Once a POW Now a Victor

Baghdad, Iraq — “Army Col. Martin Stanton (left) has been in Iraq before — as a prisoner of war…” (Photo from author collection)

By Greg Walker (U.S. Army Special Forces, Ret.)

Colonel Stanton sat next to me in our Humvee, his rifle across his knees, barrel pointed outward from the passenger seat. We’d made the run on what would be later called Route IRISH, a long stretch of highway linking North Palace/BIAP to the recently seized Green Zone, the highway even then a magnet for Iraqi snipers and the occasional RPG-7 rocket. A second Humvee with two additional security personnel had trailed behind us. Stanton had been captured in Kuwait City during what became Operation Desert Storm. Stanton, a former POW, meant we were taking no chances this time around regarding his safety.

“Sergeant Walker, I’d like to visit someplace near by. It’s where I was held prisoner here in Baghdad. Can we do that, please?”

The Al Rasheed Hotel was about a mile from our location. Originally it had been owned and operated by Uday Hussein, youngest son of recently toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. The 3rd Infantry Division was securing key locations in the Green Zone and the Al Rasheed was one of these. We pulled up just outside the entrance to the hotel and I spoke with the infantrymen stationed there. When they learned who Stanton was they nodded with respect towards him. We were in.

Colonel Stanton, once a POW, returned to Baghdad as a liberator. Saddam Hussein, once a tyrant, was returned to Baghdad and in January 2004 declared to be a prisoner of war. He was tried and hung (Photo from author collection)

The hotel’s grounds were deserted, its once lavish pool empty. For roughly a half hour I walked quietly beside the colonel as he retraced his experiences as a POW / human shield. His room was on the 9th floor. He was allowed to spend a short time outside each day then taken by his guards back upstairs. He offered neither he nor the other prisoners there knew what their fate might be to include execution.

Stanton’s mood, as I best recall today, was somber. A man with a great sense of humor and massive engaging smile neither was present as we toured special spots around the complex. The elevators weren’t working but I offered, if he wished, we could take the stairs up to the 9th floor – perhaps his room / cell was open?

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Sergeant. But thank you anyway.”

Colonel Martin Stanton and the author after our journey back in time at the Al Rasheed Hotel. The author had clipped a red rose from one of the many gardens, pinning it to his uniform in honor of his wife back home. (Photo from author collection)

When we returned to the hotel entry point a reporter for Stars and Stripes was waiting for us. We posed for several photos, Stanton’s great smile now back. It was easy to tell it had been like a massive and very heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. We climbed back into our Humvee and I asked him “Sir, how do you feel?”

Colonel Stanton looked over at me and quietly answered. “When I was first brought here it was as a prisoner. When I was released I was a prisoner who had been let go, not freed, just let go. Today, this time, I came here as a victor.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR—Greg Walker is an honorably retired “Green Beret”. During Operation Iraqi Freedom he served at CFLCC Main in Kuwait on the Special Operations Forces Integration Detachment, reporting directly to the war-fighting commander, LTG David D. McKiernan. Mr. Walker was one of two senior Special Forces advisors to join McKiernan’s Early Entry Command Post (EECP) in Baghdad after Saddam International Airport had been seized. He provided mobile reconnaissance of suspected arms caches in the city, intelligence assessments to the commander, and personal security details for individuals such as Colonel Stanton.

Today Greg lives and writes from his home in Sisters, Oregon, along with his service pup, Jasper.