Gene Cox has seen it before. The political talk, the shuffling of soldiers, even the enemy is the same.

And although he was in the rear guard, he has seen the effects of war as much as anyone else.

Cox, who retired from the military in 1996, was active in conflicts both in Panama and Desert Storm. He worked in medical divisions in both incidents and spent much of that time healing the enemy.

As head of a POW hospital ward in Saudi Arabia, Cox helped wounded Iraqi soldiers taken toward the end of the conflict.

"As (the Iraqi troops) pulled back and we got further into Iraq, they'd just leave them behind," he said.

In 12-hour shifts seven days a week, Cox worked to salvage as much of the soldier's gangrenous limbs as he could. By the end, his ward had saved 47 Iraqi POWs. It was then, Cox said, that he saw what Saddam Hussein was capable of.

"We got them well and got them on an airplane. A lot of them didn't want to go. They were scared," he said. "These people went back, and Saddam shot them on the tarmac. All 47 of them, the day they got back."

Cox, of rural Austin, is in favor of forcing Hussein out of Iraq. He said he thought America should have continued into Baghdad during Desert Storm, but understands why it didn't happen.

"I think we needed objectives. I think that was important at the time so we didn't have an incident like Vietnam," Cox said. "But when we came home, we had that sense that the job wasn't done. From an infantryman's standpoint, I believe it would be even more so."

Cox said Americans don't realize the situation in many countries. They don't see the need to help create freedom for others. He said Americans take many of their liberties for granted. This understanding came for him on Easter of 1991. Careful not to offend the Saudi Arabians, Cox said the military made them keep their worship a secret. During Easter Mass in the basement of a building, he finally realized the importance of religious freedom and all freedoms Americans have.

"If you've had it all along, you don't know what it's like until you don't have it," he said.

One of the most gratifying things for Cox was the appreciation he felt from persecuted people, such as the Kurds. He said they were so happy to see the American troops, they kissed their hands. It seemed to justify the effort.

"They were so grateful," Cox said. "You don't know what they are saying, but you look in their eyes, and you know. We're going to see the same thing in Baghdad."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com