks - this time some American – and into the center of the city. My first recollection was the giant crossed swords of the parade field where Saddam took salutes from his military units as they drove past him on the podium. The swords were held up by massive sculpted hands that were modeled after Saddam’s. The entrance to the parade route under the crossed swords was a “speed bump” made up of the tops of Iranian Army helmets from the Iran-Iraq War. The idea was that soldiers would walk on them as they entered the parade field. Also, there were Iranian Army helmets stuck into the base of the swords with cement. On the parade field itself were this day three US Abrahms tanks enjoying the moment. They deserved it. We came to one of the many bridges that cross the Tigris River. This particular bridge was labeled in both Arabic and English, as were all the directional signs in Iraq. It was the 14th of July Bridge, named after the date in 1978 when Saddam came to power. Well, who could resist? Someone had a can of white spray paint and painted over the number “1” so that it read, “4th of July Bridge”. Hey, Kilroy was here!! We pushed past the parade field and into what would become our home for the next year. Along the Tigris River on the western bank was a very exclusive enclave where Saddam’s top people lived. The area – about 2 square miles – was laced with huge mansions, artificial ponds stocked with fish, interconnecting canals with paddleboats, huge fountains, leafy green irrigated gardens, etc. It was beautiful! One of our sister Civil Affairs units had gotten there ahead of us so lots of the houses had signs on them noting who lived there and to stay out!
We moved on to a huge mansion on the bank of the river. Four stories high and with an elevator. Gold leaf toilets and fixtures on the sinks in the bathrooms. (Fake)Crystal chandeliers. Two Grand Ballrooms. We “cleared” the building, meaning that we swept through each room like we had been trained to do. This became the headquarters building for our unit. The windows facing the river had all been shot out by snipers from across the river, so you didn’t linger long in front of a window at first. My first night in Baghdad was in a nice house next to the HQ building. I found out later that this house was owned by an American who was a friend of Saddam’s! He asked for it back while I was there and the Army gave to him. We set up our cots inside and went to bed. The next morning, I had to go to the bathroom. The plumbing was out. So you had to fill up the tank of the toilet and then you would get a flush. I was the first one up and went next door to the palace, took a healthy dump sitting on a golden toilet. Then had to fill up that tank with a Jerri can of water that I brought with me to flush. Victory.
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