Ensign describes excitement of Iraqis, U.S. soldiers

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Ensign knew his first trip to Iraq would be memorable, but he wound up being there when history was made with the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Ensign, R-Nev., who returned to Washington from Iraq on Monday, said he believes Iraq should be in charge of Saddam's trial and that "if anyone ever deserved the death penalty, it would be him."

Ensign learned about the capture before the general public knew, but he was prohibited from saying anything until U.S. officials in Iraq made the official announcement. He said it wasn't difficult keeping the secret since the eight-hour time difference made it too early in the morning to call anyone back home anyway.

That didn't dampen the excitement though. In fact, there was probably more excitement where Ensign was.

"It was phenomenal to share this with the people over there," Ensign said.

His duties with the Senate Armed Services Committee had taken him to Iraq. Ensign was eating lunch in Baghdad on Sunday with soldiers from Nevada when an aide to L. Paul Bremer, the administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, whispered into his ear the news of the capture.

"He said it was confirmed but that I couldn't share it publicly yet," Ensign said Monday. "But I was allowed to share it with the others at the table. When I did, there was extreme excitement."

Before hearing the news, Ensign had met with Bremer and Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military officer in Iraq, to get an update on what the troops are doing there.

Ensign said he had a "very difficult but rewarding" visit to a military hospital in Baghdad where he visited with wounded soldiers.

He said he saw a man with his face almost completely burned from fire and two women recovering from a bomb explosion, one with shrapnel in her leg and the other recuperating from surgery to relieve pressure on her skull.

"I prayed with them and shared the news," he said. "Tears flowed from their eyes. I am not ashamed to say I was choked up myself."

His worst moment, he said, was sitting with a soldier whose wife, also in the military, died from injuries she sustained while disarming a bomb earlier that day.

Staff Sgt. Kimberly A. Voelz, 27, of Carlisle, Pa., was killed Sunday in Iskandariyah, Iraq. She was assigned to the 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment based in Fort Knox, Ky.

Ensign also said his helicopter ride to Tikrit, about 125 miles north of Baghdad, "was quite an experience" since gunfire from the celebrating Iraqis on the ground was not far from the helicopter.

"I've ridden in several military helicopters but not in that fashion before," Ensign said.

He said he had a "hint of nerves" on his way back to Baghdad since the helicopter was now flying in the pitch black night except for a few explosions on the ground and continued celebratory fire.

In Tikrit, he met with Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division that carried out the raid on the farmhouse where Hussein was hiding in a hole.

Odierno told Ensign what had happened since Ensign was the only senator in the country at the time. Odierno showed Ensign the now famous photos of the bearded-Hussein and the hole where they found him.

"Reality set it," Ensign said. "The joy of the 4th Infantry was amazing. They were walking 10 feet off the ground. It was amazing to share that with them."

The capture is a big boost to troops still in Iraq, although there is still a lot of work to do, Ensign said. But now the Iraqi people know "he now is not coming back to power."

Overall, Ensign said, the situation in Iraq is "so much better than what you watch on television or read in the newspapers nationally."

He said schools are open and have desks and blackboards, many for the first time.

"The country is really coming around," he said. "For the most part, the country is so much better than what it was."

Ensign said he still wishes the $20 billion reconstruction fund of the $87 billion war supplemental funding was a loan to Iraq and not a grant "but it's absolutely worth it for the future of our country."

"I couldn't be prouder as an American to see what our troops are doing over there," Ensign said. "They take risks that they don't need to take because they want to help the people over there."

He said some service members walk through Iraqi neighborhoods to meet with people and to find the areas of the greatest need. The risk and service there is not just for military reasons, Ensign said.

Ensign traveled to Iraq from Jordan where he met with King Abdullah on Saturday. The two discussed the king's visit with President Bush earlier this month.

"I think (the king of Jordan) is going to be helpful in understanding the insurgency and how to overcome it," Ensign said.

The senator said he would go back to Iraq if needed, but had no other trips to Iraq scheduled at this point.