‘It was like losing a family member’: The US soldier who cried after Saddam Hussein’s execution
In August 2006, Specialist Adam Rogerson was standing metres away from Saddam Hussein as he slept in his cell beneath the Iraqi High Tribunal building in Baghdad.
The American soldier had not yet laid eyes on the Iraqi dictator who was widely considered to be one of the most evil men on the planet.
The US had invaded Iraq in March 2003, with President George W Bush saying he wanted to end “Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism”.
The Iraqi president went on the run as airstrikes rained down on the country he had ruled since 1979.
Months later, US soldiers found him hiding in a small hole barely big enough to fit one person in Ad-Dawr, central Iraq.
The now heavily-bearded and dishevelled despot, who was estimated to be responsible for the deaths of at least 250,000 Iraqis, would be put on trial for multiple charges including war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
When he wasn’t being kept in a cell beneath the Iraqi High Tribunal building, one of Hussein’s many former palaces was now his prison, and Mr Rogerson was among 12 US soldiers tasked with guarding him.
With Hussein’s reputation for mass murder, torture, and brutal repression, the young soldier can be forgiven for being unenthusiastic when he found out he would be spending so much time with the so-called “Butcher of Baghdad”.
Saddam Hussein appears in video footage on the day the Iraq War began on 20 March 2003
But in the months that followed they struck up the unlikeliest of friendships – with Mr Rogerson breaking down in tears when Hussein was executed in December 2006.
It’s not how the 22-year-old soldier would have been expecting to feel after he first made eye contact with the murderous dictator months earlier.
“I was told I would be the first one on guard. It was very intimidating for me because I knew who he was,” Mr Rogerson told the latest episode of the Sky News Daily podcast.
“At first it was dark and I could hear him sleeping but I couldn’t see him… A bit later he woke up and looked at me and I looked back at him.
“That was the start of our relationship – it was very surreal.”
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Hussein looked far from presidential after he was captured
Hussein was found hiding in this hole in Ad-Dawr
The soldiers make a new friend
Mr Rogerson and the other guards, who became known as the Super Twelve, were tasked with guarding Hussein for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The soldiers were told not to interact with the man who was perhaps the most famous prisoner in the world – but it didn’t take long for them to break this rule.
“Saddam was a people person. Whether he was trying to manipulate us, or genuinely be friends with us, it’s not clear. But if you’re living with someone, you’re going to interact with them.”
Hussein was being kept prisoner in one of his former palaces called The Rock, with the guards having to regularly transport him to the Iraqi High Tribunal for his hearings.
“We would hear mortars going off, gunfire, we could hear all the sounds of war. Saddam would just look at us and laugh. He never showed signs of worry.
“On more than one occasion he would look over and jokingly say ‘I’m getting out, they’re coming to get me’.”
Mr Rogerson never doubted Hussein was a “maniacal dictator” who was guilty of the crimes he had been accused of – but says as he got to know him he found the tyrant could be genuinely good-humoured.
On one occasion, the guards were talking about how another of the Super Twelve soldiers had wet themselves. Hussein is said to have burst out laughing when he heard the story.
Read more:
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How the Iraq War unfolded
Adam Rogerson guarded Saddam Hussein between August and December 2006
Hussein and the soldiers trade gifts
Mr Rogerson also says the mass-murdering despot appeared to have a softer side that helped them form a friendship as the weeks went by.
“We would trade stories. We would take him to see his family and they would bring him handkerchiefs and candy.
“He would share the candy with us, and then we sort of started giving stuff we’d received from our families to him.”
During the mission, Mr Rogerson’s wife sent him some scented candles and the soldier decided to give one to Hussein.
The president-turned-prisoner carved a poem into the side of it in Arabic and had it sent to his daughter as a gift.
Mr Rogerson continues: “I got to see a side of him that wasn’t evil, even though I knew he was. I only saw the 69-year-old man.
“He never came off as arrogant or as a dictator – he was just a person.”
Hussein would sometimes become animated during his trial. Pic: AP
Hussein speaks about relationship with Castro
In between trial hearings, Hussein would beat the soldiers at games of chess and listen to Western music on his radio.
One evening Hussein was sitting outside in his recreation area smoking cigars when he called Mr Rogerson over.
“He had this photo book and he was showing me all these photos of him having a good time with Fidel Castro. To me it was unbelievable.
“He told me it was Castro who taught him to smoke cigars.”
Mr Rogerson says although he was impressed by Hussein, it was always in the back of his mind that he was talking to a “master manipulator” and that this “wasn’t his first rodeo”.
Whether Hussein had genuine affection for Mr Rogerson and the rest of the Super Twelve will never be known – but the soldiers themselves clearly developed a deep connection to the man who was supposed to be their enemy.
In November 2006, Hussein’s trial came to an end and he was sentenced to death by hanging.
Saddam Hussein with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro
‘I almost felt like a murderer’
Mr Rogerson was among the handful of Super Twelve soldiers who cried tears of grief after the execution, while many Iraqis themselves celebrated the brutal death of their former dictator.
Speaking about the historical day of Hussein’s execution, Mr Rogerson says: “It was emotional. We were watching him comb his hair and pace around. He knew what was going to happen that day and it was sad to see.
“He was sad and upset, and we’re all upset ourselves. I’d gotten to know him, spent all my time with him, and then all of a sudden he was about to die.”
Mr Rogerson later told the author Will Bardenwerper that Hussein’s execution “was like losing a family member”.
“I almost feel like a murderer, like I killed a guy I was close to”, he added.
Iraqis celebrate after Hussein’s execution
Mr Rogerson, now in his 40s, has since left the military and is living in Ohio where he works as an American football coach.
The father-of-two, who has a 15-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since returning from Iraq.
He says it was caused by his experience guarding Hussein and then witnessing his execution.
He continues: “One day my grandkids will know that I did something for my country.
“That makes it worth it.”
Imagine moving to a country you’ve never been to before, with a culture you have no knowledge of and with a language you’re unable to speak. You’re with your whole family, including three children. And your new home, not your old one, is at war with its neighbour.
Well, that’s exactly what the Hare family did, who relocated to Russia from the United States two years ago because they felt “persecuted”.
“We were noticing a great upsurge in LGBT-type policies coming into the government, especially the school system,” Leo Hare says.
“This is where we drew a line in the sand,” his wife Chantelle adds. “This is a complete demonic attack against the conservative Christian families.”
The devout Christians, who have three sons aged 17, 15 and 12, describe themselves as “moral migrants”.
I’m chatting to them at their apartment in Ivanovo, a city 150 miles from Moscow. It’s a big change from Texas, where the family lived on a farm and had their own shooting range.
But in a country where so-called “LGBT propaganda” is banned, they say they feel safer than before.
Leo and Chantelle Hare
“There are laws that say: ‘no you can’t just run wild and have gay pride parades and dance in front of all the children’. You can’t do this. I like this,” Leo tells me.
The family was granted asylum last year in a ceremony that was covered on state TV. But as unusual as their story may sound, the Hares aren’t the only ones who have turned to Russia in search of sanctuary.
According to the latest figures from Russia’s interior ministry, 2,275 Westerners have applied for a new shared values visa, which was introduced by Vladimir Putin last August.
It’s aimed at those who think the West has become too woke.
Citizens from countries Russia considers unfriendly (which includes Britain, the US and most of the EU) are offered a three-year residency permit without meeting any language requirements or skills criteria.
On the ninth floor of a skyscraper in Moscow’s financial district, a group of adults are holding pens in their mouths and making strange noises.
We’re observing a Russian language class that’s been put on by an expat club to help its members integrate into the local society.
A Russian language class
Among those with the bit between their teeth is British national Philip Port from Burnley, Lancashire.
He runs a visa agency for those going in the opposite direction – Russians to the UK – and has been coming to Russia on and off for 20 years. He says he applied for the shared values visa for both practical and ideological reasons.
“I love Russia,” he tells me unapologetically, describing it as “safe as houses”.
“There’s no crime, the streets are clean, it’s well-developed,” he adds.
Philip Port from Burnley
His view of the UK is nowhere near as complimentary.
“I’m all for gay rights, don’t get me wrong, but I think when they’re teaching them to children in school – I’ve got a seven-year-old son, I don’t want him being influenced in that way.”
It’s unclear how many British nationals have migrated to Russia under the shared values visa, but Philip Hutchinson, whose company Moscow Connect helps Westerners apply for the pathway, says he receives between 50 and 80 inquiries a week from the UK.
“There’s a huge amount of people that are frustrated by the way the country’s got in,” he tells me. “Taxes keep going up and up and up. And we’re giving all this money to Ukraine.”
Mr Hutchinson stood as a candidate for the Conservative Party in last year’s local elections in Britain.
He moved to Moscow earlier this year after his Russian wife was unable to obtain a UK visa, bucking a trend that saw most Western expats flee Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
I ask him if the war bothers him or his clients.
“It doesn’t,” he answers without hesitation. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not getting involved in that. You know, I’m not here to deal with politics.”
Read more from Sky News:
How is Britain’s immigration system actually changing?
Everything we know about China’s new ‘super embassy’
But is politics at play here?
After arriving in Russia, many of the “ideological immigrants” post slick videos on social media about how wonderful their new life is.
The Hare family was granted asylum last year in a ceremony that was covered on state TV
One prominent American blogger called Derek Huffman, who moved to Russia with his family from Arizona, has even joined the Russian army to fight in Ukraine.
It’s the perfect PR for a country that markets itself as a beacon of conservative values, and as the antidote to moribund, Western liberalism. But Russia insists it’s not running a recruitment campaign.
“We don’t give any social security guarantee or any free housing,” says Maria Butina, the Russian lawmaker spearheading the shared values programme.
“People come on their own with their own money, own families, at their own expense.”
Not everyone’s had a positive experience, though. The Hares say they were scammed out of $50,000 (£38,200) by the family who initially put them up when they arrived in Russia.
And their two oldest sons have returned to America, because of problems finding a school. The family weren’t aware that children are required to speak Russian to be eligible for a state education.
So, do they regret moving here?
“Moving so fast? Probably,” Leo admits.
“At times though, your pathway in life takes you places you wouldn’t have willingly gone. But through God and providence, you’re meant to go through this.”
President Donald Trump says he would “love to see” one-time ally Marjorie Taylor Greene return to politics one day – as the fiery congresswoman reportedly considers a White House run in 2028.
The US leader said “it’s not going to be easy for her” to revive her political career in comments to Sky’s partner network NBC News.
But he added: “I’d love to see that.”
In the meantime, Mr Trump said “she’s got to take a little rest”.
Marjorie Taylor Greene wearing a MAGA cap last year. Pic: AP
Marjorie Taylor Greene – a one-time MAGA ally who has turned into a fierce critic of Mr Trump – unexpectedly announced on Saturday that she would be resigning from Congress.
In a video posted online, the Georgia representative said she did not want her congressional district “to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president we all fought for”.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks Trump in resignation video
Ms Greene’s resignation followed a falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Jeffrey Epstein, along with foreign policy and health care.
Mr Trump branded her a “traitor” and “lunatic” and said he would endorse a challenger against her when she ran for re-election next year.
She said her last day would be 5 January 2026.
Meanwhile, Time magazine reports that Ms Greene has told allies that she is considering running for president in 2028.
There is a profound sense of deja vu surrounding the Ukraine crisis right now.
It was only a few months ago that European leaders rushed to Washington after Donald Trump appeared to align with Vladimir Putin at their Alaska Summit.
The Europeans gathered in Washington in August and appeared convinced that they had pulled Trump back around to their mindset: that unity and strength, not capitulation, is the answer for Ukraine.
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Mark Stone on how Ukraine peace plan came about
Well, this week it is possible (some sources say probable) that European leaders will again head to Washington for another attempt to pull Trump back.
Ukraine live: Trump suggests peace plan ‘not final offer’
Ukraine and its allies head to Geneva
The meeting in Geneva on Sunday is absolutely pivotal.
It was billed initially as a meeting between the Americans and the Ukrainians.
But it has since morphed into a wider meeting with a number of European countries sending senior officials.
The core meeting is still expected to be between US envoy Steve Witkoff and the Ukrainians, but sideline talks will now take place with a much wider group of nations.
Many European leaders have spoken to President Trump on Friday and Saturday and plan to do so again.
I am told Keir Starmer’s conversation with him was “good, short but productive.”
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PM: ‘More to do’ on peace plan
Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, will be in Geneva.
Over the last nine months, he has emerged as an important British influence on the Trump administration. He is close to Witkoff – who co-wrote or at least signed off on the 28-point plan.
However, the Powell-Witkoff relationship is clearly not close enough to have afforded the UK a heads-up on this latest peace plan.
Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in April. Pic: Reuters
‘Sudden injection’
One source told me that the “sudden injection” by the Americans had “been surprising.”
The American decision to put a rocket under the quest for peace in Ukraine appeared to have vice president JD Vance’s fingerprints on it.
The territorial elements of the peace plan are almost identical to a proposal put forward by Vance in the summer of 2024 before Trump won the election.
Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Battle for frontline towns where Ukraine’s soldiers are surrounded
Starmer reveals Trump peace plan ‘concern’ at G20
Vance’s stance on Ukraine has always leant towards questioning the point of it all. He led the attacks of Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval Office in February.
The US secretary of the army, Dan Driscoll, who has taken a lead in the conversions with Ukrainian officials, is a friend and ally of Vance – the two were at Yale together.
Vance has also been leading calls for his own administration to spend more time on “the home front”.
This sudden momentum on Ukraine could be an attempt to draw a line under it quickly in order to focus attention domestically.
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Trump: ‘I’d like to get to peace’ in Ukraine
The week ahead
So – things to look out for now: first, the Geneva meeting on Sunday – this is pivotal and will set the tone and the agenda for the days ahead. It is day-by-day at the moment.
Out of the Geneva meeting, a meeting of the European “coalition of the willing” countries will convene.
And following that, a contingent of European leaders heading to Washington seems likely – perhaps on Tuesday.
By Wednesday, America begins to wind down for the biggest holiday of the year – Thanksgiving.
Trump’s deadline for an agreement by Thanksgiving still feels improbable, but it’s not impossible that some sort of memorandum of understanding could be signed by then.
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This would ensure momentum remains in the process and Trump is kept encouraged on progress.
He has suggested that the deadline is movable, and that the deal proposed in the 28-point plan is not the final one.
Notwithstanding all this, there is no question that this moment, for Ukraine and for Europe, is perilous and ominous.
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