In late October 2006 an Iraqi-American Army reservist serving as a linguist in the Green Zone of Baghdad, Iraq left the complex against military rules to visit his wife somewhere in the Karrada neighborhood. His very stupid and naive mistake ultimately led to his death.
SPC (at the time, he would later be promoted staff sergeant) Ahmed Kousay Altaie was likely kidnapped by Shia militiamen (either Jaysh al Mahdi or the more extremist Jaysh al Mahdi Special Group). A proof of life video was posted in February 2007 and a demand of $250,000 was made.
The more extremist Shia organization Asaib al-Haq would later claim to be in possession of Altaie.
When news of SPC Altaie's capture reached us up in Mosul I assumed the soldier had simply become sick of military life and being stuck on a military installation in the country he was born in. I figured he walked away and blended into Iraqi life asking his family to make up the capture story in order to avoid shame to his name. Who just walks off a base in the middle of a war zone? You could probably get away with it in 2003, early 2004, or likely even 2009 but Baghdad in 2006 was in the midst of tearing itself apart in sectarian bloodshed.
It was a major mistake on his part and his status became DUSTWUN (duty status whereabouts unkown) which later changed to missing/captured. Despite several operations and thousands of soldiers he was never recovered and he became the only soldier lost and never recovered during our operations in Iraq.
Until February 22, 2012. SSG Altaie's family were informed that the Iraqi government had been given Altaie's body and had turned it over to the US government.
Welcome home brother. May you rest in peace.
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