Soldiers honored for Hallums hostage rescue

Courtesy Photo | BAGHDAD -- A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flies over the farmhouse where Roy Hallums was held hostage for 10 months. (U.S. Army photo)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.04.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Spc. Dan Balda
4th Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD -- As the urban sprawl of Baghdad bleeds south, the concrete roads turn to dirt pathways cutting between fields tended by the farmers who call this sparsely-populated area home.

Roy Hallums called one of these farmhouses home for 10 months, although it was not by choice. He was kidnapped Nov. 1, 2004 while supplying the Iraqi Army with food.

His captivity came to an end during a daring nighttime rescue on Sept. 7. Soldiers assigned to 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, provided valuable assistance during the raid on the farmhouse where Hallums had been held by terrorists.

The Task Force Baghdad Soldiers"1st Lt. Stephen Young, Sgt. Lee Prather, Sgt. Anthony Signorello, Spc. William Forsyth, Spc. Forrest Gielenz and Pfc. Christopher Carter, all assigned to K Troop, 3-3 ACR"were honored by the State Department during an informal ceremony Sept. 21 at Forward Operating Base Falcon. They were members of the tank crew that set up a protective outer cordon to protect the UH-60 Blackhawk carrying the rescue team as it moved in on the farmhouse.

Hallums was discovered bound and gagged in a tiny cellar-like room. The only ventilation came from a small fan and cracks in the concrete slab that doubled as his door. Each time his captors opened the door to give him food or water they would put a fresh coat of cement over the "door."

Although they were unable to personally talk to Hallums, the Soldiers still felt they played an integral part in the rescue.

"Our overall mission here is a hard one, but to be able to help rescue an American reminds me of who I am and what I do every day," said Prather, a tank gunner from Woodbridge, Va. "I later found out that we also rescued a young Iraqi boy. It reminded me of the good coming from (our mission)."

"It was an honor (to help free Hallums)," Signorello said. "I was proud that after 10 months he did not give up."

Gielenz, a native of Grass Valley, Calif., felt the ceremony was very personal. "It was a real sincere thanks that you could tell came from the heart," he said.

He valued the certificate of appreciation signed by the ambassador but he had already received the one thing that really made him feel like he had contributed to something important.

"Knowing that I participated in the rescue of an American who is now home safe and sound with his family was the best part of the whole thing."

• Date Taken: 10.04.2005
• Date Posted: 10.04.2005 14:31
• Story ID: 3178
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ