The Washington Times: Memories of sacrifice 20 years after the Al Rashid bombing

Many might remember the Al Rashid Hotel. It was the place from which CNN’s Peter Arnett broadcast the start of the first Gulf War with the famous line, “The skies are lighting up over Baghdad,” back in 1991. It was famous for its secret passages, listening devices, and an infamous disco where Uday Hussein’s bodyguards would snatch girls to be dragged away to be raped and sometimes killed.

For those of us who served in Iraq during our second engagement in the country, however, it was home for a time — a place to blow off steam after working 16-hour days in the heat.

CLICK HERE to read Tom’s full column for The Washington Times.