Photo By Sgt. Amanda White | Zaynal Hassan Wahab holds up the plaque and the gold star flag presented to him by...... read more read more
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TAL 'AFAR, Iraq - The brave actions and ultimate sacrifice of a Tal 'Afar police officer were recognized today by a U.S. military commander.
In a small ceremony, Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, the 25th Infantry Division commander, expressed his appreciation for the service of Suliman Hassan, who was killed while preventing a vehicle laden with explosives from reaching his checkpoint."I was saddened to learn that the police officer was killed, but he died for an honorable cause," said Mixon.
The incident occurred last month, when an insurgent drove the explosives to Hassan's checkpoint and disobeyed his order to stop. After warning the driver about his intent to use deadly force, Hassan shot the driver, said 2nd Lt. Matthew Davis, the civil affairs officer for 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Inf. Div.
The wounded driver managed to detonate the explosives, which killed himself and Hassan.
Hassan prevented the driver from getting through the checkpoint and his actions saved the lives of nearby civilians and fellow policemen working at there, said Davis.
The incident was caught on video, which was turned over to U.S. Army personnel at nearby Forward Operating Base Sykes.
At the brief ceremony, Mixon presented Hassan Wahab, Hassan's father, with a framed letter of recognition and a Service Flag, also known as a gold star flag.
The Service Flag, first used during World War I, is embroidered with blue stars to represent family members in military service, and gold stars to represent the loss of a family member during hostilities. The flags have been hung on U.S. homes since their creation, explained Mixon.
"I grieve for the loss of your son, and pray the rest of your family is safe," Mixon said. "God willing, peace will come to your family, as well as your country."
Mayor Najim Abdullah Abd Al-Jibouri, the mayor of Tal 'Afar, was also present at the ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 11.29.2006 10:16 |
| Story ID: | 8417 |
| Location: | TAL AFAR, IQ |
| Web Views: | 286 |
| Downloads: | 90 |
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