Army reservist updates Noon Lions Club from Iraq

"How was the bread pudding today?"

It was an odd way to say hello, an odd way to start a telephone conversation from Iraq considering he saw, from afar, the mission that took out Odai and Qusai Hussein on Tuesday.

But that's just Paul Mingus. And with that question, the Cape Girardeau Noon Lions Club members laughed and knew right away that he missed them.

While many club members finished off their pudding dessert at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday, Mingus, an Army Reserve sergeant with the 389th Engineering Battalion, updated his buddies on his role and experiences in Baghdad while sprinkling in his trademark humor. The soldier's voice crackled out of a telephone speaker, amplified by a microphone.

The teleconference was arranged by Mingus' close friend and fellow club member, Brandon Hahs.

"I'm in beautiful Baghdad, it's 9:30 at night here and a cool 90, 95 degrees," he said, at about 12:30 p.m. local time.

Mingus has been in Iraq's capital for 53 days and out of the United States for 80 days.

He said Tuesday's raid against Saddam Hussein's sons had everybody talking at his base at the Baghdad airport.

"Last night we were sitting out in lawn chairs outside and we started seeing tracers going up, and it lasted for probably 30 to 45 minutes, and we thought for sure that there was a fire fight going on out there and that Bradleys were going nuts on somebody. Last night we found out that the sons were killed in the raid. ... It was quite a spectacular display in the sky.

"They said the way they found them was that a resident in the neighborhood had observed them, videotaped them and turned over the tape to U.S. officials. From there, they put them under surveillance for a week and had time to plan their mission after they found out what kind of routine they had."

Mingus said he typically works an eight- or nine-hour shift and always carries a rifle with him. He said the Iraqi people are friendly for the most part and express a hatred for Saddam Hussein.

"When we first got here, we went out and hit a lot of suspected Al-Qaida or Saddam people, the first Army division would literally go out and knock people's doors down and do sweeps," he said. "As part of the humanitarian side, we formed a construction react team and we would go out, it could be 3 in the morning, as soon as they got done beating down the doors, we would actually go out there and put people's doors back up."

Mingus said his unit has also filled in tank trenches along freeways that were dug by Saddam Hussein's forces; Mingus has built pistol ranges, cleared highway medians of debris and helped build shower facilities for other units.

The questions went on for more than 30 minutes except for a five-minute pause when the satellite phone cut out of service. Afterward, many club members pitched in a dollar to pay for the phone call.

"I think it went real well, the club was very receptive," Hahs said. "People been asking about Paul for a long time, and it was nice to be able to let them sit down and ask what they wanted. And Paul was excited to do it. We may have him call in another few months."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635