U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) is out of the country as part of a congressional delegation.

Tuesday and Wednesday, the delegation visited Baghdad, Kuwait City, Balad and Tikrit. They even visited the Ad Dawr compound where the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, was captured. The honorable congressman from Indiana actually crawled into the "spider hole" and describes its interior.

In addition to Souder, the bipartisan group included: Rep. Rodney Alexander (D-LA); Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA); Bremer; Rep. Solomon Oritz (D-TX); Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY); and Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI).

Souder visited with troops from Indiana, discovering one soldier with ties to his hometown of Grabill.

Souder's report from Iraq follows:

"During the Iraq portion of my trip, our congressional delegation stayed in Kuwait City and flew aboard a C-130 Hercules transport plane into Iraq on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. We were privileged to ride with the brave men and women protecting our freedoms during these trips. I met troops based in Germany and some from Colorado who were looking forward to an upcoming two-week rest period. And I flew with a Reserve group from Missouri that was coming into Iraq for the first time.

"In an attempt to minimize our exposure to surface-to-air missiles, our flights were made with lights extinguished, and departures and landings featured a steep descent and sharp banking and turning. It felt like a roller coaster.

January 27

"In the early morning, we flew from Kuwait to Baghdad International Airport. In Baghdad, we met with members of the Iraqi reconstruction team and Ambassador Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority. During this meeting, we discussed the transfer of power from the CPA to the Iraqis and issues relating to reconstruction. Then, we met separately with Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of the coalition's joint task force, and a number of his senior officers. The primary focus of our conversation was military technology. We also talked to Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton, the head of the Iraq Survey Group.

"Everyone - from the United Nations to the previous Clinton administration to the Bush administration - knows that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. This point is undeniable. After all, he gassed 5,000 Kurds, many of them women and children, 16 years ago in Halabja. The question now is: What did he do with them? The Iraq Survey Group is charged with investigating what happened to Saddam's weapons.

"Following our morning session with Ambassador Bremer and the CPA, we visited the so-called 'Believers' Palace,' a former Saddam underground command center. This bunker demonstrates the high level of skill achieved by Saddam's regime when it came to elaborate deceptions. Above ground, we saw an ornate ballroom with illusory floors, and false doors and elevators. The Baathists had placed rubble at strategic locations, so that we would think that we had destroyed the subterranean command post.

"It was a sophisticated ploy. Underground in the bunker, there were enough stores to last for months. In addition to noting numerous decontamination areas, we saw that Saddam's regime had stockpiled an abundant supply of chemical and biological protective suits.

"Later that afternoon, we met with Dr. Adnan Pachachi, President of the Iraqi Council, along with representatives of the Sunni, Shia and Kurdish communities at Ambassador Bremer's home. The council members maintained that elections should not be held in the near future, because many of the basics that we take for granted-such as voting lists-haven't yet been established. They are worried that rushed elections could have potentially dangerous, long-term consequences.

"The 1st Armored Division is responsible for the security of Baghdad. Before dinner, we talked to that division's deputy commander and around 40 of his senior officers. They told us that, while their electronics were working well, basic technology endures heavy wear and tear in Iraq due to the sand. It was clear that they will need replenishments. We also talked about the important contribution of members of our National Guard and Reserves, and specifically concentrated on the length of their deployment times.

"Additionally, our conversation included discussion of exciting new software development. Such software would allow our existing computer systems in Iraq to improve their bomb-detection capabilities.

"That night, before returning to Kuwait City, we had dinner with the troops. I ate with four Hoosiers: three officers (from Noblesville, Loogootee and Shoals) and an enlisted man (from Fortville).

"Once back in Kuwait, I visited the house of the man who had served as this small emirate's oil minister when Saddam invaded in 1991. The Baathists had turned the official's home into its Kuwait headquarters-and torture center.

January 28

"We again took a morning C-130 flight into Iraq, this time landing at Balad, which is north of Baghdad. A majority-Shia city located in the heart of the so-called 'Sunni Triangle,' the air base at Balad is larger and supposedly more secure than the one at Baghdad International Airport. Here I had lunch with U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Shane Arms. Shane graduated from Snider High School in June 1995, and his parents, Thomas and Phyllis, live in Fort Wayne. I found it ironic that Thomas Arms worked in Grabill for 17 years at Sheller Globe Corp. Here were two of us with Grabill roots meeting up in Iraq!

"From Balad, we flew over the 'Sunni Triangle' in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on the way to Saddam's home town of Tikrit. Security procedures were especially strict: helicopter flights over this area never went over the same place twice; takeoffs were at 170 knots to maximize speed in the shortest amount of time; and we flew very close to the ground-so close that we had to gain altitude to pass over power lines.

"We landed near the Ad Dawr compound where Saddam was found in December-not far from one of his Tikrit palaces-and examined the famous 'spider hole' that served as the tyrant's last, unsuccessful refuge from justice. The hole was virtually impossible to spot, and-once found-it was tiny. I had read that it was very small, but this cavity could make a mole claustrophobic. Climbing down into the 'spider hole,' I felt as if I were in a casket: there was barely enough room to move, limited oxygen, and just enough space to sit up. It is no wonder that Saddam was disoriented when he emerged.

"That night, we returned again via C-130 to Kuwait.

"From my discussions with our men and women in uniform, it was readily apparent that they are frustrated by, and angry at, how the media have portrayed the situation in Iraq. Our troops continually emphasized the fact that the number of terrorist attacks have dropped significantly since we captured Saddam. While the murderous toll exacted by these organized terrorists is still high, our soldiers told me that we are making progress and Iraq is making a transition. This will not be an easy process, but it is the right thing to do." [[In-content Ad]]