(Editor\u2019s note: Staff at The Daily Herald realize that in addition to Dallas Snyder\u2019s presence in Iraq, many other area residents have been there or are continuing the military\u2019s efforts in the recently-liberated country. Daily Herald writers are interested in the stories of these individuals and would be happy to hear from these people and their families so their stories can be heard also. Contact the Daily Herald at 684-4000.)<\/p>\n
While millions of people across the world were tuning into CNN, MSNBC or Fox News to witness all the events that recently occurred in Iraq, a former local man was living it.
\nRecently, Dallas Snyder, formerly of Tipton and now of El Paso, Texas, a senior field engineer for Raytheon Technical Co., who traveled with the V Corp, 101 Airborne Division and Third Infantry Division from Kuwait to Baghdad, sat down with Daily Herald photographer Virgie Werner and told of his experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
\nSnyder\u2019s military history began a little more than 30 years ago when he was just a young teen. He decided then that there were few jobs in the area at the time and he had no money for college. He decided after graduating from Bellwood-Antis in 1974, he was going to join the army.
\nTwenty years later, he retired as an E-7, Sergeant First Class.
\n\u201cI really loved the army,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cThen, it was truly my life and my family.\u201d
\nBut after leaving the military, Snyder still felt that twinge to help his country. After a two-year stint with his own landscaping business, he decided to get involved again, but not in a military capacity.
\nHe took a job in 1996 with Raytheon, a defense which builds and maintains the Patriot Missile systems and other radar equipment. In his position, Snyder was able to travel the globe, noting spots such as Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.
\nHe left for Iraq on February 9 and stayed in Kuwait for about a month while waiting for the war to begin. During his wait, he turned 47 years of age.
\nThe road to Baghdad
\n Snyder said when he got the call that the war had begun, he moved, as did a good number of battalions. They were on their way to Baghdad.
\n\u201cEveryday was an experience,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cOne day you wouldn\u2019t see a thing and the next day you\u2019re blowing up tanks. It was truly unbelievable.\u201d
\nThe trip to Baghdad was a hard one, according to Snyder, who traveled in a Humvee.
\n\u201cOne thing that really sticks out in my mind is how unprepared these people really were to fight this war,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cThe Iraqis mounted large machine guns on Toyotas and everywhere we went, there seemed to be a burnt out pick-up sitting beside the road. It was truly a war zone.\u201d
\nThe heat was strenuous. Snyder said everyone wore chemical suits (which included the suit itself, a gas mask, a helmet and a bullet proof vest) for the first two weeks, but said they weren\u2019t \u201ctoo bad\u201d to wear and said it sort of felt like he was wearing overalls.
\nBut despite the discomfort of the suits, the heat wasn\u2019t the harshest factor. It was the sand.
\nHe said the large tanks didn\u2019t have much trouble in the grainy terrain, but other vehicles, most notably helicopters and trucks, were less than efficient.
\n\u201cThe sand was terrible,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was everywhere.\u201d
\nTo show an example, Snyder explained that just before his unit traveled over the Euphrates River, it turned off the main supply road onto a dirt road. He said they planned to set up a Patriot System.
\n\u201cAs soon as we made the turn, I looked up and what I saw reminded me of a scene in \u2018The Mummy,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a wall of sand coming at us from across the desert.
\n\u201cWhen it his us, it felt like a tornado. The trucks were rocking and a lot of us thought they were going to tip over.\u201d
\nAccording to Snyder, one specific afternoon, the density of sand in the area blocked all sunlight causing a complete blackout. He said after about an hour, the sunlight that started breaking through gave the area a reddish-colored glow.
\n\u201cThe younger soldiers seemed to get a little scared,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cThey thought it might be a nuclear explosion.\u201d
\nHe explained how the sand delays travel because of the depth of the terrain at times, and also because of frequent stops to clean the air filters of the vehicles.
\n\u201cEverything seemed so dry,\u201d said Snyder, \u201cespecially your hands. There wasn\u2019t a whole lot we could do about it, so we just had to live with it. I ruined a $280 pair of glasses just from reaching up to clear the sand off them. They were so torn up they were useless.
\n\u201cJust about all of us wore the same clothing for three straight weeks,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had a simple plastic wash basin and when we had water, we could us it.\u201d
\nSleep and food, like water, was also at a premium.
\n\u201cYou had to eat and sleep when you could,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cWhen we were in Kuwait, I bought a two-man pop tent. I spent three nights in that tent out of the three weeks we were there. Usually, we slept on the hood of the Humvee or in the seat. We were just moving fast so that\u2019s what we had to do.\u201d
\nFood comprised strictly of MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat. These pre-cooked food packets provided soldiers with the much-needed carbohydrates, but lacked the touch of a hot stove for preparation. Snyder said this was all that he and the other soldiers had to eat during their entire mission.
\nSnyder spent three days in Baghdad where he supported troops with his radar repair expertise.
\nThe people along the way
\nSnyder\u2019s unit traveled on the MSR, or Main Supply Route. He said his unit experienced numerous personal contacts with the Iraqi people.
\n\u201cAll the people we saw were very happy to see us,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cThey were rally happy we were there. They knew what the intent of the United States was.\u201d
\nHe said the contact with the kids was heart-warming.
\n\u201cThey were really glad to see us,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019d come right up to our vehicles and ask for water and MREs. We were happy to give it to them when we could, but that ended quickly.\u201d
\nSnyder said the military had to start being careful with Iraqi contact after the second or third day. He said that\u2019s when the first suicide bomber made his appearance.
\n\u201cWe also passed through a lot of military bases the coalition had taken before we got there,\u201d he said. \u201cHere, we would find farmers just taking whatever they wanted. They figured it should be theirs. It wasn\u2019t uncommon to see a farmer walking down the road with a chair perched on his head. I even saw one farmer with a donkey cart with a refrigerator on it.\u201d
\nThe Jessica Lynch story
\nOn March 23, mass media reports of the Iraqis capturing a number of American soldiers tugged at the world\u2019s heartstrings. But for Snyder it was much more personal.
\nAlthough not in the same unit as Pfc. Jessica Lynch and the rest of the 507th Maintenance Company, Snyder was in the same battalion.
\n\u201cThey basically just made a wrong turn,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cWe had been driving for 20-some hours through the desert. We had armor support initially, but because of the sand, the tanks got out ahead of us a little. You weren\u2019t able to see five feet in front of you so it was hard to keep everyone together.
\n\u201cThey (Lynch\u2019s unit) happened to be the first ones in Nasiriyah,\u201d he said. \u201cSomehow, they missed the armor column of Marines that were waiting to get in.
\n\u201cAs they drove down the road, people were smiling and waving, some with AK-47 (assault rifles) on their sides. They told me after they passed a mobile scud missile launcher, they knew they had to get out of there, but didn\u2019t have any place to turn around.\u201d
\nAccording to Snyder, they finally did find a place to maneuver in the reverse direction, but when they reached an area where two arches spanned the roadway, they were met by a bus that had pulled across the roadway, blocking their paths.
\n\u201cThere were women and children in the bus,\u201d he said. \u201cThey got down and the enemy started firing. They had to try and make a mad dash to get out of there. Unfortunately, they all didn\u2019t make it then. I\u2019m glad they\u2019re home and safe now.\u201d
\nSnyder said it wasn\u2019t a surprise the Iraqis were able to capture some American soldiers. He said Lynch and the others were in a maintenance support company and not an infantry division.
\n\u201cEverybody in the armed forces have basic military skills and learns how to shoot, but this group wouldn\u2019t normally be engaged in combat.\u201d
\nWhen news of the event reached other members of the battalion, Snyder said everyone seemed somber. Unfortunately, and unlike the millions of people watching Operation Iraqi Freedom from the comfort of their living rooms, soldiers fighting the battles didn\u2019t have any way of knowing what was going on, especially with POWs.
\n\u201cI knew all of them (POWs) rather personally,\u201d said Snyder, \u201cbut was kind of lost after it happened. Everyone was worried. That\u2019s all we could think about.\u201d
\nHe said he was overwhelmed with joy when he learned on April 1 of her safe rescue.
\nHis personal views
\nBeing an army veteran and because of his travel worldwide, Snyder has strong opinions concerning the situation in Iraq.
\nFirst off, he believes there are chemical weapons there and the Iraqis used un-conventional war tactics during the conflict.
\n\u201cWe will find them,\u201d he said of the weapons of mass destruction. \u201cAfter making my way to Baghdad, I think it would be so easy to hide something in that country. I didn\u2019t personally see any weapons like this, but I was in a warehouse that had nothing but missile parts and warheads. It was like out of a movie.\u201d
\nHe said the Iraqis have an elaborate tunnel system under the surface of the sand, which would be a prime storage area for WMD. He also said the Iraqi military does everything around civilians, putting them in harms way for selfish reasons.
\nSecond, he believes Saddam Hussein is alive and hiding in neighboring Syria.
\n\u201cI think we wounded him that first night of the attack,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cI don\u2019t think we killed him, but the only way we\u2019ll be able to determine that is through DNA testing.\u201d
\nEven if Hussein is hiding in Syria, Snyder said the people of that country probably would not \u201cgive him up.\u201d He said there is a heavy loyalty among the Arab people.
\nHe also expressed his dissatisfaction for the countries who weren\u2019t in support of the coalition forces, particularly the French.
\n\u201cIt seems we always bail them (France) out when they get in trouble,\u201d said Snyder, \u201cbut this was all strictly politics. They should have been right there on our side, but it seemed they were more pro-Iraq. The French supplied them with equipment and battlefield items that helped what they were trying to do. It was terrible.\u201d
\nHe also mentioned the lack of support from Russia and the Germans.
\n\u201cAll three of them decided to stay away from the conflict,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now, of course, they want to have a hand in the rebuilding so they can get a piece of the pie.\u201d
\nSnyder said he knew going in the Iraqi people would put up a fight, but not a tough one.
\n\u201cThose people know Saddam Hussein and most hated him,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cHe\u2019s a coward at heart and that\u2019s why he hides behind women and children.
\n\u201cThe Iraqi people know this and that\u2019s part of the reason why his military gave up so easily,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey had nothing to fight for. Saddam was giving farmers guns and telling them to fight. These poor farmers were out there with a gun and they didn\u2019t even know how to shoot it. They knew if they returned home, they would be killed, along with their families.\u201d
\nComing home
\nAfter three days in Baghdad, Snyder said he received a cellular phone call stating that his mother, Patricia, suffered a stroke. His intent was to immediately fly to Tyrone to be with his ailing mother, but more sandstorms delayed his flight for almost a full day.
\nHe flew out of Baghdad during the second week of April and was in Tyrone with his mom on April 12. His mother pulled through her scare and is recovering at her home.
\nOn Monday, Dallas returned home to El Paso.
\n\u201cIt was an interesting journey,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be back. But if my country calls on me again, I won\u2019t hesitate to do what I have to do to ensure the freedom of the millions of Americans who make this country so great.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Editor\u2019s note: Staff at The Daily Herald realize that in addition to Dallas Snyder\u2019s presence in Iraq, many other area residents have been there or are continuing the military\u2019s efforts in the recently-liberated country. Daily Herald writers are interested in the stories of these individuals and would be happy to hear from these people and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46754\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}