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BS6's Dude
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From the Fayetteville Observer at:
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=6069552
Rumsfeld calls on Bragg, Pope
Staff photo by Steve Hebert
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addresses the media Thursday at Pope Air Force Base.
By Kevin Maurer
Staff writer
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that special operations soldiers played a key role in the capture of Saddam Hussein.
Rumsfeld visited Fort Bragg to watch paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division train and stopped by Pope Air Force Base for a graduation ceremony.
The secretary would not elaborate on the role of Fort Bragg special operations forces in the capture of Saddam.
''I can tell you that special operations folks were important in the capture of Saddam Hussein. I cannot say they were from Fort Bragg. But, there is no question the 4th Infantry Division working closely with special operators were the ones that executed the operation," Rumsfeld said.
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is based at Fort Bragg.
Rumsfeld said soldiers collected intelligence over several months. ''It was a terrific piece of work over a sustained period of time," he said.
When the soldiers received the final piece of information, they completed the mission in two hours.
Rumsfeld said Saddam will be placed on trial.
''He is going to be around for a period of time so that the world can see the examples of the kind of of the horrors he imposed on the Iraqi people," Rumsfeld said.
The secretary arrived at Pope in the afternoon and was the guest speaker at the Combat Control School graduation.
The school trains combat controllers, who parachute into remote locations, set up drop zones and provide air-traffic control on the battlefield. The controllers also can coordinate airstrikes.
Graduation ceremony
Eighteen airmen graduated Thursday, and about 230 airmen and their families attended. The secretary's speech lasted 10 minutes. He praised the combat controllers for their work in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rumsfeld received two standing ovations during the speech.
''It was goose bumps everywhere," said Thomas Lindow, a video production specialist for Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.
Rumsfeld didn't stop to eat during the luncheon.
''He went to each and every table and introduced himself to the graduates and their families," Lindow said.
Rumsfeld on Thursday watched paratroopers from the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment take part in a live-fire training exercise.
Rumsfeld held a brief news conference at the passenger terminal at Pope before leaving. Keeping the mood light, Rumsfeld said he would only take ''a few thoughtful, intelligent, insightful" questions.
He said the controllers are playing an important role in the war on terrorism.
''We have precision weapons, and we also have precision human beings," he said. ''These people are so well trained and so courageous and skillful that they literally make a great difference in the execution of the kinds conflicts we have been in and are likely to be in."
Rumsfeld said combat controllers called in 85 percent of the airstrikes during the war in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld said he lived in Elizabeth City during the 1940s.
''This state is a state that is hospitable to the U.S. military," Rumsfeld said before boarding the plane to Washington, D.C.
Staff writer Kevin Maurer can be reached at maurerk@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3587.
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