BENJAMIN LOWY/CORBIS FOR TIME

SCUD ALERT: Officers of the 101st, in biochem gear, rush to check on their troops

Armed with Their Teeth
	Jim Lacey describes the scene as the 101st Airborne greets the Iraqi locals
	By Jim Lacey | Najaf

Posted Sunday, April 6, 2003; 1:32 p.m. EST
It may have been the most unusual directive of Gulf War II. "Soldiers of 2nd Battalion," ordered Lieut. Colonel Chris Hughes. "Smile!" With that, infantrymen of the 101st Airborne Division, armed to the teeth, began flashing their choppers at a crowd that had grown restless as the soldiers approached the mosque at the Tomb of Ali in Najaf, one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites. The tactic helped win over a crowd that had more questions than answers. Were the soldiers going to storm the mosque, as some agitators were shouting? Were they liberators? Or conquerors? Were they really going to kill Saddam Hussein this time?

Najaf's civilians watched with hope and concern last week as the 101st made repeated incursions into the city, rooting out the remnants of regular and irregular Iraqi forces. After four days of cautiously advancing—sometimes fighting house to house, sometimes guided by civilians who pointed out the positions of Saddam's men—the Division's 1st Brigade gained control of the area on Wednesday. The following day Najaf had the feel of a liberated city. Smiling citizens crowded every street around the American positions. There was a constant stream of people willing to give information and loudly condemn Saddam. American soldiers who a day before had been in close combat were now basking in the cheers and applause, their arms tired from returning friendly waves.

There were women and children in the crowds, but only the men did any talking. They would say the word Saddam and spit. Or run up to U.S. soldiers and shout "George Bush good." Said Sergeant Reuben Rivera: "The American people, particularly the movie stars against us being here, need to see this. These people need us. Look how happy they are." The locals at last seemed convinced that Saddam could not reach back and hurt them, as had happened after Gulf War I. "All they ask is, When will the Americans kill Saddam?" said a Kuwaiti translator traveling with the 101st. "They say it over and over, as if I did not hear them. I tell them that the Americans will kill him and not to worry."

But the euphoria was almost lost over the mosque incident. It began when the local imam, who had spent 20 years under house arrest until the city fell and his captors fled, asked American soldiers to protect him and the mosque. He neglected to explain this, however, to the crowds outside. As the soldiers of Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, who had formed a tight perimeter on the street, began heading toward the mosque, citizens started shouting and moving forward. With rabble rousers (later identified by Iraqis as Baath Party members) shouting, "The Americans are storming the mosque," the crowd began to chant and shake their fists. That's when Hughes made his move. Grabbing a microphone he calmly announced over a loudspeaker, "Second Battalion soldiers, take a knee and point your weapons at the ground." Seconds later every one of the men was on a knee, and not a single weapon was pointing at the crowd. Then he gave the smile order.

It worked. Hughes kept his men like that for about five minutes and then returned to the microphone. "Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, we are going to stand up and then walk slowly back to base. You will not point any guns at the crowd, and you will smile at everyone." A minute later the Smilin' Second was walking away from the mosque, and the Iraqis began intermingling with them, patting them on the back and giving them thumbs-up signs again.

	All they ask is, When will the Americans kill Saddam? — Kuwaiti translator with the 101st

By midday, however, citizens began to raise more pressing concerns. People stopped praising Bush and began asking for water. The brigade brought in 1,000 gallons, but that wasn't enough to meet the need. U.S. military engineers, meanwhile, set to work to restore power and the water supply. But the people still seemed overjoyed, if thirsty. The biggest problem U.S. soldiers faced was keeping the crowds away from them as they tried to patrol the streets.

The Americans were further encouraged when a group of local Shi'ites said they wanted to join the fight against Saddam. Both sides agreed to convene at the city center, and tanks were sent to secure the area. The site, it turned out, was dwarfed by a giant statue of Saddam on horseback. Lieut. Colonel Ben Hodges, the brigade commander, got an idea. After confirming that the statue really was of Saddam, he had engineers wrap the base with explosives. Then he waited.

A few hours later about 30 Shi'ite fighters arrived. They were wearing new military vests and carrying Russian-made weapons. Not an army, said a special-forces soldier, though he added, "It's a start. Tomorrow we will have 10 times this number." The Shi'ite leader, who did not wish to be identified, was beaming as he approached the U.S. troops. He told the soldiers how he hated Saddam and how all the people in Najaf hated Saddam. He went to great pains to make clear that his was a self-financed outfit, independent of the U.S. army. Asked the name of his group, he replied, "The Coalition for Iraqi National Unity." U.S. commanders tried to tell him which sectors his men should avoid, fearing cases of mistaken identity. But it became apparent that the leader was in no mood to discuss technical details, and was more interested in making sure everyone understood that there was now an uprising against Saddam—and that he was leading it.

The Shi'ite leader accepted the honor of detonating the explosives ringing Saddam's statue. With a thunderous blast Najaf's most visible symbol of Saddam's regime toppled in a heap of twisted metal. People ran from the side streets cheering and climbing over the wreckage, enjoying the giddiness of the moment. One Iraqi approached Brigadier General Benjamin Freakley, assistant commander of the 101st Airborne. "Kill Saddam," he said, and spat on the ground. Then he added, "Now we can have satellite TV."

	Premium Content

	The Reckoning Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein By Sandra Mackey Barnes & Noble: $22.36 The Threatening Storm The Case for Invading Iraq By Kenneth M. Pollack Barnes & Noble: $20.76