Remembering the fallen.

Metalcasting processes are based on taking old pieces of metal and forming them into new shapes. Typically, there is no link between the old and the new, but occasionally, metalcasters have the opportunity to create something of special significance.

Recently, an Iraqi sculptor was charged with the task of creating a statue to memorialize Americans who had given their life in Iraq. The project was spearheaded by the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Div., which was stationed in Tikrit, Iraq--Saddam Hussein's hometown.

The division selected a local sculptor, Khalid Alussy, to cast the figure of a forlorn soldier kneeling down to mourn before an empty helmet, boots and rifle--objects that traditionally represent a fallen soldier. To the left of the kneeling soldier is another statue of a small girl giving comfort.

Alussy took the assignment and melted down three fallen Hussein statues that he originally cast to create the new memorial. The statues originally were installed in an entranceway inside the 4th Infantry Div.'s headquarters in Tikrit and then were moved to the 4th Infantry Div.'s home base at Fort Hood, Texas.