Bountiful raid leads to prime seat
January 23, 2004
Staff Sgt. Joey Wommack
Spc. Lorie Jewell
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Army News Service, Jan. 23, 2004) – A little more than a month after helping secure the area where former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured, Staff Sgt. Joey Wommack was sitting with the first lady as President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address.
Wommack, a scout platoon sergeant with G Troop, 10th Cavalry, was invited to hear the annual speech in person as a representative of the U.S. military. The president lauded service members several times for their performance in Iraq, Afghanistan and the global war on terrorism, drawing enthusiastic clapping and standing ovations from Democrats and Republicans alike.
While Special Forces Soldiers were pulling Hussein out of his spider hole, Wommack and his platoon were keeping watch on the area a short distance away. After the deposed dictator was flown away by helicopter, the platoon took over security at the scene before the media arrived.
Wommack said he’s proud he had a role in the historic event, and feels honored to have been invited to the Jan. 20 speech. He was home near Dallas, Texas on R&R before coming to Washington, D.C. for the event. Wommack said he was most touched during the address by the strong support for Soldiers, especially the letter the president read from a young Texas girl who asked him to tell the troops “Ashley Pearson believes in you.”
“People were coming out of nowhere to thank me, to shake my hand,” said Wommack. “It was overwhelming. The guys that are over there are doing a really good job, they deserve all the support they can get.”