Operation Red Dawn
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- For other uses, see Red dawn (disambiguation).
| Iraq War |
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| Phases Invasion – Post-invasion (Insurgency – Civil War) Engagements |
Operation Red Dawn was a military operation conducted by the United States armed forces on December 13, 2003 in the small town of ad-Dawr in Iraq, near Tikrit. The operation resulted in the capture of the country's former president Saddam Hussein, and put to rest rumours of his death. The operation, and its two main checkpoints, were named for the 1984 film Red Dawn.
The operation was assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, the Raider Brigade. 600 soldiers participated, including cavalry, engineers, artillery, air support, and special forces, under the overall command of Colonel James Hickey of the 4th Infantry Division.
Soldiers entered two sites (codenamed Wolverine 1 and Wolverine 2) outside the village of ad-Dawr but failed initially to find Saddam. A subsequent cordon and search operation found the fugitive leader hiding in a so-called "spider hole" at a small mud-walled compound. He was taken into custody at 20:30 local time. He was armed with a pistol, but offered no resistance during his capture. The soldiers also found two AK-47 rifles, US$750,000 in $100 bills, Mars bars, and a white and orange taxicab<ref>Saddam Hussein Captured in 'spider hole' with $750,000. Lifeway - Biblical Solution for Life</ref>. Two Iraqis, believed to be Saddam's former cook Qais Namuk and his brother, were also taken into custody. Saddam was later moved to an undisclosed location as soldiers continued to search the area.
The name of the operation, Red Dawn, apparently comes from the title of a 1984 film directed by John Milius, in which a group of American teenagers band together to commit sabotage and other guerrilla attacks in their Colorado town against invading Soviet forces. The teenagers, whose leader was portrayed by a young Patrick Swayze, called themselves the "Wolverines" — the name given to the targets of the U.S. forces in ad-Dawr. Several pundits have made note of the wry irony that the namesake of the operation was a movie relating the story of insurgents fighting against an occupying invading force. Major Brian Reed, the officer who wrote up the Op Order for the mission, and named it, said that there was no connection whatsoever with the film.
The capture was parodied in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story.
