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From tyranny to ruins: Camp Slayer tour reconnects Soldiers with recent history
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Sergeant 1st Class John Anderson (left) and Maj. Consuellos Hodges of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force 49 take pictures Aug. 16 of the remains of Uday Hussein’s house during a tour of Camp Slayer
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – The sun spills through broken windows and illuminates the remains of Saddam Hussein’s reign of decadence. Large holes and destroyed foundations demonstrate the power of American weaponry. In the destruction, broken glass and eerie silence of these buildings, there is an undeniable history that links America and Iraq.
On August 16, members of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force 49 ventured to Camp Slayer to learn about this history as a part of the Chaplain-led “Lessons Learned in a State of Tyranny” tour. The Soldiers had the opportunity to walk through the destroyed buildings that once touted Hussein’s power and control.
“I was impressed at the massive structures, but at the same time, saddened at what it took to build them - how the Iraqi people suffered so he could have his luxuries,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Anderson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force 49.
“Walking through all that destruction was like looking at some ancient ruin; it's hard to believe that just six years ago that was all standing – a thriving building. Now it's just in ruins,” said Anderson.
Soldiers witnessed the remains of Uday Hussein’s house, looking to the sky through a massive hole in the center of the roof created during the initial attack of Iraq.
The tour also visited the Victory Over America Palace, which was not quite complete before the initial airstrikes halted construction. At each stop, the Soldiers gathered what seemed to be an endless supply of information from the tour guide, Sgt. James Lee, of the 2145th Garrison Support Unit.
The final site of the tour was the Ba’ath Conference Center; the location of the first shots fired in the war in Iraq. The building remains as it did the day it was attacked. Ceilings are falling, glass is everywhere, and broken stone covers every path. The site’s history is truly disturbing, but the Soldiers absorbed all the information about the site with a keen interest.
“I thought the tour was a lot of fun and very educational,” Spc. Sabrina Dasilva, HHC, Task Force 49 said. “The most interesting part for me was the Ba’ath house, because they had a swimming pool and used it for killing instead of swimming; also, the fact that in the middle of the building you could go fishing.”
The tour lasted for just the morning, but the images will likely stay with the Soldiers for some time.
The tour of Camp Slayer runs every Sunday. Soldiers interested in participating meet at the Camp Striker PX parking lot at 12:45. Tour participants are asked to bring their own transportation and beverages.
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