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The Rest of the "Good Morning America" Story
Many of you, like me, will never forget the two sharp young Specialists from the 4ID who were interviewed on Good Morning America on the morning after Saddam's capture was announced. Here is a note his mother sent to me:
My son, Ryan, was one of the lucky young men to be interviewed on Good Morning America yesterday (Monday). In an email he sent to his wife Bryanne the day before, he certainly didn't single himself out as being instrumental in Saddam's capture, and I'm quite sure he still wouldn't. In fact, the email was very vague. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I share it with you:
Dear Bryanne,...... I had a very big night last night. I just had a nice shower and I have the next two days off to relax and calm down for a job well done. I can't specify right now what the big event was but the details will be in the mail. As you know, we moved up north recently. Well, night before last we were rushed back down to Tikrit for a very important mission. All I can say about it at this point is the news is right and I was there doing my job when it happened. Once you know what I mean then you will understand how good G-Troop (10th Cav) is feeling today. ... I need to get some rest now. I've been up for two days. I love you. I love Aubrie. (his 17 month old daughter). Take care.
Since Ryan rarely has the opportunity to email, Bryanne didn't read it until after Ryan mentioned it on "Good Morning America", so we were genuinely shocked when the phone rang at 4:50 am, and we were told that he would be on the show and we would have the opportunity to talk to him. Seeing him on that screen filled us with such pride and relief. (I'm sure everyone reading this will understand completely my reference to relief. Each time we get a phone call, the two weeks we had him home in November on leave, the rare email, all create moments that we can breathe a sigh of relief for we know he is safe right then.) I think everyone watching that show swallowed hard when Ryan started to choke us as he heard Bryanne say she loved him. I hope we don't wear out that video tape before he gets home and has a chance to see it! Unfortunately, we lost the phone connection and have not been able to talk to him since our brief greetings on the air. Needless to say, we have a thousand unanswered questions. Two local TV stations came to do interviews yesterday and both did very nice short pieces for the 5 and 10 o'clock news. In one of them, they were filming Bryanne, Aubrie, and I watching the Good Morning America piece, and Aubrie reached her hand toward the screen and said "Daddy." He will treasure that tape for the rest of his life.
I have always been proud of Ryan. For being so young (21 in October), he has a strong sense of duty, and a great love for his family and his country. I am happy that, through the permanent record of pictures and video, he has been afforded a small place in history. I have no idea yet why Ryan's unit was rushed back to Tikrit to be a part of this operation, but I know he will be forever grateful that he was allowed to participate.
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Long Search for Saddam Ends In 4th Infantry Division's Backyard
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Bennett / 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
AD DAWR, Iraq, Dec. 15, 2003 – The image of a bearded and bowed Saddam Hussein, who was captured Dec. 13 in this small farming village, is now a worldwide phenomenon.
However, the final chapter in the ousted dictator’s apprehension has been a story of patience and persistence for members of the 4th Infantry Division and Taskforce Ironhorse.
“It feels good,” said Spc. Michael Tillery, a 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment member from Alexandria, Va. who participated in the successful raid. “All the work has paid off and that one step is finally over – finding Saddam.”
The plan to capture Hussein – code-named “Operation Red Dawn” – was an exercise in tenacious planning and determination, said Col. James Hickey, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, which spearheaded the operation.
“You make things happen by being on the offensive,” said Hickey, a Chicago native. “That’s allowed us to gather large amounts of information. We’re not passive; we’re very aggressive.”
Confident that the ousted dictator was never too far from Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said he felt that information would finally surface that would lead to Hussein's whereabouts. “We tried to work through family and tribal ties that might have been close to Saddam Hussein,” Odierno said.
It was a tip from someone inside the dictator’s secret circle that eventually led a group of 600 soldiers from various units to a rustic mud brick hut and the manmade hole in the ground, where the famous fugitive was finally discovered huddled with a pistol and $750,000 in American bills. Hussein had eluded Coalition forces since the war began March 21.
Compared to the palatial complex that Hussein had constructed just 10 miles north in Tikrit, the hideaway was sparse. Soldiers discovered a one-room hut barely large enough to house a twin bed. A rickety lean-to outside had been converted into a disheveled kitchen.
Hickey said his brigade, as well as other units, have conducted more than 500 raids in the Task Force Ironhorse area during the last eight months – some even along the stretch of rural farmland in Ad Dawr where the former Iraqi leader was eventually discovered.
Though he never spoke directly to the man that his brigade sought for so long, Hickey said he was aware of what the event meant to the coalition and the Iraqi people.
“At that moment, I felt a great sense of accomplishment because I know the work the soldiers had done,” he said.
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4th ID Troops Express Jubilation Over Saddam's Capture
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2003 -- It was the height of irony.
Soldiers from the Army's 4th Infantry Division were huddled around television screens in Saddam Hussein's opulent palace in Tikrit, Iraq, watching the Dec. 14 announcement that a task force from their division had pulled the former dictator from a hole in the ground beneath a hovel just nine miles away. As the news broke, cheers and applause thundered through the marble corridors of the palace, now headquarters for the Fort Hood, Texas-based division.
"It was an unbelievable feeling," said Sgt. Billy Atkinson from the 124th Signal Battalion, "I couldn't believe it until I actually saw it on the news."
Most of the troops watching coalition and military leaders describe Saddam's capture had little or no advance warning of the news. But many said they knew that something was in the air — something so major that it warranted a communications blackout at the headquarters preceding the announcement: no telephone access, no TV, no e-mail.
"Nobody knew for sure what was up, but we knew it was big," said Sgt. William Doyle from the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit based at Staten Island, N.Y. "We figured that we'd either gotten him (Saddam Hussein) or (Izzat Ilbrahim) al-Duri (vice chairman of Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council)."
"We had no official word," agreed Sgt. 1st Class Marshall Meyer from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Division Artillery. "But we had an inkling that something very big was going on."
Capt. Duane Patin from the 2nd Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade, which is attached to the 4th Infantry Division, learned of Saddam's capture shortly after it occurred. "It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time," he said. But keeping the news a secret until Saddam's identify was confirmed and the announcement made "was really tough," Patin said. "It took about 18 hours until the official announcement came out."
In the division's intelligence office, 1st Lt. Natasha Howard, too, learned of the capture before the press conference. "At first I didn't believe it," she said. "The first thing that went through my mind was, 'Is this a double, or is it really him?'" When Howard's office got confirmation that the former dictator had, in fact, been taken into custody, Howard said she and her coworkers resisted the almost irresistible urge to celebrate — or even talk about it among themselves. "But it was a really happy atmosphere," she said. "People had smiles on their faces and were even whistling."
Perhaps the greatest feeling, she said, was learning that when Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III announced in his press conference, "We got him," the "we" he referred to was her own division. "Everyone was happy that it was us — the 4th ID — that actually captured him," she said. "That made everyone feel really great."
Howard said most 4th Infantry Division soldiers haven't yet descended from exuberance over the capture, and the role their fellow soldiers played in it. "People are still excited," she said. "The initial excitement hasn't dropped yet."
When Howard spoke to her 8-year-old son the day of the announcement, he told her that he had good news and bad news. "The bad news is that you're not home yet," he said from his grandmother's home in New York. "But the good news is that you guys caught Saddam," he said, asking, "Did you know that?"
Howard said her son then went on to verbalize the same thought that many 4th Infantry Division soldiers admitted went through their own minds when they learned of Saddam's capture. "So that means that now you can come home," he said.
But like many of her fellow soldiers, Howard acknowledged that Saddam's capture doesn't necessarily mean that their mission will get any easier or that they will get to return home any sooner. "There's still a lot of work to do here," she said. "But in the meantime, this news is a great Christmas present for all of us."
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Luxembourg - Battle of Bulge:
When you hear about the Battle of the Bulge, you most likely think of the 101st Airborne and their stand at Bastogne or of General Patton coming to their rescue with his 3rd Army. You most likely know very little about the key role the 4th Infantry Division served during that key turning point battle of WWII.
If you'll stick with me over the next several weeks, you will learn about the 4th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge - and once you've heard the story, you will stick your chest out with pride, just as we have all been doing since we heard about them capturing Saddam in the rat hole in Iraq. Here are the first two days of the Battle of the Bulge:
16 December 1944 - D+194
Against CT 8 and CT 22, the enemy remained defensive. In the CT 12's sector, the enemy crossed the Sauer river in strength after a very heavy artillery preparation. The enemy attacked Berdof, Lauterborn, Dickweiller, Osweiler and Echternach.
The situation in general that existed throughout the 4th Infantry Division on the morning of 16 December when the German Commander in the west, Von Runstedt, launched his large scale counteroffensive, was far from favorable. The division had been relieved after a period of hard fighting in the Hurtgen Forest and was considerably understrength in all infantry battalions. At this time, three regimental combat teams were holding a front of approximately 35 miles along the west bank of the Sauer and Moselle rivers in the Grand Duché of Luxembourg. Communications because of the shortage of equipment and the large division sector were strained to the utmost. The attached 70th Tank Battalion which likewise had taken severe punishment in the Hurtgen Forest, was at this time engaged in maintenance and clean up of vehicles. Parts were virtually unobtainable, resulting in a number of tanks being actually nonoperational.
All three regiments were contacted prior to 0600 and reports revealed that there had been some light enemy patrol activity in the sector of the 12th Infantry which was defending on the left (north) portion of the Division zone of action. The usual small amounts of artillery fire had been received during the night but shortly after first light (0630) approximately 40 rounds of artillery of an estimated 150 or 170 mm fell in the 1st Battalion sector.
The towns of Berdof, Lauterborn, Alttier, Osweiler and Dickweiler received heavy artillery preparations but the largest concentration fell in the town of Echternach. This heavy fire continued for several hours and was directed accurately in the immediate vicinities of the command posts which resulted in the complete loss of wire communication to all units below battalion level. Shortly after 0900, the enemy began to penetrate our forward positions with strong reconnaissance forces and later stronger formations of infantry. Three notable efforts were evidenced in the early hours in the vicinities of Berdorf, Echternach and the towns of Osweiler and Dickweiler. Reports covering this early period, because of the lack of wire communication and the initial failure of radios, were few and the situation remained obscure for several hours, and only in the late afternoon was the situation beginning to clear. Company I was reported as being surrounded in Dickweiler.
At 1100, an alert order was issued to tank companies of the 70th Tank Battalion and initially some elements were ordered to move to the 12th Infantry Regimental CP. By the time this supporting armor had reached forward battalion areas, Company F, 12th Infantry, had been completely surrounded in Berdorf and plans were being formulated to rescue them by mounting Company B, 12th Infantry, on the tanks. A fire fight ensued on the southern outskirts of the town and this continued until dark with a small measure of success as the enemy was driven out of part of the town but contact with Company F had not been restored.
Concurrent with this attempt, similar operations were started to drive through to Company E which had been encircled in Echternach and Company G which was reported isolated in Lauterborn. Company A, 12th Infantry, mounted on light tanks reached Lauterborn after a light skirmish and the Company G supply route was opened. Strong resistance was met 500 yards northeast of Lauterborn. The enemy was driven back but darkness quickly set in and forced the conclusion of this effort.
In the interim, the town of Osweiler continued to be occupied by Company L and Dickweiler by Company I. Elements of Company K mounted on tanks of the 70th Tank Battalion broke into Osweiler first and then Dickweiler just in time to frustrate an enemy attack. Thereafter Companies I and L and this small task force were isolated due to an enemy penetration moving to the southwest against Herborn shortly after dark.
At the close of the day, plans were being made to reinforce the regiment on 17 December and to resume efforts to reestablish contact with all units.
The 8th Infantry Regiment continued outposting its positions to the right of the 12th Infantry's zone of action. Little enemy activity was noted, except for 160 rounds of artillery fire at 1930 hours. All units were alerted for a possible enemy thrust.
The 22nd Infantry Regiment continued to maintain its positions and reported no enemy activity. During the early afternoon, the 2nd Battalion was furnished transportation and alerted to be prepared to move motorized upon one hour's notice for the zone of action of the 12th Infantry.
17 December 1944 - D+195
Due to a drastic change in the tactical situation, notice was received from higher HQ that all passes would be suspended indefinitely.
The great German counteroffensive continued with the full weight of the 212 VolksGrenadier Division being thrown against the 12th Infantry. The dogged determination of the Combat Team and all supporting units was the greatest contributing factor in saving the City of Luxembourg and its many important installations, both political (Radio Luxembourg) and military (HQ XII Army Group) from being overrun by the enemy. During the day, the enemy was able to extend its advance on Berdorf to the southwest as far as Mullerthal, and from Echternach southwest as far as Scheidgen, but its third penetration in the Osweiler-Dickweiler area was checked and heavy losses inflicted upon him.
The 12th Infantry resumed operations at an early hour to contact all isolated elements and to reestablish former outpost lines. All troops held in spite of mass German infiltrations up to battalion strength, as deep into our lines as four kilometers. All units, however small, continued to stave off the enemy and harass him to the limit of their capacity.
During the night 16-17 December, patrol efforts to reach Companies E (Echternach), F (Berdorf) and I (Dickweiler) had failed. All communications with the 3rd Battalion's garrison in Osweiler and Dickweiler and also the three tanks were completely cut off.
Elements of Company B reinforced by two tank platoons resumed their counterattack on Berdorf. The attack was pushed and the medium tanks drove into the town, firing at enemy in the buildings. The leading tank fired several rounds into a large hotel which had formerly been the CP of Company F when suddenly one tank commander noted a large American flag being unfurled on the roof. At least sixty soldiers still occupied the hotel. The counterattack through the balance of the town was resumed but the enemy attacked with bazookas and knocked out one tank. With darkness beginning to set in, the position was consolidated and heavy artillery, mortar and rocket concentrations continued upon our forces throughout the night.
In the interim, Companies A and G consolidated their positions in Lauterborn to the soutwest of Echternach and were unable to effect contact with Company E which continued to hold out against tremendous odds in the heart of Echternach. The enemy had established outposts on the ridges surrounding our positions in Lauterborn and laid down continuous mortar and artillery barrages.
Meanwhile the 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry had moved in the early morning to an assembly area in the vicinity of Bech and, supported by Company A of the 12th Tank Battalion (9th Armored Division), advanced in the direction of Osweiler. Contact was established with Companies I and L. Company C of the 12th Infantry, in greatly reduced strength, had pushed from the vicinity of Herborn and had nearly succeeded in closing the Osweiler-Dickweiler area prior to dark. It halted and consolidated its positions on favorable terrain to the south of the two towns, which aided materially in the attempt to stabilize our lines.
On the extreme left of the 12th Infantry's zone of action, the enemy advance from Berdorf up the Schwaise-Ernz River valley had been anticipated by the Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division. The 4th Engineer Combat Battalion with the 4th Reconnaissance Troop attached was ordered into the line on the high ground immediately to the south of Mullerthal. A task force under the command of Colonel James S. Luckett was constituted with these units plus the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Infantry Regiment and Companies A and C of 70th Tank Battalion. The enemy moved up the draw toward Mullerthal where they were engaged by reconnaissance elements of the 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion after which they turned to the west and were engaged by the 60th Armored Infantry Battalion (9th Armored Division).
Late in the afternoon, enemy were noted approaching Consdorf along a drive northwest of the town. A handful of infantrymen and the tank from Company C were quickly thrown in to stem the tide. At dusk, after considerable firing, the attack subsided.
Against CT 8 and CT 22, the enemy remained on the defensive east of the Sauer and Moselle rivers.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) I heard from my son today via email. He is with G troop, 10th Cav. His email was short and sweet, as always. Afraid to say too much except that he was there in the inner cordon and got to see it all. I am so proud of him and all the troops that are over there. I sit here in tears thinking of the sweet boy that went to Iraq at the ripe old age of 18 and the brave young man who will be coming home at the age of 19. As I tucked in his little brother of 7 the other night , I told him that today is an important day in history that you will be reading about in your high school history book and you can tell them that your brother was there and a part of it.
2) I e-mailed my son and asked him if Santa came to him in Iraq (if he received his Christmas presents from me). The following is part of his response: . . . Santa came to me and some kids in Iraq. I gave the paddle balls and some candy to some kids on my mission this morning. They thought it was the greatest thing in the world. Being here sure makes you realize what Christmas is all about. Watching the kids playing with the paddle balls and laughing and thinking about how things must have been here one year ago really makes me feel good about what we are doing here. . . . My son with whith the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Carson, CO
3) This one is too good not to read - from a new subscriber to our update service: There has been a great deal of commentary about Saddam's limited abilities as a military and political leader. And there has been some mention of his folly in attempting to kill the senior Bush. If there is one lesson that history has taught in Saddam's neighborhood and elsewhere, it is that you do not cut down the head of a powerful family without accounting for the sons in ascendency. I believe the Romans had a proverb that addresses this issue. Noli me tangere. In English, it translates today as, "Don't mess with Texas."
4) From a 4ID Vietnam vet: Bob - Yesterday (Sunday) will certainly go down as front page news in the 4th's history book. You and I served in virtual anonymity with the Fourth in the Central Highlands, while those units closer to the big cities, and the press, got the PR. It is now heart warming to see the Ivy, now Ironhorse, soldiers
getting the attention they so aptly deserve. I am also proud to report that Col. Jim Hickey, 1st Bde CO, is a 1982 graduate of my alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute. My Christmas wish now is that these events will aid in the safe return to the world of our troops now stationed there. Keep up the good work!!
5) From a Vietnam helicopter pilot who supported 173rd Airborne in Vietnam: Bob, Congrats. Great day for the 4th and all Americans. Can you imagine being at the scene and seeing that scurvy rat crawl out of his hole. Disappointing, thought he might fight it out.
6) (This note was sent to me on Sunday, just now getting to it)....I feel so honored to be a part of the 4ID family. My youngest son woke me up around 3 am this morning and wouldn't be consoled. I decided to see what was going on in the world, while I tried to get him back to sleep. Nothing much, just something about Michael Jackson. Then breaking news! I thought, maybe they captured Saddam. Imagine my surprise when I heard that they thought they had done just that? I waited until 5:15 am (mt) to hear the confirmation and when I did, I just cried. What a great day for all of us. My husband got a chance to call me this afternoon. He is in Tarmaiya with the 1/68 AR, and he was very excited, but that it all felt so surreal. He said that the night before, he had a dream that they had caught him. Again, I am so happy to be a part of this great big family.
7) Just wanted to add my sentiments.....HOAH! My son called me at 3AM Sunday morning to tell me the good news! He is also with the 4th ID and said that he wanted me to be one of the first in the US to know....of course I couldn't go back to sleep. His sisters called me later in the morning to tell me "we" had captured Saddam, I told them, I already knew that their brother had already called...and they were happy and sad they didn't get to talk to him. My granddaughter who is 4 was told that "Uncle XXXX" had caught the bad guys and she asked "did they catch him with a net? And can he come home now?". I wish it could happen that way!
8) As I was reading your update today I was remembering words of those in the past few months that were saying, "Why don't they just bring our soldiers home." Many people, including myself, were frustrated by all of the attacks on our soldiers. Hundreds have died because of this war. I, too, questioned from time to time why we were still over there - especially during the month of November when we seemed to be losing soldiers right and left. I just wanted my husband to come home. Thank God President Bush didn't give up and pull our men and women out. He stuck in there and believed in what he knew and felt (in spite of what the press always tries to put out). Our great men and women of 4th ID have accomplished a mission, a big mission! Congratulations to all of the 4th Infantry Division.....
9) From a French woman who was liberated by the 4ID in France in 1944: Hip Hip Hip Hurrah ! I am so happy it was the 4th who captured Saddam. I am sure you will have a celebration for this bright action. Bravo to you all. We now hope terrorist attacks will stop in Iraq. God bless you.
10) To the lady who has no one in her family in the active military...Your words brought tears to my eyes and it made me fill with pride for my husband, his unit (the heroic 4th ID), my country and yes, even myself. As a wife of a soldier some days are better than others caring for our 3 young children without him, but knowing the impact he is making in the world for the better makes it worth it and to see your appreciation for all he does gives me the strengh for yet another day without the love of my life and my children's Daddy!! Thank you for your kind words of support!!! God bless all families in the wonderful USA!!
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