WARRIOR KING: LTC NATE SASSAMAN STORY
LTC Nathan Sassaman was a very accomplished man in the military before his career was ruined. He is well-known because in 1980 as a quarterback he got the army team to win its first bowl. He is also known to be a very intelligent man who saved his men and defeated some of the Iraqi solders. When he left the force Sassaman wrote a memoir where he spilled the beans of what happened in Iraq and what led to the end of his military career. In the book he says that areas such as Samarra and Abu Hishma in the Sunni village he had to be very aggressive due to the raise of rebellion (Layden & Sassaman, 2008).
According to him he was given full ammunition to do whatever it takes to control the attacks by the 4th ID Commander BG Ordinero. This was not the same for his brigade commander Colonel Frederick Rudesheims who wanted him to take it easy with attacks, because it could lead to the killings of innocent Iraqi civilians. Rudesheim went as far as denying Sassaman’s men the use of the mortar to prevent them from burning down the fields. He only authorized the use of the artillery. Sassaman began ignoring the orders of Rudesheim and called him a desk man who had no idea of what his men needed. The part where LTC Nathan Sassaman put the loyalty of his solders before that of the army that’s when he was not loyal to the commanders of his unit (Filkins, 2005).
In 2004, he covered for his men when they mistreated two Iraqi men who were still driving to their homes past the curfew. Marwan and Zaydoon were late going back to their village because their pick up broke down and were told to stop by Sassaman’s men. The solders took the two Iraqis to the Tigris where they submerged them in water and later released them. In that incident Zaydoon died from drowning and his body was found 13 days later after investigations was carried out (Filkins, 2005). LTC Sassaman was not aware of the incident in the beginning but when he found out he tried to cover up by telling the soldiers not to reveal anything about submerging the Iraqi men in the river. At first it worked but through vigorous interrogations they came clean. This is what led to the dismissal and jail terms for lieutenant Seville and Sergeant Tracy Perkins. The careers for both LTC Sassaman and Commander Mathew Cunningham’s were ruined (Ricks, 2011).
In conclusion, LTC Sassaman was a very loyal man to his men. This is clear when he tried to cover up for the mistakes his men committed. He was very intelligent and very tactful because he was able to control areas where insurgences were in full force. He helped his men when they were trapped and took them to safety. He did not follow the orders of his brigade commander Rudesheim in fact he viewed him to be a desk man. This was one of the factors that led to the ruination of his career in the army.
Reference
Filkins, D. (2005). The Fall of the Warrior King. The New York Times .
Layden, J. & Sassaman, N. (2008). Warrior King: The Triumph and Betrayal of an American Commander in Iraq. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Ricks, T. E. (2011). Fight Club Excessive force nearly lost us the Iraq War. The brass who gave the orders still don’t get it. Washington Post’s .
