T'was the Night of the Capture - Big Big Forums

DBackFan · 12-20-2003, 10:52 AM

T'was the Night of the Capture

December 14, 2003

'Twas the night of the capture, when all through the hole,
Not a creature was stirring, except for one soul;
The operation started with stealth and care,
And American forces would soon be there;

Saddam was snuggled inside his dirt bed,
With visions of recapturing power dancing in his head;
And there in a hole getting ready for a nap,
Living like vermin, Like a dirty sewer rat,

When up above there arose such a clatter,
The deposed dictator rose to see what was the matter.
Our troops had descended in such a great flash,
He grabbed his AK-47 and his $750,000 in cash,

The troops had come before he would know
Shining a flashlight beam on the dictator below,
When, what to his wandering eyes would appear,
But United States troops, and his worst fear,

He looked dirty and tattered like an old bum,
He knew at that moment his judgment day had come.
More rapid than eagles Special Forces they came,
And he threw up his hands, when they called him by name;

"Come out Now! Do not resist!
We urge you to give up, Cease and Desist!
To the top of the hole! With your hands up high!
Surrender peacefully or you will die!"

And then in his pants tinkling, confronting the truth
The United States forces would soon have their proof.
As he threw up his hands, down below the ground,
A security perimeter was set up around.

He looked unkempt and tired from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were tarnished with mud and soot;
A layer of grime now covered his back,
He looked like a bum who had just smoked crack.

His eyes--filled with tears! His dimples not merry!
His cheeks sunken in, his beard dirty and hairy!
His confident smile was now a great droop,
He was now in our custody in one fell swoop.

He was haggard and slumped, a shell of his old self,
And I laughed when I saw him on the news in spite of myself;
A Medic shining a flashlight into his eyes and twisting his head,
Soon the Iraqi people will know they have nothing to dread:

He was cooperative and spoke words, and will soon confess his evil work,
And we can rejoice in the fact that they captured this jerk,
To the critics who to this point that have held their nose,
Another terror of mankind has now been deposed:

To those who don't believe, listen to the Iraqi people shout and whistle,
Away his regime goes down like a dud SCUD missile.
Then I heard the Ambassador claim, right there in plain sight,

"American troops captured Saddam Hussein last night!"

They have our backs~~~United States Military

gemini26 · 12-20-2003, 11:03 AM

That was cool. Thanks for sharing!

VenusA423 · 12-20-2003, 11:10 AM

Awesome! Thanks!

flute · 12-20-2003, 11:33 AM

that was good I'm crying. but i';m very emotional lately.

bcjjhh · 12-20-2003, 12:31 PM

That is very cute. I would like to share with you what it is like for some of the military since the capture. My cousin backs up the 4th that captured the monster. This was written by my cousins bunk mate in their living quarters, it was sent in his divisions weekly update. It is from the 1058th based in Hingham MA

The atmosphere over here is crazy right now. There are so many mixed emotions circulating in the air that it feels like I’m in a bubble that is about to burst. One thing is for certain, though: we got him! Believe me when I say that this will eventually change everything. However, our situation at this point in time will remain the same. I’d like to try and shed some light on what this turn of events means for us right now and what it will mean in the future.

The other day I was having a conversation with one of my friends and before we knew it we were in an all out argument. I was of the belief that Saddam Hussein would never be captured. It was a very clear day and we could see the mountain ranges in the distance up towards Mosul. I made a joke about Saddam probably being in the mountains with Osama Bin Laden in some elaborate underground bunker. It’s been so long, that I had begun to lose faith that we would ever catch this ruthless dictator.

All I can say now is shame on me for thinking that way. Just two days after this argument took place we got the news. I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s faces. People’s expressions went from shock to happy, then to confused, and our heads were spinning. Within minutes we were all huddled in front of a little t.v. in a small room no bigger than a cubicle. There must have been twenty of us crammed in there. We were literally sitting on top of each other in anticipation of hearing or seeing something on the news. By now we were all smiles. We were almost certain that we had gotten Saddam.

It was indeed Saddam! I could sense the pride filling the room and all of a sudden we erupted in cheer. What a day for an American soldier in Iraq! After all this time and after all our grueling work, we had finally accomplished what we came here to do. At least that is my opinion. He had to be captured. Otherwise I don’t think this war could have ever been successful.

As you all know, even though the war is over, we are still attacked on a daily basis; not just my unit, but the armed forces as a whole. Just the other day we were driving down the highway and we had a very unsettling experience of déjà vu. The same overpass where we had been attacked over the summer was blocked off and right in the middle of the road was a huge IED. Luckily it had been spotted before it went off and traffic was being diverted on both sides of the highway. This detour led us straight through the heart of Tikrit. So there we were, five trucks strong, riding at a very slow pace through the center of the city. There were thousands of people scattered along the road and in the windows of the buildings, which were as tall as four stories high. My heart was pounding and I was nervous. What bothered me the most were the looks on the peoples’ faces: not one smile. Not one wave. Just cold stares. It was obvious that these people were not happy that we were blocking off their streets and creating a giant traffic jam.

I caution people not to believe everything they read in the papers and everything they see and hear on television because it is usually only half the story. Since the capture of Saddam, it is likely that some of the people here will turn on us. A far cry from the scenes of Iraqi people celebrating in the streets that are shown back home. The truth is that the Iraqi people are divided when it comes to this current situation. Some people are thrilled to have us here. I know it because I’ve talked to them. Others are still very anti-American and they let us know it. The most common way for them to relay their hatred for us is to run their thumbs along their necks as we drive by. It’s as if they are telling us that they would like to slit our throats. It’s not a very comforting feeling. Who knows, there could have been times when Saddam himself was part of a crowd in Tikrit as we traveled past.

My feeling is that the capture of Saddam will not change things for the better immediately. I believe the level of violence may increase over the next few weeks. We can sense people already becoming very rowdy. While on a mission that was returning from Mosul, my unit encountered a very unruly crowd demonstrating in the streets. Iraquis were throwing things at the trucks and firing weapons into the air. The unit was forced to return fire and a lot of people were hurt. None of them were Americans, but any type of violence is frowned upon here no matter who it is directed at. We’re trying to help, not hurt. All of the extremists are going to come out of the woodwork and try to hit us with everything they have, but one fact remains: Saddam is finished. Right now the violence may increase, but in the long run all of those extremists will run out of steam. Their leader is now a prisoner. The fire and confidence that used to lurk in his eyes is gone forever. Now his eyes are glassy and he looks helpless. It’s his turn to suffer. To see him such a crumbled man is an amazing fete in itself. He used to strike fear in the hearts of every Iraqi citizen, but now they can just look at him and laugh.

It will take time for the people of Iraq to fully understand what has happened, but once they do, they will rise up and become a free nation. They will have a chance to become a country where people have rights and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. After all, isn’t that what this is all about? Our purpose was to free Iraq from the rule of a violent and cruel dictator. Now that Saddam is out of the picture it will be up to the Iraqi people to search out all of his loyalists and expose them for what they are. This will take time, but with our help it will definitely be done, and after decades of oppression, Iraq will finally be free. Our goal was to give power back to the people, and the removal of Saddam was the most important step we had to take.

When I was driving today, I saw many children, as I have often seen in the streets of Tikrit. For the first time I felt confident that they might grow up free. With Saddam gone, I now believe that we can save them. It will be their generation that will transform Iraq from a dark prison into a field of dreams. These children are the future and for the first time I feel they may be able to make a difference. Let’s hope that the people of Iraq, young and old, make the best of it!

Now there’s one more thing that I’d like to make clear. The president of the United States congratulated and thanked the members of the armed services. I, in turn, would like to thank the American people. Your letters and kind words of support are the motivational driving force behind all of our success. I know I say it over and over, but I can’t stress this point enough. Without our families and friends we couldn’t get through this. You are the guiding light through the dark tunnel that we travel through on a daily basis. So I want you to know that one person didn’t accomplish this alone. We did this. All of us. As a nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. God Bless America!

DBackFan · 12-20-2003, 08:19 PM

WOW, thanks for sharing that, oh my.