Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 21, 1991 TAG: 9104210140
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOSEPH COSCO LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium
The scene was captured in our prime-time war: Out in the desert, an American Marine gracefully accepting the unconditional surrender of an abject, prostrate Iraqi soldier.
That Marine - Chief Warrant Officer Charles Rowe, a Norfolk native - was an escort for a media pool who never in his wildest dreams thought he'd be capturing the enemy.
Or be captured on video, putting a human face on a war celebrated for its smart bombs and surgical missiles.
Or be mentioned by the president as an example of the basic generosity of the American fighting man and the American national character.
Rowe, a 41-year-old career Marine stationed in Norfolk, has taken it all in stride. But he says his experience with the sobbing young Iraqi will leave an indelible mark on his memories of Operation Desert Storm.
"He was kissing my hand and my boots. I felt sorry for him," recalled Rowe, back at Camp Elmore public affairs office after a month's leave.
"It was a conflict of emotions. It embarrassed me. I didn't want him doing it, but I didn't want to be rough or physical with him and make it worse. What I felt I should do was let him know it was over, you're all right now. I just felt that was the way to go."
Nothing prepared Rowe for the experience, not Beirut in 1983, nor Panama in 1989.
He arrived in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 16 and served as a communications officer stationed in Jabail, a commercial port that was the supply-line beachhead for troops. During the war, Rowe took reporters and photographers to the battle in Khafji and the liberation of Kuwait City.
Rowe's date with his 15 minutes of fame was the first day of the ground war. The allied forces had plowed two breaches through the Iraqi land mines, concertina wire and bunkers. Rowe, another Marine, a CNN crew and a Los Angeles Times photographer went through the first breach to see if any POWs had been taken.
"We went to take a look and came over a slight rise, and there before us were literally thousands of Iraqi soldiers. They were obviously prisoners, with their arms behind their backs."
The news pool moved along the breach. The CNN reporter decided to do a stand-up with some bunkers positioned to his rear. Time to take five.
"The battle itself had moved north. We were there smoking and joking and laughing," Rowe said. "Then one of the crew said, `Holy ----!' "
Over the shoulder of the correspondent, he saw four Iraqis coming out of the bunker.
"It was the last thing I expected to see - the others being a blonde and a bottle of booze," Rowe said.
Rowe pulled out his pistol, but only as a precaution. It was evident the Iraqis had no fight left in them.
As a public affairs officer, Rowe said, he is more comfortable communicating the news than being part of it. On the other hand, he confesses, he enjoyed the publicity.
by CNB