Iraqi statue honoring American soldiers-Truth!

Iraqi Statue Honoring American Soldiers-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor A picture of a statue of an American soldier kneeling in honor of a fallen comrade and being comforted by an Iraqi child. The accompanying text says the statue is in Iraq and was made by the same Iraqi artist who did some of the statues of Saddam Hussein and were constructed from melted Saddam statutes.


The Truth According to an article in ARNEWS, the Army News service, this eRumor is true. ARNEWS says the sculptor's name is Kalat. He was forced to fashion statues of Saddam Hussein including some that were later destroyed by U.S. military explosives. The bronze pieces of the statues were sent to Kalat and he made the memorial using a picture of a U.S. soldier, 1st Sgt. Glen Simpson, kneeling as a model. According to ARNEWS, Kalat worked with another artist on the Saddam Hussein statutes, but designed and fashioned the U.S. model on his own. It's on display in Iraq and is destined to eventually be on display at Fort Hood, where it will become part of a larger memorial project at the 4th Inf. Div. museum. updated 09/01/04
A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
Subject: This is one that all Americans ought to see! This picture of the statue below was made 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. This artist was so grateful that the Americans liberated his country, he melted 3 of the fallen Saddam heads and made a memorial statue dedicated to the American soldiers and their fallen comrades. Kalat worked on this 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. It is currently on display outside the palace that is now home to the 4th Infantry division. It will eventually be shipped and shown at the memorial museum in Fort Hood, Texas.r>