Two stranded U.S. soldiers rescued in Iraqi desert
WITH THE 75TH EXPLOITATION TASK FORCE, NORTHERN KUWAIT -- Two U.S. soldiers have been rescued by Marines after being stranded in the southern Iraqi desert for seven days.
Specialist Jeffrey Klein, 20, and Sgt. Matthew Koppi, 22, both mechanics with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, were in good spirits, if thirsty, hungry and tired, after their rescue Friday. Marines in Chinook helicopters spotted them dug into trenches in the sand.
No one was quite sure on Sunday whether or why their unit had failed to notice their absence or that of an officer's Humvee. Officers at the headquarters of the coalition's land forces said they were trying to find out what had happened.
The soldiers said they were stranded after being sent out to tow an officer's Humvee that had broken down as the division was traveling north toward Baghdad. When their own truck's clutch failed, one of their unit's staff sergeants ordered them to stay put, saying he would send for them as the convoy moved on.
As days passed, the soldiers dug trenches to defend their position, alternated night watch, and drew "SOS" in the sand. They said they gave much of their food to hungry Iraqi civilians who approached their truck.
Klein, of Independence, Ky., said suspicious white vehicles with passengers in Arab dress slowed down to get a better look but did not stop.
Fedayeen Saddam "death squads" have been cruising the roads of southern Iraq in such vehicles looking for vulnerable Americans and trying to ensure loyalty to the Baghdad government.
"Some of those rogue guys may have passed us," Klein said. "But when they saw that we were armed and really dug in, they may have been discouraged."
During the day, Koppi, of Asheville, N.C., wrote poems to his wife, who had their first child 10 days before his deployment.
After a medical checkup, the soldiers were given new uniforms, a hot meal and a full night of sleep. Meanwhile, officers sent word to their unit about their rescue and sought information about why they had been stranded.
Col. Richard McPhee, who commands the 75th Exploitation Task Force, said he was impressed with the resourcefulness and dedication of the two. "When we found them," he said, "they just kept saying that they wanted to return to their unit as soon as possible to be part of the battle."
Offering his highest accolade, he said, "Those guys are warriors."
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