101st Airborne honors fighters of Iraq sulfur fire
Army News Service
Release Date: 7/17/2003
MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, July 17, 2003) - Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) took time away from fighting the huge sulfur-plant fire in Qayyarah today to attend a memorial service for an Iraqi firefighter killed and they honored those who fought bravely during the first days of the blaze.
Firefighters and engineers from the 101st are still working to extinguish the fire that began June 26.in Qayyarah, a small city south of Mosul.
The 101st ceremony honored the division's 326th Engineer Battalion and the 938th Fire Fighting Detachment from New York who worked around the clock with bulldozers, fire trucks and other fire fighting equipment to contain the blaze.
During the ceremony, 11 soldiers gave 11 Iraqi firefighters new jumpsuits with the 101st Screaming Eagle patch sewn on. On the soldier's side, several received Army Commendation Medals for their work battling the fire.
Mayors from provinces throughout Nineveh, key leaders from the 101st and NBC Nightly News anchorman Tom Brokaw attended the ceremony.
"The fire was a great tragedy, one lost his life and several others were injured by the fire," said Maj. Gen. David Petreaus, commanding general of the 101st Abn. Div.
The response by the Iraqi firemen and U.S. soldiers says much about the relationship between coalition forces and local citizens, Petreaus said.
"U.S. soldiers, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen came together and risked their lives to extinguish this fire for the last 24 days. While we mourn the loss of a brave man, we will celebrate the work done by these two groups because it shows the work toward a new Iraq," he said.
A special fund has been set up by U.S. forces and Iraqi leaders to help families affected by the fire.
(Editor's note: Article submitted by the 101st Airborne Division.)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
