WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 — Saddam Hussein had been living in “two small rooms in an adobe hut” and seemed disoriented and bewildered when captured by U.S. soldiers, the general in command of those soldiers said today.
      Army Maj. Gen Ray Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, during a briefing from Iraq shortly after 11 a.m. EST, described the area in which Saddam was caught.
      The small compound near the village of Adwar is about 15 miles southeast of Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, which generally is considered the seat of resistance in the country. The immediate area contained two farmhouses, a farmer’s field, a sheep pen, and a hut in the middle where Saddam was hiding. It was close to the Tigris River, and soldiers found boats nearby, Odierno said.
     The bedroom of the two-room hut contained one chair, one bed and “lots of clothes strewn all over the place,” Odierno said. A rudimentary kitchen had a sink with running water and an area to cook in. More

     "Today is a momentous day for the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people have now been liberated in spirit, as well as in fact. As they celebrate, we also stop to remember the many U.S. and Coalition forces who gave their lives to make this moment possible – including many brave Iraqis who served in their new security forces and who have died fighting for their country.
     "Thanks to all of them, the Iraqi people face a future, not of terror, but of freedom. Today, many Iraqis can dare to believe what we have said from the beginning: that the era of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein is over. His terrorist regime is finished.
     Yesterday's successful capture was the result of close coordination of intelligence and a rapid, skillfully-executed military action by U.S. forces. More

     "Today is a great day for the Iraqi people and for the Coalition. Last night at approximately 8:00 p.m. local, forces from the 4th Infantry Division commanded by Major General Ray Odierno together with Coalition Special Operations Forces conducted Operation Red Dawn to capture the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. This was done during a cordon and search operation at a remote farmhouse near the city of Tikrit.
      "There were no injuries, and in fact not a single shot was fired. Saddam Hussein, the captive, has been talkative and is being cooperative." More    

     "The shadow of Saddam is finally lifted from the Iraqi people. We give thanks for that, but let this be more than a cause simply for rejoicing. Let it be a moment to reach out and to reconcile.
     "To the Sunnis whose allegiance Saddam falsely claimed I say there is a place for you playing a full part in a new and a democratic Iraq. To those formally in Saddam's Party, there by force and not by conviction, I say we can put the past behind us. Where his rule meant terror and division and brutality let his capture bring about unity, reconciliation and peace between all the people in Iraq. Statement

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 — Defense Department officials have announced the identities of two soldiers who died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
     Spec. Marshall L. Edgerton, 27, of Rocky Face, Ga., was killed Dec. 11 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Edgerton was killed when his camp was attacked with an improvised explosive device. He died of his injuries. Edgerton was assigned to Company A, 82nd Signal Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
     Pfc. Jeffrey F. Braun, 19, of Stafford, Conn., died Dec. 12, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq. Braun died from a non-hostile gunshot wound. Braun was assigned to Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.