“Mosul Chapter House”

While attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Ft. Sill, OK in 1996, J. Philip Ludvigson, American ’96, now a captain in the Illinois Army National Guard, often took road trips to various Delta Chi chapters in the area. On one of those visits, he met the brothers of the Oklahoma State University chapter. But when Ludvigson left for a military assignment in Korea, he really did not count on seeing any of the Oklahoma State brothers again. The “Mosul Chapter House”

Nearly eight years later, Ludvigson’s National Guard unit, the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD), has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom-II. The MPAD is composed of National Guard members from two states – Illinois and Wisconsin –and when the two states first came together in preparation for the mission overseas, Ludvigson vaguely recognized one of the soldiers from Wisconsin. Vague recognition became the realization that Fred Minnick, Oklahoma State ’01, a sergeant in the Wisconsin half of the 139th MPAD, was one of those associate members Ludvigson had met in Stillwater several years before.

Now serving together in Iraq, Ludvigson and Minnick play an integral role in rebuilding and restructuring the country. As part of the 139th MPAD, they work together to facilitate media coverage of Task Force Olympia, a coalition force under the operational control of the Army’s I Corps (First Corps). The 139th MPAD also supports the highly profiled 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) from Ft. Lewis, Washington. Both Ludvigson and Minnick work in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in a palace once inhabited by Saddam Hussein and his sons, which the Delta Chi brothers have affectionately dubbed “The Mosul Chapter House.”

As a public affairs officer, Ludvigson coordinates interaction with Western and Iraqi media sources and acts as a liaison with the Stryker Brigade, the Army’s premier mobile combat force. When a news event occurs in the Mosul region, Ludvigson organizes press conferences, issues press releases and responds to reporter queries.

“I have to be very precise,” Ludvigson said. “Anything I say may be picked up and reported as the official U.S. Army position by sources ranging from Fox News to The New York Times to Al Jazeera.”

As a noncommissioned officer and print journalist, Minnick embeds, or is integrated, with combat and support units to capture the Iraqi nation’s transformation efforts in words and photographs. Minnick’s work is forwarded to a wire service and can often be used by Yahoo.com, CNN.com, and other news sources, both web and non web-based.

“I love what I do,” Minnick said. “Having a fraternity brother doing it with me just makes it better.”

Since arriving in Iraq, the two fraternity brothers have witnessed more than just the violence that dominates the news. “There’s a lot of good being done here by both Americans and Iraqis,” Minnick said. “We just have to get the word out.”

Minnick has had the opportunity to provide the military media coverage for several key community projects, including the first payday for new recruits in the Iraq Civil Defense Corps and school reconstruction projects in surrounding neighborhoods. These projects and hundreds of others underscore that stability is returning to a nation ruled by a dictator for 30 years.

Minnick and Ludvigson are as proud of their Delta Chi connection as they are of their military service. “Delta Chi brothers have fought and made the ultimate sacrifice in every U.S. war for over a century,” Ludvigson said. “We are proud to continue that history of dedication to the ideals of our nation and our fraternity. I guess you could say that this is the ultimate philanthropy project.”

Minnick agreed that this experience has truly affected his outlooks on life and made him appreciate the freedoms that many Americans take for granted. “Whenever we drive by in our vehicles, whole families stand on the side of road waving, cheering and giving us the ‘thumbs-up’ sign,” Minnick said. “Most Iraqis want us here because we’re helping them achieve something they’ve never had before – freedom.”

Like Minnick, Ludvigson is as motivated by the gratitude of the Iraqis as he is by the security needs of his own country. “We can’t afford to fail at this mission,” Ludvigson said. “There are too many kids here who deserve the same kind of chance that American children have. We’re simply not going to let the terrorists, criminals, and members of the former regime take that chance away from them.”

Both brothers agreed that being in Iraq at this moment in history is a truly defining experience. “Living life in a combat zone as both brothers and comrades at arms gives a whole new perspective to the meaning of ‘In the Bond,’” Minnick said.

Above: J. Philip Ludvigson, American ’96 (right) can be reached at joseph.ludvigson@us.army.mil and Fred Minnick, Oklahoma State ’01 (left) can be reached at fred.minnick@us.army.mil. Below: The palace in Mosul that once was inhabited by Saddam Hussein and his sons.