The Catholic Defender: It was at the most northen point of highway 8 just South of Baghdad Iraq during the Gulf War

My platoon was located right outside of Baghdad, we were located the farthest north within Our Theater of Operations. As the battle raged my troops were settled in their fox holes, Father Cerone and I began moving around our perimeter praying the Rosary together as we walked.

Artillery was hitting their targets on Highway 8 just south of Bagdad. Small arms was taking place to our north as we were preparing to inter Baghdad. Iraqi troops were attempting to travel north from Kuwait on Highway 8 to retreat from Kuwait heading towards our position. Our Air Force destroyed them as Saddam Hussein had ordered his army to set fire to the oil well in Kuwait.

at noon, Father would offer Mass inside his tent using an mre box as an alter, I would be with him as I was blessed to recieve the Eucharist in a place that Mass had not been said there in over 1500 years.

We began to recieve refugees from two different villages that surrounded Baghdad. One mayor was hung because he opposed Saddam Hussein, the other village hung their mayor because he had supported Saddam Hussein. We were still in the eucharaties river valley as we listened to a radio report on the war and BBC was reporting that there were no American Soldiers left in Iraq, yet there we were.

I'll never forget the morning of March 6, we were still there in place as a storm began to pour on us and the wind began to blow us all over the place. I sat upon an mre box with my poncho coming to life just flapping all over the place.