Posted on 10/01/2006 1:00:10 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — When U.S. led forces attacked Iraq in 2003, Haythem was an Iraqi officer in the regular Army.
Assigned to an air defense artillery unit that had old equipment from the former Soviet Union, the Iraqi knew he and his men had no chance of doing any harm to the newer, more sophisticated air power the United States and its allies were unleashing in the skies over his homeland. An American pilot flew over the site indicating he was going to release his munitions but was willing to give the Iraqi conscripts a chance to flee, Haythem said.
“I told my men to go, to leave, go home,” he said. “I told them I would take responsibility.”
Like many in the regular Army, he and those of his soldiers knew Iraq would not win. Even the much vaunted Republican Guard would fail.
It’s not that Haythem and the enlisted soldiers of the army did not love their country. They did not receive the best equipment and training, which was reserved for former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s crack troops of the Republican Guard. And they were realists.
Change was coming and still is. The 32-year-old captain said democracy has taken hold and it will not go away, even with the continuing problems in his native land.
Describing his life now compared to when he was an enlisted soldier and officer in Saddam’s military as a “difference between paradise and hell,” Haythem said under the old regime he did not have any family connections or money to pay people to help him.
His family had a “black mark” against them for not being a supporter of Saddam. And he wasn’t related to the dictator’s family, which led to lower assignments.
He was allowed to attend the Iraqi Military Academy, where he said he did well academically. But he was still relegated to the regular Army.
Destruction and rebirth
According to news reports and other historical sources, during the first U.S. and coalition forces war with Iraq in 1991, regular Iraqi army troops were used as cannon fodder, while the Republican Guard units, which suffered major attacks, were held back from the forward battle lines.
Haythem did not serve during the 1991 conflict, but he noted his nation has suffered major casualties, especially during the war with Iran from 1980 to 1988, when more than a million military personnel and civilians from both sides were killed. The 1991 war cost more lives. And when it was over, Saddam attacked Iraqis, especially Kurds in the north, with thousands dying.
The 2003 conflict continued the destruction of Iraq, and now the country is in bad shape.
The captain said there is a saying in Iraq that while it may take a year to build something, it only takes a minute to destroy it.
Saddam was in control for 35 years. During that time he destroyed the nation’s infrastructure and harmed the Iraqi people, Haythem said.
Based on the Iraqi saying, it will take a long time to rebuild the Iraqi society, the captain said.
To him, the fall of Saddam and rebuilding of Iraq as a democracy is being made possible by the United States.
Taking himself as an example, Haythem said he has a new opportunity to serve his nation.
The United States, in effect, resurrected him.
“They created me again,” he said.
Sitting at a conference table in the office of the commander of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, Haythem was animated, using his hands to punctuate his views.
His uniform was crisp. Three gold stars were seen on each of his shoulders. The stars weren’t that of an American lieutenant general, but of an Iraqi captain — one exuding the confidence of a growing junior officer.
‘You need to go
into intelligence’
The end of the main portion fighting in 2003 opened the door to him.
Without going into detail, Haythem said he served with some American units when the mission turned to nation building.
Saying he was shocked at the opportunities he was given, the captain said such things would never have been done during Saddam’s regime
The captain said some Americans saw his potential as an intelligence officer.
“They told me, ‘You need to go into intelligence,’ ” Haythem said.
Haythem smiles easily. His English is clear, and he credits his six months of English immersion classes at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, before coming to the Intelligence Center as the reason why.
He has been at Fort Huachuca slightly more than four months. Upon graduation from the course for international officers, he will have about six additional weeks of special training before heading back to Iraq, where he will once again see his wife and children.
When he goes home, the captain sees his role as being to help find the terrorists who are trying to take over Iraq, which he said is something the Iraqis on the street do not want.
Americans do not understand that Iraqis are tired of fighting, and the majority do not support the insurgents and terrorists, he said. Those leading the trouble-making groups are mostly non-Iraqis.
“They need to go,” Haythem said.
But decades of being beaten down by Saddam and his supporters has taken a toll on Iraqis, the captain said.
Under Saddam the people were controlled by his special forces and intelligence services. Convincing Iraqis the new military will not do the same will take time, Haythem said.
He bristles, though, at reports the new Iraqi military will not fight, noting many have died when trying to enlist, being blown up by bombs.
‘I want to be a model’
Seeing how the American military works, including how junior officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted soldiers come together, is something he will take back with him.
“I want to be a model,” Haythem said of when he returns to Iraq.
Those experiences have been seen by him in Iraq, at English language training in Texas and now at Fort Huachuca. The training includes taking part in American cultural, from relaxation to politics.
Haythem and other international officers at Intelligence Center have been to the Sierra Vista City Council meetings and other events to see how democracy works in the United States.
The 304th’s commander, Lt. Col. Ed Riehle, said it is a two-way street at the Intelligence Center. International and American officers learn from each other.
Many of the officers, Americans and others who train at the center will meet in future years. The team building done at the fort will come into play in future international situations, Riehle said.
The free exchanges during the classes are one of the center’s strengths because it helps eliminate stereotypical thoughts about nations and people, he added.
Haythem said some officers from Muslim nations learn about Iraq from him, and he about their countries.
If there is anything that excites the captain, it is how Iraqis have stood up to be counted, literally, when it came to three elections in 2005.
Millions of Iraqis went to the polls in those elections in which a temporary government was formed, a constitution adopted and a new government voted into office, he said.
“It took longer for that to happen in the United States,” the captain said commenting on America’s Revolutionary War period.
At the Intelligence Center, Haythem is learning that the duty of an Army is to protect the citizens of its country and not to abuse them.
“That is something I will teach my soldiers,” he said.
His face took on a somber countenance a couple of times during the interview.
“My heart and mind is there,” the captain said.
His thoughts also are with the families, Iraqis, Americans and others, who have had loved ones killed or wounded “bringing freedom to my country.”
Not enough can be said of the sacrifice the dead and wounded have made, Haythem.
“We (Iraqis) believe in God,” he said.
That belief is a reassurance for those still on Earth, he said.
Those who have died fighting for Iraq’s liberty are watching from heaven, Haythem said as he pointed skyward.
“God has a good home for them,” he said.
HERALD/REVIEW senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
BUMP
Great article. I'm sure it will be on page 469 of the New York Slimes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.