The pop-punk star made a wild claim that he helped the US Army to capture Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein – but Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus’ story actually adds up
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has claimed he helped the US military to capture Saddam Hussein by coming up with a plan to track him down. The former Iraqi president was caught by coalition forces in 2003 and was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi High Tribunal, before being sentenced to death by hanging. He was executed in December 2006.
But Blink bassist Mark Hoppus claims the brutal regime was toppled after he gave the US Army admiral a few top tips on how to capture the elusive dictator. Writing in his new memoir, Fahrenheit-182, Hoppus, 53, explained how he believes he helped the military to locate Hussein, who had been in hiding.
He recalled telling the admiral: “Sir, I have a plan for how to catch Saddam Hussein.” He went on to propose his idea of using drones that could broadcast ultrasonic frequencies, which couldn’t be heard by humans.
Hoppus then said that the frequencies could be used to triangulate the former president’s location when he released his video messages while in hiding. The musician suggested that if Hussein released a video, the time code could be captured to allow authorities to locate him.
He told the admiral: “Sir, what about having drones fly all over the region in carpeting patterns, broadcasting time codes above the level of human hearing but at the level that a video recording would catch it.”
He went on: “Then, the next time he releases one of his videos, you can listen to it, pull the ultrasonic data, and triangulate the drones you have flying all over.” Hoppus remembered the admiral was “genuinely taken aback” by his plan, saying he could pitch it to the Chiefs of Staff.
Hoppus wrote: “Four months later, Saddam was located and captured in Iraq. So, you’re welcome everyone.”
It’s not the first time the bassist has referenced the bizarre exchange, having spoken to a Twitter follower about it in 2018. When asked to reveal the “least plausible story about himself that’s true”, Hoppus told his story to his social media followers.
He explained that while he was “on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, I told a Navy Admiral on his way to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff my ideas on how to capture Saddam Hussein.” Adding credibility to his story, Blink 182 played for US troops on the USS Nimitz in 2003.
Meanwhile, band mate Tom Delonge has also been of use to the US military, having teamed up with the Army to collaborate on the study of “exotic” metals. The guitarist’s To The Stars Academy was reported to have signed a contract with the military, which committed to donating $750,000 to the organisation’s research for a five-year collaboration.
The contract states: “Government shall: Perform assessments, testing, and characterization of Collaborator-provided technologies. The Government is interested in a variety of the Collaborator’s technologies, such as, but not limited to inertial mass reduction, mechanical/structural meta materials, electromagnetic meta material wave guides, quantum physics, quantum communications, and beamed energy propulsion.”
Kari DeLonge, TTSA chief content officer and Tom’s sister, told Vice: “TTSA has acquired material from various sources and does not comment on the specifics of each sample.”
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