FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — At the National Infantry Museum here, one of its most prized portraits lies flat on the floor, covered by glass, so visitors can walk on it.
Museum director Frank Hanner thought that would be the most appropriate way to display a large oil painting of Saddam Hussein brought home by U.S. troops from Iraq.
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Mr. Hanner said he’s following the lead of the former Iraqi leader, who put former President Bush’s image on the floor of a Baghdad hotel. In Islamic culture, showing someone the bottom of your foot or the sole of your shoe is a great insult.
As history is being made overseas, the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning is busy preserving it. The portrait, captured in April by members of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is one of many artifacts on display.
The rarest, Mr. Hanner said, is a .345-caliber German game rifle made for Saddam. It was taken by the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, during a raid of one of Saddam’s palaces.
Mr. Hanner is expecting the head of one of Saddam’s toppled statues to arrive soon.
“If you’ve got something from the past to remind you of your accomplishments, it lays the foundation for the future,” Mr. Hanner said.
Another display will show an Iraqi soldier’s gear, including his boots, night-vision goggles and equipment vest. The soldier’s helmet has the name of his wife and two children written on the inside.
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