Mark Hoppus, bassist and vocalist for pop-punk band Blink-182, has shared an extraordinary story, suggesting he may have unintentionally played a key part in the 2003 capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The surprising tale is detailed in his new memoir, “Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir,” and was recently discussed in an interview with NME.
The unlikely scenario unfolded while Blink-182 was performing for U.S. troops stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War. According to Hoppus, he found himself in a conversation with a high-ranking Navy admiral after dinner, before a show in the carrier’s hangar. It was then that he pitched an idea.
“Sir, I have a plan for how to catch Saddam Hussein,” Hoppus recalled telling the admiral. At the time, Hussein was releasing video messages to his followers from unknown locations. Hoppus‘s plan involved using this to the military’s advantage.
He explained his thinking to the admiral: “If you have an idea of where he might be, why don’t you fly drones or aircraft in grid patterns, blasting a time code as loud as you can above the range of human hearing but within the dynamic range that would get captured on a video cassette. Then when he releases his video cassette, you can take the audio portion and extract the time code and triangulate where he might be.”
The admiral, Hoppus admitted, initially “laughed at me.” However, the Blink-182 musician said the officer seemed “genuinely taken aback” by the detailed suggestion and mentioned he had an upcoming meeting at the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he “might bring up your idea.”
About four months after this conversation, Saddam Hussein was located and captured in Iraq. Hoppus humorously concludes his role in the affair with lines like: “so it must have been me,” and “So, you’re welcome everyone.”
When asked by NME journalist Andrew Trendell why there isn’t a statue commemorating his intervention in global events, Hoppus modestly replied: “You know, I don’t need that. Just knowing that I saved the world is medal enough.”
This remarkable story is one of many shared in “Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir,” where Hoppus also reflects on his band’s massive success, life on the road, and his more recent, successful battle against cancer. He also remembers the harsh conditions of performing for troops in the Middle East, recalling how difficult it was to endure the wind and sand in Bahrain and Kuwait even for a few hours. “I don’t know how they endured it for weeks, months and years at a time,” he explained. “It was maddening.”
U.S. military has not officially recognized Hoppus‘s contribution to Operation Red Dawn.
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