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Saddam Hussein was a bloody and brutal dictator who kept his country of Iraq at war almost constantly after assuming power in 1979. At least one million people died due to the machinations of Saddam. After his regime was toppled by the U.S. invasion of 2003, he wound up on a gallows, his life terminated at the end of a hangman's noose.

Saddam invaded neighboring Iran in 1980 and waged war for seven years and 11 months, making it the longest conventional war in the 20th Century. Saddam had hoped to take advantage of what he perceived as the chaos of the Iranian revolution to settle border disputes and suppress his own Shi'ite Muslim population. (Iran is predominantly Shi'ite while Hussein was a Sunni Muslim.) The war ended in a stalemate with approximately 500,000 Iraqis and 400,000 Iranians dead. Both sides, major oil producers, suffered economic losses of half-a-trillion dollars. Saddam used poison gas against Iranian troops, an atrocity even Adolf Hitler didn't engage on the battlefields of World War II.

Beginning in 1986 and continuing through 1989, Saddam launched a deliberate campaign of genocide against the Kurds in northern Iraq. The campaign also targeted areas populated by other minorities, including Assyrians and Jews. In 1988, his forces launched a poison gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja that killed as many as 5,000 people and injured as many as 10,000. In all, Saddam's three-year-long genocide against the Kurds and other minorities claimed as many as 182,000 lives.

In 1990, the war-monger Saddam invaded Kuwait with the intention of looting and annexing the oil-rich country. An international coalition was put together by the first President George Bush and freed Kuwait but left Saddam in power. His son President George W. Bush put together a second coalition army dominated by American and British forces that invaded Iraq in March 2003 to depose the dictator.

The invasion was launched on the pretext that he possessed weapons of mass destruction and was in league with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that had launched the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Both charges were false, but it led to Saddam's capture in December 2003. He was subsequently tried and executed by the Iraqi interim government for the killing of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites in 1982. His death sentence was carried out on December 30, 2006.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1948, Vieira de Mello joined the United Nations in 1969 while studying philosophy and humanities at the University of Paris (Panthéon-Sorbonne). He spent the majority of his career working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, and served in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique and Peru.

In 1981, Vieira de Mello assumed his first high-profile position, when he was appointed the Senior Political Adviser to UN forces in Lebanon. Thereafter, he occupied several important functions at UNHCR's Headquarters from 1983 to 1991 (chef de cabinet of the High Commissioner; director, Regional Bureau for Asia and Oceania; and director, Division of External Relations). Between 1991 and 1996, he served as special envoy of the High Commissioner for Cambodia, director of repatriation for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), head of civil affairs of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia, and United Nations regional humanitarian coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. In 1996 he was appointed United Nations assistant high commissioner for refugees before being posted to New York in January 1998 as under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. Vieira de Mello briefly held the position of special representative of the secretary-general in Kosovo and also served as United Nations transitional administrator in East Timor. On September 12, 2002 he was appointed United Nations high commissioner for human rights. In May of 2003, he was asked by the secretary-general to take a four-month leave of absence from his position as high commissioner to serve in Iraq as special representative of the secretary-general. It was there that he was tragically killed on August 19, 2003.

"Sergio," as he was known by the scores of government officials, UN staff members and others who considered him a good friend, was a remarkably effective international civil servant. As a result, he was asked by the United Nations to tackle some of the world's most complicated humanitarian and peacekeeping challenges. His track record of success was extraordinary, whether it was fashioning a refugee protection and resettlement scheme for Vietnamese refugees, overseeing the repatriation of 300,000 Cambodian refugees from Thailand, setting up a UN civil administration in Kosovo, or managing the political transition in East Timor. His assets included extraordinary intelligence and good judgment, graciousness and wit, and a profound dedication to the humanitarian principles that inform the UN Charter. He was the obvious choice to lead the UN effort in Iraq, to which he has given his life. His friends and colleagues at the United Nations and elsewhere will best honor his memory by persevering in the humanitarian and human rights work to which Sergio was so committed.

Leila Helmi was born on 1 January 1920 in Minya, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Aroussa lel ajar (1946). She was married to Farid El Guindi. She died on 7 June 1980 in Iraq.

Scott Helvenston was born in 1965 in Ocala, Florida and raised in Leesburg, Florida. In 1982, he received special permission to join the U.S. Navy and, at 17, he became the youngest Navy SEAL in U.S. history. After graduating BUD/S, he deployed with SEAL Team Four, served for 2 years, and later moved to San Diego, California, where he deployed with SEAL Team One. Since his early years, Scott always excelled at physical fitness and athletics. As a result, he applied and became an instructor at BUD/S, leading PT (Physical Training) every morning for 4 years. With a fond memory for his airborne training, Scott later became an AFF (Accelerated Freefall) Instructor for 4 years until he was medically discharged from the Navy in 1994 for back, wrist, and ankle injuries due to a partially collapsed canopy malfunction.

With high aspirations, Scott recovered, resumed his fitness regimen, and became an actor and stuntman in Hollywood. His many credits include "Face-Off" and "G.I. Jane." Scott was the man who got Demi Moore into that incredible physical shape for the film.

In 1997, Scott founded Amphibian Athletics, a Navy SEAL Training and fitness company with the goal of teaching people the skills to excel in outdoor activities, and life, in general. His Navy SEAL Training Camps became quite popular and frequently were spotlighted on television and in the newspaper. Due to the success of the training camps, Scott drew from his PT background and designed a video workout series, allowing greater access to his fitness education. With 11 videos to his credit, Scott became quite well known in the fitness world.

In 2003, after the United States led a coalition to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Paul Bremer was named the head of the Provisional Coalition Authority. With a demand for experienced operators in Iraq, Scott was asked to join the security team tasked with protecting Ambassador Bremer. After heading back East to sharpen all his combat skills, Scott deployed to Iraq. Then, on March 31, 2004, the news returned to the States that Scott was one of four American contactors who were ambushed, brutally murdered, and set aflame in Fallujah, Iraq, while an angry Iraqi mob cheered on live TV. Scott left behind two young children.

In a short amount of time, Scott Helvenston accomplished many goals that we can all admire. In addition to his success as a Navy SEAL, he was a two-time, gold medal-winner in the pentathlon, and to this day, Scott remains the only human contestant on the popular TV program "Man against the Beast" to win, racing against three different chimpanzees on an obstacle course. Scott also represented the Navy SEAL Teams on the television program "Combat Missions." He always seemed to be the last man standing.

Uday Hussein was born on 18 June 1964 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was an actor, known for Iftah ya simsim (1979) and Biography (1987). He died on 22 July 2003 in Mosul, Iraq.

David Bloom was born on 22 May 1963 in Edina, Minnesota, USA. He was married to Melanie Ann Bohm. He died on 6 April 2003 in near Baghdad, Iraq.

Abdelghani Kamar was born on 18 December 1921 in Alexandria , Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for Bint el sayad (1957), Sakhrat al hub (1959) and The Monster (1954). He died on 3 April 1981 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was born on 20 October 1966 in Zarqa, Jordan. He died on 7 June 2006 in Hibhib, Iraq.

Qusay Hussein was born on 17 May 1966 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was an actor, known for Iftah ya simsim (1979) and Biography (1987). He died on 22 July 2003 in Mosul, Iraq.

Gen. Hussein Kamel, former director of Iraq's Military Industrialization Corporation, in charge of Iraq's weapons program, defected to Jordan on the night of August 7, 1995, with his brother Col. Saddam Kamel. On August 20, 1995, Hussein and Saddam Kamel agreed to return to Iraq, where they were assassinated on 23 February 1996. Saddam Hussein displayed their heads on a golden platter after their death.

Nicholas Evan "Nick" Berg was born on April 2nd, 1978 to Michael and Suzanne Berg. He lived in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, and attended West Chester Henderson High School. While at Henderson, he achieved a reputation as a likable and energetic individual who was fascinated by inventions and engineering.

After graduating from Henderson, Berg attended Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and University of Oklahoma. He majored in engineering but did not receive a bachelor's degree.

He journeyed to places such as Uganda and Kenya with humanitarian organizations. He taught the people in these countries about the "Bovl Blocks" idea in these trips. Bovl Blocks were blocks made out of clay that people could build houses out of.

In 2003 and 2004, Berg traveled twice to Iraq for similar humanitarian endeavors and also to look for work for his enterprise, Prometheus Towers. On his second trip, Berg was detained by either United States or Iraqi forces. After he was released, he went missing. An Islamic terror group led by Abu al-Zarquawi posted a video on the internet in which they showed his murder.

Ahmad Chalabi was born on 30 October 1944 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was married to Leila Osseiran. He died on 3 November 2015 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Abdul Jabbar Al-Sharqawi was born on 1 December 1953 in Iraq. He was an actor, known for Theyab Al-Lail (1992), Al Haj Nejim (2015) and King Ghazi of Iraq (1993). He died on 22 May 2016 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Abdul Sattar Al-Basry was born on 22 February 1947 in Basra, Iraq. He was an actor, known for The Shadow Men (1996), Theyab Al-Lail (1992) and Ala'm al Seet Waheeba (1997). He died on 12 May 2024 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Tariq Aziz was born on 28 April 1936 in Tell Kaif, Iraq. He was married to Violet Yusef Nobud. He died on 5 June 2015 in Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Hamoudi Al Harthy was born on 7 July 1936 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was an actor and director, known for Tahit Moos Al-Hallaq (1961) and Warrak al-Kharif (1964). He died on 17 August 2024 in Iraq.

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was born on 1 July 1942 in al-Dour, Salahuddin, Iraq. He died on 25 October 2020 in Iraq.

Abd al-Jabbar Kadhim was born on 10 February 1949 in Wasit, Iraq. He was an actor, known for Theyab Al-Lail (1992), The Shadow Men (1996) and Hob Fey Baghdad (1987). He died on 21 April 1996 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Raymond Plouhar was born on 26 May 1976 in Lake Orion, Michigan, USA. He died on 26 June 2006 in Iraq.

Gertrude Bell was born on 14 July 1868 in Washington New Hall, County Durham, England, UK. She died on 12 July 1926 in Baghdad, Mandatory Iraq.

Michael Kelly was born on 17 March 1957 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Michael died on 4 April 2003 in Iraq.

John Williams was born on 20 January 1945 in Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales, UK. He was a producer and director, known for Frontline/World (2002), Saddam's Road to Hell (2006) and Daytime Live (1987). He died on 22 September 2005 in Iraq.

Nizar Al-Samarayi was born in 1945 in Babylon, Iraq. He was an actor and cinematographer, known for Theyab Al-Lail (1992), Oyun la tanam (1982) and The Continuous Mission (1981). He died on 3 October 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Terry Lloyd was born on 21 November 1952 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK. He was married to Lynn. He died on 22 March 2003 in Near Basra, Iraq.

Mahdy El Hosseiny was born on 12 June 1940 in Iraq. He was an actor and production manager, known for Vacation Days (1985), Theyab Al-Lail (1992) and Naji Attallah's Squad (2012). He died on 12 July 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq.