ENDGAME IRAQ | In dust and darkness
The pair of us have been about a week on bases in and around Tikrit, Saddam's birthplace. To get out here we took a big old twin rotor Chinook helicopter from Baghdad, hopping northward up the country. They fly with all the lights out in total darkness to avoid rockets and small arms fire. All the eye can see are layers of profound black delineated by the dim neon green of the crew's night goggles. The side gunners look out through open windows and we ride with the rear ramp ajar. Gales come rattling through the belly of the big bird. I took a seat beside a gunner, looking down over the...
