IRAQ: Gone, not forgotten

For two decades, the  Royal Air Force base at Habbaniya was considered the jewel of British overseas bases: acres of well-tended greenery, dozens of stylish buildings, housing for families, a swimming pool, a polo field, a theater, stables and more.

But the British left in 1959. All but the nearly 300 British subjects — and a few from the Commonwealth — who are buried in the base cemetery.

By the time the U.S.-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and took over the base, much of it was in ruins, including the cemetery. Many of the gravestones were broken and strewn about, and trash was piled high.

The disrespect toward the British dead annoyed U.S. personnel who cleaned up the site. "How about you get ... over here and fix this damned, forgotten place?" Marine Gunner Terry Walker, who led the cleanup drive, told Britain's Telegraph newspaper.

Now there's an effort by the RAF Habbaniya Assn. and the Commonwealth Graves Commission to do just that. Contractors are expected in coming weeks to do a survey.

Among the gravestones they'll find is that of Wing Cmdr. E.K. Piercy, killed Jan. 25, 1949. The inscription: "Man's Desperate Folly Was Not His But His the Sacrifice."

— Tony Perry in Habbaniya

Photo: Aerial picture of Habbaniya as it once was. Credit: RAF Habbaniya Assn.