Oregon Soldiers Tour Ancient City of Babylon

Mythological creatures, the Lion of Babylon, an endless list of amazing sites...

Video/Photo by Master Sgt. Thomas Hovie Oregon National Guard

(BALAD, Iraq) - Oregon National Guard soldiers currently deployed to Iraq may be in a war, but they're also in one of the world's oldest and most fascinating places. Master Sgt. Thomas Hovie of Salem, Oregon is a non-stop video photographer and editor.

In this report showing soldiers of the 2-162 Infantry, Oregon National Guard, touring the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the palace of Saddam Hussein, Tom also doubles as reporter.

The 2-162 Infantry has real history in this country. The group is the subject of an extremely popular documentary by Scot Laney and Gary Mortensen of Lucky Forward Films titled, 'This is War' that is a must see for anyone interested in Iraq and the U.S. military.

In this video, Hovey talks about the stress and the long days in Iraq, and how much of a difference a day of historical education can mean.

MWR (Morale Wellness and Recreation) tours are conducted in combat vehicles, but there are no bullets flying here.

Babylon was the first city in the world to reach a population of 200,000. Tar, thousands of years old, still holds the roads of this city in place.

Mythological creatures, the Lion of Babylon, an endless list of amazing sites, including the Palace of Babylon, were witnessed by these uniformed Oregonians, it isn't likely that they will forget these sites any time soon.