A crying shame

[Wingnut]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- You are U.S. Army Spec. Brad Young and you drive a tank. Before you sits a nearly pristine 1955 Chevy Bel Air -- maybe a handful of miles on the odometer -- straight from deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's garage.

 

You get the order: Destroy that Chevy. Young, a 24-year-old trooper from Clinton, Utah, follows orders. He runs over the car with his tank. In 5 seconds, the '55 Chevy is scrap, he recalls Tuesday.

 

Young's order came earlier this week after U.S. troops found what were believed to be Hussein's collection of dozens of cars, some, like the Chevy, American classics. A number of the cars may have belonged to other ranking members of Hussein's now-defunct regime, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

 

U.S. troops at a palace complex in Baghdad said they began destroying some of the cars because so many people have tried to take them.

 

U.S. military officials say they fear the cars could be used as suicide bombs or to create dangerous roadblocks.

 

Destroying the cars has proven more painful for the U.S. troops than for the people who wanted to take them.

 

"I love cars. It was so hard to see a Bel Air destroyed," said Pfc. Raul Carbajal, 20, of Chicago. "It was painful."

 

Hussein's palace complex near the Tigris River included two garages with about 60 cars, U.S. officials said. Among the cars: a 1917 Mercedes, a Packard from the 1930s, a V8 Woody, a 1970s Cadillac Fleetwood, a 1958 Ford and the 1955 Chevrolet.

 

Looters "went straight for the garage," said Army Sgt. Quincy Oree, 26, of Columbia, S.C. "They knew exactly where they were."

 

The looters got away with about 20 vehicles, Oree said.

 

Officials say they believe that some of the cars belonged to former Iraqi leaders, while Hussein purchased others as a hobby. Besides cars, the garages held golf carts and gasoline-powered buggies that were perhaps used to ride through the complex.

 

When the troops arrived at the complex a week ago, many of the cars had been set up as road barricades inside the complex, military officials said.

 

U.S. troops said Hussein's cars had not seen much use. Nearly all had fewer than 1,000 miles on them; none had much gas, and all had a key in the ignition. Many had dust on the outside. But inside, the cars were immaculate, Oree said.

 

Some of the looters grabbed the keys and left, returning later for the car, said Sgt. Paul Harris, 25, of Austin, Texas.

 

"Men in ratty clothes would come to the gate and say 'I am here to pick up my Mercedes,' " Harris said. "They would wave the key at us."

 

One man tried to drive a Rolls-Royce out of the complex, but it ran out of gas. Then the man wrapped a sheet around the bumper and tried to pull it out. He failed.

 

Most often, the troops said, residents approached them and asked for a car. The cars were requested more than computers, televisions, telephones, food and water, Oree said.

 

The cars were among the few things the U.S. troops have been destroying. They have been trying to keep as many things as possible intact to hand over to the new government.

 

For the article: Detroit Free Press

[MCourson]

 But I could imagine being at a concours having a car and being able to say. "Yea its a one owner car, the owner was Saddam"

[The SPEEDY]

That sux, but I guess they have to do it.

[95whtZR2]

Saddam is/was a sneaky little bastard, trying to turn our troops against us buy putting American Classic automibles in prestine condition where we would have to destroy them... Where are the human shields when you need them    

 

 

 

Tom