The Suburban and Wayne Times - News - 01/13/2005 - Marine captain from Wayne talks about Iraq service: "'I'll never forget women holding their babies, waving their baby's hands and yelling, 'U.S.A. good!' in English,' Whalen told the World Affairs Council of Valley Forge Inc., at its monthly luncheon last Thursday at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli.
Whalen, a Wayne resident and Malvern Prep graduate, was with the 1st Marine Division that seized Saddam Hussein's palace in Tikrit in 2003. His division shared the field with 'ABC World News Tonight' reporter Bob Woodruff; while Whalen grew to enjoy his company, even speaking with him after the soldier returned from Iraq, he does have a bone to pick with the media.
Whalen's contention is that news anchors have spent too little time on the armed forces' accomplishments in the war-torn country.
'Twelve people getting killed by a bomb sells more than building a water-pumping station in Iraq,' Whalen said.
The military's accomplishments were the backbone of his speech. Marines in the 1st Division, Whalen said, helped rebuild five schools and a community center, four water-pumping stations, five regional hospitals and two dams.
'When I left Iraq I felt very good about what we had done,' he told a crowd that included a group of students from Octorara High School's Model UN team, 'knowing that Saddam Hussein was gone.'"
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