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It worked. Hughes kept his men like that for about five minutes and then returned to the microphone. "Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, we are going to stand up and then walk slowly back to base. You will not point any guns at the crowd, and you will smile at everyone." A minute later the Smilin' Second was walking away from the mosque, and the Iraqis began intermingling with them, patting them on the back and giving them thumbs-up signs again.
By midday, however, citizens began to raise more pressing concerns. People stopped praising Bush and began asking for water. The brigade brought in 1,000 gallons, but that wasn't enough to meet the need. U.S. military engineers, meanwhile, set to work to restore power and the water supply. But the people still seemed overjoyed, if thirsty. The biggest problem U.S. soldiers faced was keeping the crowds away from them as they tried to patrol the streets.
The Americans were further encouraged when a group of local Shi'ites said they wanted to join the fight against Saddam. Both sides agreed to convene at the city center, and tanks were sent to secure the area. The site, it turned out, was dwarfed by a giant statue of Saddam on horseback. Lieut. Colonel Ben Hodges, the brigade commander, got an idea. After confirming that the statue really was of Saddam, he had engineers wrap the base with explosives. Then he waited.
A few hours later about 30 Shi'ite fighters arrived. They were wearing new military vests and carrying Russian-made weapons. Not an army, said a special-forces soldier, though he added, "It's a start. Tomorrow we will have 10 times this number." The Shi'ite leader, who did not wish to be identified, was beaming as he approached the U.S. troops. He told the soldiers how he hated Saddam and how all the people in Najaf hated Saddam. He went to great pains to make clear that his was a self-financed outfit, independent of the U.S. army. Asked the name of his group, he replied, "The Coalition for Iraqi National Unity." U.S. commanders tried to tell him which sectors his men should avoid, fearing cases of mistaken identity. But it became apparent that the leader was in no mood to discuss technical details, and was more interested in making sure everyone understood that there was now an uprising against Saddam--and that he was leading it.
The Shi'ite leader accepted the honor of detonating the explosives ringing Saddam's statue. With a thunderous blast Najaf's most visible symbol of Saddam's regime toppled in a heap of twisted metal. People ran from the side streets cheering and climbing over the wreckage, enjoying the giddiness of the moment. One Iraqi approached Brigadier General Benjamin Freakley, assistant commander of the 101st Airborne. "Kill Saddam," he said, and spat on the ground. Then he added, "Now we can have satellite TV."
Into the Fire with Warrior McCoy KUT SIMON ROBINSON
Having carefully brushed his teeth, checked his ammunition and then looked over a map with his men, U.S. Marine Lieut. Colonel Bryan P. McCoy, 40, announces the day's activity as if he were running a fishing club. "We're going chumming," he announces. "We're going to throw some bait into the water and see if the sharks will come out."