Some History
First of all, the current blog photo of me and the old Death Dealer. All of you Molly Hatchet fans will recognize this Frank Frazetta piece from the self-titled Molly Hatchet album. Frank called him the Death Dealer, but the Army’s III Corps from Ft. Hood have a different take. III Corps is also known as the Phantom Corps, so they cut a deal will ‘ol Frank to use the likeness and he is known now as the Phantom Warrior. Why they dragged this largish lump of metal all the way to Baghdad to take up residence in Al Faw Palace is beyond my ken. But it is pretty cool.
For some local history on this side of the ocean, I accompanied a group of fellow officers on a tour of Zawra Park, located nearby here in the International Zone. This is the home of the famous crossed swords arches seen so often early in the war. In fact, the park and its surrounds were a primary objective of the famed Thunder Run of the 3rd Infantry Division in 2003.
The arches are known as the Swords of Qadisiyyah, also referred to in Iraq as the Hands of Victory. The artist used castings of Saddam Hussein’s forearms and hands as the model. Between the two arches is a large parade field, surrounded by what once was a lush park. Central to the parade field is a large viewing stand which housed kitchens to serve guests and private rooms for Saddam. The facility was built to celebrate Iraq’s self-
declared victory over Iran in their long and bloody conflict.
The place was gutted by looters after the US invasion and is now a desolate and crumbling shadow of its former glory. It is adjacent to Iraq’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and former Presidential Palace, thus a special place for the people of Iraq that can hopefully be restored someday.
First of all, the current blog photo of me and the old Death Dealer. All of you Molly Hatchet fans will recognize this Frank Frazetta piece from the self-titled Molly Hatchet album. Frank called him the Death Dealer, but the Army’s III Corps from Ft. Hood have a different take. III Corps is also known as the Phantom Corps, so they cut a deal will ‘ol Frank to use the likeness and he is known now as the Phantom Warrior. Why they dragged this largish lump of metal all the way to Baghdad to take up residence in Al Faw Palace is beyond my ken. But it is pretty cool.
For some local history on this side of the ocean, I accompanied a group of fellow officers on a tour of Zawra Park, located nearby here in the International Zone. This is the home of the famous crossed swords arches seen so often early in the war. In fact, the park and its surrounds were a primary objective of the famed Thunder Run of the 3rd Infantry Division in 2003.
The arches are known as the Swords of Qadisiyyah, also referred to in Iraq as the Hands of Victory. The artist used castings of Saddam Hussein’s forearms and hands as the model. Between the two arches is a large parade field, surrounded by what once was a lush park. Central to the parade field is a large viewing stand which housed kitchens to serve guests and private rooms for Saddam. The facility was built to celebrate Iraq’s self-
declared victory over Iran in their long and bloody conflict.The place was gutted by looters after the US invasion and is now a desolate and crumbling shadow of its former glory. It is adjacent to Iraq’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and former Presidential Palace, thus a special place for the people of Iraq that can hopefully be restored someday.
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