Statue Of American Soldier And Iraqi Girl In Iraq

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

This statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace,

now home to the 4th Infantry division.

It will eventually be shipped home

and put in the memorial museum in Fort Hood , TX

The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat,

who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted Baghdad .

Kalat was so grateful for the Americans liberation of his country;

he melted 3 of the heads of the fallen Saddam

and made the statue as a memorial to the American soldiers

and their fallen warriors.

Kalat worked on this memorial night and day for several months.

To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.

Do you know why we don't hear about this in the news?

Because it is heart warming and praise worthy.

The media avoids it because it does not have the shock effect.

[sevfiv]

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/kalat.asp

[nmainguy]

his statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace,

now home to the 4th Infantry division.

It will eventually be shipped home

and put in the memorial museum in Fort Hood , TX

The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat,

who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted Baghdad .

Apparently that is just a bold faced lie. The guy sculpted for cash.

Kalat was so grateful for the Americans liberation of his country;

Actually, he's pretty pissed at us for killing his uncle

he melted 3 of the heads of the fallen Saddam

Apparently the US military did the melting and delivered it to him in the darkness of night.

and made the statue as a memorial to the American soldiers

and their fallen warriors.

Again, his motive was cash.

Kalat worked on this memorial night and day for several months.

To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.

The girl-which was an after-thought by a US General-was added after the sculptor demanded an extra $10,000 cash.

Do you know why we don't hear about this in the news?

Because it's chock-full of lies and inacuracies?

Because it is heart warming and praise worthy.

The media avoids it because it does not have the shock effect.

The sentiment of the sculpture is admirable but has been tarnished by a clumsy piece of Army propaganda. Just admit it: they hired a sculptor who could give a crap about the US and did it only for the cash.

[Gary]

The sentiment of the sculpture is admirable but has been tarnished by a clumsy piece of Army propaganda. Just admit it: they hired a sculptor who could give a crap about the US and did it only for the cash.

Holy crap man, that's about as horrible a statement as I've heard when referencing anything from the war? You should be ashamed of yourself.

I find the sentiment wonderful, and give props to the man that devoted a time in his life to thank our boys for all they do.

Edited November 7, 2006 by Gary

[sevfiv]

Holy crap man, that's about as horrible a statement as I've heard when referencing anything from the war? You should be ashamed of yourself.

I find the sentiment wonderful, and give props to the man that devoted a time in his life to thank our boys for all they do.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/kalat.asp

it was commissioned...

Members of the U.S. Army paid the sculptor, who had previously worked on a few other Saddam statues, to create the work pictured according to a design of their choosing.

Edited November 7, 2006 by sevfiv

[Gary]

I stand corrected. That being said, I have a very hard time with those that look for every oppurtunity to bash our military in one form or the other.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

I stand corrected. That being said, I have a very hard time with those that look for every oppurtunity to bash our military in one form or the other.

Agreed!!!! I myself am former military and come from a long line of military personel. It has been tradition in my family going back to the US Civil War. My brother is currently in the reserves, B52 bomber pilot. His 3 sons for sure are headed to the military and im almost certain both of my boys will do the same after college.

[TJones]

I am sure the artist was pleased with the Americans for paying him what he is worth instead of having to knock something out 5 times as large and getting paid a few lousy hundred. I am sure he thanked Saddam with a smile also so that he would be around to make another for him.

[nmainguy]

I stand corrected. That being said, I have a very hard time with those that look for every oppurtunity to bash our military in one form or the other.

And I have a hard time with lies. The simple, humble truth would have been much nicer: "We collected $30,000 dollars and commisioned a statue honoring our soldiers." The end. [bTW, the sculpture cost $18,000-perhaps a nice gesture would be for them to take the remaining $12,000 and buy some body armor to save a few of our soldier's lives.]

But as usual, someone had to take something commendable and muddy it up with lies.

BTW, moonie? What has your family's military history have to do with it and why do you feel the need to trott it out every chance you get?

Edited November 7, 2006 by nmainguy

[TJones]

And I have a hard time with lies. The simple, humble truth would have been much nicer: "We collected $13,000 dollars and commisioned a statue honoring our soldiers." The end.

But as usual, someone had to take something commendable and muddy it up with lies.

BTW, moonie? What has your family's military history have to do with it and why do you feel the need to trott it out every chance you get?

That's what happens everytime though nmain. Don't tell me you have never played "telephone" as a kid. One person says something secretly in someone's ear, and by the time it gets to the 12 person in line, the story has been warped into barely a fizzle of the original statement.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

BTW, moonie? What has your family's military history have to do with it and why do you feel the need to trott it out every chance you get?

Its called taking pride in an organization that by design sustains our way of life. Had you been a part of or had such a proud history, perhaps you would feel the same.......

[dalparadise]

And I have a hard time with lies. The simple, humble truth would have been much nicer: "We collected $30,000 dollars and commisioned a statue honoring our soldiers."

Right... but the Army couldn't even do that. They didn't commission a sculpture to honor the soldiers, they commissioned a sculpture to make it appear that the children of Iraq were somehow supporting our soldiers and their actions there. The simple gesture of honoring our soldiers was too pure a gesture for the people in charge. Instead, they opted for propaganda.

Pointing out the truth, particularly when the truth seems to be carefully manipulated, is not "bashing".

[nmainguy]

Its called taking pride in an organization that by design sustains our way of life. Had you been a part of or had such a proud history, perhaps you would feel the same.......

Actually it's called bragging.

Since you are cluless when it comes to my life and history, you have no idea what I feel-except for revulsion when it comes to my govenment's lies. You only reenforce many of them.

[musicman]

The sentiment of the sculpture is admirable but has been tarnished by a clumsy piece of Army propaganda. Just admit it: they hired a sculptor who could give a crap about the US and did it only for the cash.

many wonderful pieces of art are commissioned. This isn't a new practice.

the military could hold a gun to the man and have him work for free like saddam did! Is that what you want?

EDIT: sorry TJ didn't realize you said basically the same thing earlier.

Edited November 7, 2006 by musicman

[nmainguy]

the military could hold a gun to the man and have him work for free like saddam did!

"I made the statues of Saddam

[musicman]

Looks like neither Saddam nor the Army held a gun to his head. He says he needed the cash-from both.

Gotcha. I just don't think working by commission is out of the ordinary.

[nmainguy]

Gotcha. I just don't think working by commission is out of the ordinary.

I agree. Why didn't the Army just leave it at that instead of embelishing with lies?

[bachanon]

i cannot find any evidence that the army was responsible for the text which accompanied the photo. the army was responsible for the commission, not the explanation of it in a mass mailed email.

[musicman]

I agree. Why didn't the Army just leave it at that instead of embelishing with lies?

i cant confirm nor deny the heresay. it is an improvement over saddam's busts IMO.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

Actually it's called bragging.

Since you are cluless when it comes to my life and history, you have no idea what I feel-except for revulsion when it comes to my govenment's lies. You only reenforce many of them.

Later, queen

[TheNiche]

Its called taking pride in an organization that by design sustains our way of life. Had you been a part of or had such a proud history, perhaps you would feel the same.......

Here, here! Errors may occur from time to time; it is only human. But there is more to a heritage than those few errors, and I'm proud of what we've got...and of my ancestry's contributions to that heritage.

The most noteworthy character to whom I'm aware that I'm related is Samuel Watson, who rose to the rank of full Colonel during the revolutionary war (and at one point was a 1st Lieutenant of the infamous Rangers). He commanded a regiment in the battles of Cowpen, King's Mountain, and Hanging Rock, all battles leading up to the decisive victory at Yorktown, which ended the revolutionary war. At one point, Watson's family cared for General Sumpter at their home as he recuperated from wounds sustained in battle.

Near the outset of the war, in 1776, Watson had been a delegate to the second South Carolina provincial congress. As a delegate to the SC constitutional convention in 1788, he established a lasting trend in my family to distrust strong governments--he cast a dissenting vote against the ratification of the Constitution.

[tommyboy444]

Why cant the email just state the truth?

The army commissioned a local artist in Sadams hometown to create a statute honoring their fallen brothers. They sought to raise $8000 for the statute, but received over $30000. The bronze was melted from a former statute of Sadamn that used to stand at the enterance of the city. The statute now stand at a memorial in Fort Hood, Texas.

Is that not enough to honor our soldiers?

[west20th]

i cannot find any evidence that the army was responsible for the text which accompanied the photo. the army was responsible for the commission, not the explanation of it in a mass mailed email.

Just a note: If you recieve an mass email that has something like "forward this" at the end, which I suspect this one may have. The information in that email is almost certain to be a hoax.

Edited November 7, 2006 by west20th

[TJones]

And I have a hard time with lies. The simple, humble truth would have been much nicer: "We collected $30,000 dollars and commisioned a statue honoring our soldiers." The end. [bTW, the sculpture cost $18,000-perhaps a nice gesture would be for them to take the remaining $12,000 and buy some body armor to save a few of our soldier's lives.]

But as usual, someone had to take something commendable and muddy it up with lies.

You say someone, but you want to immediately place blame on the Army as if they were the ones who started sending that email out. I am sure that is where Moonman got the story to begin with, and he wanted to share it.

Nmain, can you show me the article where the U.S.Army, perpetuated this email ?

[west20th]

You say someone, but you want to immediately place blame on the Army as if they were the ones who started sending that email out. I am sure that is where Moonman got the story to begin with, and he wanted to share it.

Nmain, can you show me the article where the U.S.Army, perpetuated this email ?

It probably wasn't the army.

Quote taken from the below link:

Why People Send Chain Letters and Hoax Messages

Only the original writer knows the real reason, but some possibilities are:

To see how far a letter will go.

To harass another person (include an e-mail address and ask everyone to send mail, e.g. Jessica Mydek).

To bilk money out of people using a pyramid scheme.

To kill some other chain letter (e.g. Make Money Fast).

To damage a person's or organization's reputation.

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html#identify

Another good explanation for hoax emails:

Recently, we have been hearing of spammers (bulk mailers of unsolicited mail) harvesting e-mail addresses from hoaxes and chain letters. After a few generations, many of these letters contain hundreds of good addresses, which is just what the spammers want. We have also heard rumors that spammers are deliberately starting hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses (of course, that could be a hoax). So now, all those nice people who were so worried about the poor little girl dying of cancer find themselves not only laughed at for passing on a hoax but also the recipients of tons of spam mail.

From:

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html#risk

Edited November 7, 2006 by west20th

[TJones]

It probably wasn't the army.

Quote taken from the below link:

Why People Send Chain Letters and Hoax Messages

Only the original writer knows the real reason, but some possibilities are:

To see how far a letter will go.

To harass another person (include an e-mail address and ask everyone to send mail, e.g. Jessica Mydek).

To bilk money out of people using a pyramid scheme.

To kill some other chain letter (e.g. Make Money Fast).

To damage a person's or organization's reputation.

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html#identify

West, I completely understand the whole concept of email myths and hoaxes. I just want Nmain to stand behind his claim that this is U.S.Army propaganda, and that they are responsible for the lies involved.

[dalparadise]

West, I completely understand the whole concept of email myths and hoaxes. I just want Nmain to stand behind his claim that this is U.S.Army propaganda, and that they are responsible for the lies involved.

The statue itself is propaganda. It's made to look as if Iraqi children (and therefor the people in general) support our troops. Whether they do or not depends on your perspective. But, commissioning this piece seems to try to influence that perception.

[Parrothead]

I think it's beautiful.

The government commissioned the Iwo Jima Memorial, so is that propaganda too?

*sigh*

I do agree though, I get SO mad when my Uncle (USN, ret.) sends me stuff that I just KNOW was twisted by somebody. Every once in a while, I have to send him an email back trying to clear some big rumor up...sometimes people just suck.

[west20th]

I think it's beautiful.

The government commissioned the Iwo Jima Memorial, so is that propaganda too?

*sigh*

I do agree though, I get SO mad when my Uncle (USN, ret.) sends me stuff that I just KNOW was twisted by somebody. Every once in a while, I have to send him an email back trying to clear some big rumor up...sometimes people just suck.

Very true. It is beautiful. An email that distorts the story about that statue only succeeds in masking the beauty.

OMG!! I agreed with Parrot. Call the AP.

Edited November 7, 2006 by west20th

[nmainguy]

You say someone, but you want to immediately place blame on the Army as if they were the ones who started sending that email out. I am sure that is where Moonman got the story to begin with, and he wanted to share it.

Nmain, can you show me the article where the U.S.Army, perpetuated this email ?

http://www.army.mil/ is an Army website.

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5563

Changing faces: statue honors fallen heroes

By Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 6, 2004)

When he was forced to fashion statues of Saddam Hussein on horseback, the Iraqi sculptor, Kalat, had no idea that someday he would melt them down to create a memorial for American Soldiers.

He was paid-not forced-by saddam and he didn't melt down anything.

Clearly the email mirrors the mis-information put out by the Army. Did an officer compose and send the email? I'll concede that I don't know. I will however stand by my stated opinion that a sincere good deed needs no embelishment. To do otherwise only diminishes it.