KALAT

Story by Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey, 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE, Tikrit, Iraq - When he was forced to fashion statues of Saddam Hussein on horseback, the Iraqi sculptor had no idea that someday he would melt them down to create a memorial for American soldiers.

The two original statues, which adorned a gate at the palace complex where 4th ID's headquarters group is located were removed with explosives in early July, said 1st Sgt. Mark Anderson, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company first sergeant and Roseland, La. native. Anderson has monitored the memorial project's progress since the end of July.

The toppled statues were cut up into pieces by members of the 555th Engineer Group and spirited quietly to the artist, Kalat, who reshaped the chunks of bronze into a likeness of an American soldier being comforted by a small girl as he mourns a fallen comrade.

In July, 1st Sgt. Glen Simpson, former HHC first sergeant, knelt for the picture that has become an immortal portrait in bronze, said Sgt. Maj. Chuck Fuss, the division sergeant major who resides in Killeen, Texas.

The artist, who fears retaliation from former regime loyalists for his work with the Coalition, spent several months sculpting and casting the statue. Though he created the original statues of Saddam along with another artist, he created the 4th ID memorial through his own design, said Anderson.

The sculpture is based on a scene many in Iraq have witnessed in one form or another. A soldier kneels before a memorial of boots, rifle and helmet - his forehead resting in the hollow of his hand. Behind and to his right stands a small Iraqi girl with her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

The little girl portrays, in her eyes and presence, a sympathy mixed with gratitude. She was added to remind people of why the sacrifice was made, Fuss said.

"It's about freedom for this country, but it's also about the children who will grow up in a free society," he said.

Sitting in a former palace of Saddam now, the statue will soon be shuttled to Fort Hood, where it will become part of a larger memorial project at the 4th Infantry Division Museum. There, plaques will be hung in memory of those Task Force Ironhorse soldiers who have given their lives in Iraq.

The memorial planned for the Fort Hood museum is projected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and is scheduled to be completed July 2004. It is being paid for partly through donations from soldiers of Task Force Ironhorse, said Fuss. There is also an ongoing effort by the 4th Infantry Division Association of Fort Hood to raise money from private contributors.

The cost of the new statue, which is about $18,000, was paid for through small donations from the soldiers of the 4th ID, according to Anderson.

Fuss and Anderson credited the soldiers' generosity and Simpson's vision for the lasting gift that, in the end, remembers fallen comrades.

"I think this is the best way we can honor their families and their memories," Fuss said.

"Really that's what it's for - a tribute to all the soldiers over here that lost their lives," Anderson said. "They will never be forgotten and they will always be heroes in our eyes."

(Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey is a member of the 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, an Army Reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio. He is currently deployed to Southwest Asia with the 4th Infantry Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom)