Two Assistant State’s Attorneys Back From Iraq to Speak al Local Event

Two Assistant State’s Attorneys who spent much of 2003 and part of 2004 serving our country in Iraq will be speaking on November 7th in Wheaton, sharing their experiences during an event aptly called "The Soldier’s Story." Lieutenant Colonel Robert Douglas, an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Civil Bureau and Captain Michael O’Donnell, an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, will be speaking from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Wheaton Community Center in the Arrowhead Room as guests of the Wheaton Women’s Republican Club. The Center is located at 1777 Blanchard Road. The event is free to the public, however monetary donations (cash or checks) will be accepted to the Wheaton Local VFW Post #2164 to support their Relief Fund for soldiers in need. Investigator Chris Mulligan of Birkett’s Office who is assigned to the DuPage County Children’s Center also served in Iraq for fourteen (14) months. Unfortunately, Mulligan will be on maneuvers on November 7th and will not be able to join Douglas and O’Donnell.

Lt. Colonel Douglas, a Carol Stream resident, is with the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He was on active duty from 2/14/03 until 4/27/04, spending 356 days in Iraq from March 31, 2003 until March 22, 2004. While in Iraq he served as the Command Judge Advocate for the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade from March through early October of 2003. He then served as Governate Support Team Leader attached to the 101st Airborne Division and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) from October 2003 until March of 2004.

During his duty in Iraq, Lt. Colonel Douglas was stationed in Baghdad, Balad and Mosul in the Ninewah Province. In addition to the general day-to-day duties as an officer and soldier, some of the more interesting duties that he performed included assisting with the rebuilding of the Iraqi Criminal Justice System and Judiciary. Douglas interviewed former judges to determine whether they were fit to continue serving in the judiciary. In addition, he interviewed persons interested in serving as judges and presented his findings to the CPA through his higher headquarters. Lt. Colonel Douglas also assisted his "team" in the renovation of the local schools that were in ruins and the gathering of schoolbooks that were free from Saddam Hussein’s pervasive influence. In turn, the first day of classes for all schoolchildren, with girls and boys sitting side by side, was among the highpoints of his tour of duty. Another highpoint was witnessing a democratic town hall meeting in Mosul conducted by Iraqis in preparation for the turn over of power to the interim Iraqi Government.

Captain O’Donnell, an Elmhurst resident, is with the U.S. Army Reserve serving as the Company Commander of the 814th Military Police Company located in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The 814th was mobilized from February 10, 2003 until February 3, 2004. In April of 2003, the 814th was sent to Iraq to guard Iraqi prisoners. While stationed at Camp Bucca in Iraq, the 814th took part in guarding over 7,000 Iraqi prisoners. In late May of 2003, they were assigned to perform customs missions in Kuwait, ensuring that all equipment and personnel met the standards of the United States Customs Department and the United States Department of Agriculture. The unit performed customs inspections of all military equipment returning to the United States from Port Shuyiab, Kuwait. In September 2003, the 814th was assigned to Camp Wolverine in Kuwait to perform customs inspections of all U.S. military personnel returning to the United States from the Iraqi Theater.

One of the highpoints of Captain O’Donnell’s service was the opportunity to lead the 109 men and women of the 814th MP Company. The unit’s members ranged in ages from 18-50 and were predominantly from Illinois and the Midwest, however some came from as far away as Puerto Rico.

Captain Chris Mulligan who is unable to attend the November 7th speaking engagement serves as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, Military Police. He was deployed in both Kuwait and Iraq from December 27, 2002 until March of 2004. While in Kuwait, Captain Mulligan was assigned to Camp Arifjan, Port Shuyiaba, and Tactical Assembly Area Coyote. While in Iraq, he served at An Nasiriyah, Tallil Airbase, Camp Bucca, Um Qasar, and Abu Garif Prison in Baghdad.

In addition to State’s Attorney Birkett’s three (3) staff members who were deployed, he has another Assistant State’s Attorney who is in the Army Reserve but has not yet been called to active duty. Assistant State’s Attorney Phil Hiscock, a Captain in the Army Reserve since 1999, has been spending a great deal of time assisting the U.S. Army in a variety of ways on weekends and during his annual trainings. Captain Hiscock is assigned to the 91st Legal Support Organization at Ft. Sheridan in Highwood, Illinois and provides legal services for soldiers preparing to deploy. Captain Hiscock estimates that he has drafted over 300 wills and powers of attorneys for soldiers. In addition, he has prepared documents to assist soldiers with matters that they leave behind, such as real estate transactions, lease agreements, financial matters and employment disputes.

"We are very proud of Assistant State’s Attorneys Rob Douglas and Mike O’Donnell as well as Investigator Chris Mulligan for their service to our country in Iraq," commented State’s Attorney Birkett. "In addition, we praise Assistant State’s Attorney Hiscock for his double duty of serving both the People of the State of Illinois in the courtroom as well as assisting our United States soldiers as they prepare for their deployment to Iraq. All of these men have proudly served our country, defending the freedoms that we enjoy here in America every day."

Both Lt. Col. Douglas and Captain O’Donnell are looking forward to providing the community with an eyewitness account of the war as well as Iraq’s march toward freedom. Their version of what happened does not mirror what the news media says happened; therefore they are both anxious to share the successes as well as setbacks that they encountered firsthand.

"I urge everyone to take the time on Sunday, November 7th to attend this event, ‘A Soldier’s Story,’ and to hear first-hand what soldiers saw and experienced while serving in Iraq," commented Birkett. "Bring your children, for this will be an excellent opportunity for them to understand what’s going on across the globe by seeing pictures, hearing stories and being able to ask the soldiers who have been there the questions that they have."