William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-02-01 / 2. szám
Hungarian-American soldier helps capture Saddam and rebuild Iraq 1 Magyar Matters [_ from The Budapest Sun BUDAPEST - Gábor Falvy, a U.S. Army Hungarian-American soldier involved in the capture of Saddam Hussein has become an overnight national celebrity in Hungary. "I came to Budapest on two-weeks leave to meet my family, but soon everyone was asking me for interviews," the 32-year-old (pictured) told The Budapest Sun. Falvy--a sergeant serving with the 418 Civil Affairs Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, in Tikrit, Iraq-said that he learned he was going to the Persian Gulf early in December 2002. "I had a good idea that I would be going and it was something that I had expected," he said, explaining that he was a reservist. He previously served with the US Marine Corps for four years. "Going to Iraq for me was like a football player going to the Super Bowl," he said. "Being Hungarian also gives me a lot of opportunity other soldiers don't necessarily have," he said. "Like the fact that I am a qualified Hungarianlanguage army translator-interrogator-interpreter." ‘A very minor role’ Falvy was only a few hundred meters away from Saddam Hussein upon the dictator's recent capture. "Oh, I only played a very minor role in the capture and arrest of Saddam," he said. "I was at another location, but members from my team were at the location where he was captured. "However I did manage to take a photo of Saddam being put on a helicopter before he was flown away," Falvy mentioned. Falvy said that everyone was pleased and thankful but amazed that Saddam's capture had gone so smoothly, compared to the fierce firefight with the dictator's sons Uday and Qusay. "Our initial reaction was 'Okay, we've got him, so when do we go home?'" Falvy said that he likes the Iraqi people who are very welcoming. "As unfortunate as it is that Americans have to be in Iraq," he commented, "it's even more unfortunate that it is going to take a number of years for the country to be ready to be handed back to the Iraqi people." Experience aids in rebuilding Falvy said that his civil experience as an officer in his hometown's sheriff's department is the secret of his successful operations in Iraq. Based in Baqubah, capital of Iraq's Diyala province, Falvy was able to reestablish a new civil defense infrastructure. "Being a police officer, I know how police departments, fire departments and paramilitary organizations should run," he said. However, he emphasized that his approach is from a civilian law enforcement perspective instead of a military police perspective. Falvy also developed the curriculum for the new Iraqi Police Academy. "The first few hundred Iraqi police officers in the initial training program were trained based on the program that I and another soldier had developed," he explained. Falvy's achievements, also caught the eyes of the Hungarian Ministry of Defense (ITM). "I was invited by Szabolcs Bátay, from the Civil Affairs division at the HM, for a professional meeting to exchange some ideas on my administrative experiences learned in Iraq," Falvy said. "This may give Hungarian soldiers (going to Iraq) a better understanding of what they are coming into. When my unit came into Iraq we had no idea what to expect." |j^] 1 In Brief McKeesport to host 'March 15' ceremony McKeesport, pa - The McKeesport Hungarian Social Club will host ceremonies commemorating the anniversary of March 15, 1848, Hungarian Independence Day, on Sunday, March 14. The program begins at 3:00 p.m. with a reception, sponsored by the William Penn Association, to follow in the club. The club is located at 3004 Walnut St., McKeesport. For more information, call Endre Csornán at 412-231-2979, ext. 136. Forint 20 percent undervalued ACCORDING to The Economist’s latest “Big Mac” index, Hungary is the most expensive of the 10 EU accession states. A McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich in Hungary cost the equivalent of $2.21 in January 2003, and now (January 2004) costs $2.38. In the U.S., the home of the Big Mac, the burger costs $2.80. Under purchasing-power parity, this implies that the forint is 20 percent undervalued against the dollar, The Economist said. Calling all Magyars Do you know of people or events in the American Hungarian community that you think our readers should know about? If you do, then please share your information with us. You can write to: John E. Lovász, William Penn Life, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. You may also call us at 1-800-848-7366, ext. 135, or send an email to: jlovasz@williampennassociation.org Williu Pern Life, February 2004 7
