Why we do what we do: An essay from Iraq
March 20, 2008
This being my third trip over here, I have been able to see Iraq go
from a terrible place to live, to a somewhat tolerable place, to what it
is now, a country with a future.
My first trip over here basically had a single mission, to rid the
country of insurgents and stop Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror. My
Brigade, Battalion, Company and Section did our part and in the end,
before we left, Saddam Hussein was captured and most of the insurgents
were cowards hiding behind the scenes. When I left the first time, I
was proud of the job we had done to bring down the tyranny in Iraq.
During my first tour I earned a Combat Action Badge by absorbing an
Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) on the driver’s side of the vehicle I
was driving. It was 6 Dec 04, we were moving locations and I was called
to drive the Command Sergeants Major’s truck. We loaded up and left the
base in our soft shell HUMM-WV’s. Within two miles from the new base a
defining explosion rang to my left and the street disappeared in a cloud
of dirt and smoke. As rocks, shrapnel and debris hit the vehicle I, I
hit the gas. On a few occasions this is when the insurgents attacked
with small arms, I wanted to ensure we had a clear view when it
happened. I needed to get my men out of the smoke so we could defend
ourselves, so I stomped the gas and thrust us forward and yanked the
wheel to the right to pull off to the side so we could dismount and take
cover. Thankfully they were cowards and did not attack. After securing
the area we found that the IED was placed next to a manhole cover which
caved in causing the blast to dissipate.
During my second deployment to Iraq I had the honor of being on a
military transition team (MiTT). The MiTT is a team of US soldiers
chosen to train the Iraqi Army to stand up and proudly take charge of
their country. When I first arrived I saw a beat up, un-motivated, un-
equipped group of civilians… before I left, they were a proud, well
trained, well equipped fighting force. When I left, I was again proud
of the job my men and I did.
We were based out of Yusufiyah, in Southern Baghdad; a place that
was dubbed, “The Triangle of Death” due to how many WIA and KIA’s we
endured. Getting support down there was hard so we had to take care of
ourselves. When we first took over we received IDF mortar rounds five
days a week. On seven occasions they had landed close enough for me to
earn the CAB (Though we are authorized only one per operation). On all
seven occasions I was hit by fallout, thankfully no shrapnel. I walked
away from everything they threw at me; sadly not all were as lucky.
Though we saw our fellow Soldiers hit, though the danger was constant,
daily we pushed through and continued our mission. We didn’t lose
any of the 40 men on the MiTT team, though a few of them will never walk
again, some will take years to recover, some never will.
My third deployment to Iraq is with a support unit rather than an
Infantry unit as were my first two. Our mission is to support the Infantry
and their mission. I have seen this war from three different
perspectives, first from the aggressor, second as a trainer, third as a
supporter. With each deployment I have seen an improvement in this
country.
Though we have been here for only five months out of the 15 month
tour promised, we have seen our share of war. Just this past week we
were attacked twice by mortar and rockets. We received a mortar round a
few nights ago that was very close to home. One of my men and I were
walking into our building and I heard two distinct sounds, the sound of
mortar rounds being launched. Though off in the distance and muffled;
when you live through it once, you never forget what it sounds like.
Just as I said, “What the hell was that” I heard a round fly directly
over our head. The sound of the fins off balance cutting through the
air is very distinct, very frightening. If you are ever unfortunate to
hear it, you will know two things, first that it’s very close and second
that it’s probably not going to hit you (You would not hear it if it was
to hit you because before you realize what it is, it’s exploding).
Before we realized what it was, the round was impacting not 100 yards
away. All at once the air thickened, my heart quickened, and my adrenal
gland kicked into overdrive as I began to sweat all within a second.
We could tell where the round was traveling and quickly rotated
our head in that direction, we saw the splash of metal rise above the
15 foot barriers and within seconds the fire was roaring. At this
point I directed Trenton to get inside (our protocol). Within seconds
of the impact we could see Soldiers fighting the fire and looking for
injured Soldiers. Thankfully, no one was in the building that was
destroyed on impact.
I have seen just about everything that you don’t want to see when
at war. I have been blown up by an IED, hit by mortar rounds and I have
seen men, women and children blown apart, both civilians and fellow
Soldiers. I have seen my share of war and truthfully, I have learned now
how to deal with it. This is Trenton’s first trip and after this, he
will be leaving the service for bigger plans that he has. I do not want
him to deal with what I have had to deal with in the past. I do not
want him to have to go through the sleepless nights or to see the
horrible pictures that came to me for years when I closed my eyes. I
will shelter my Soldiers from the face of war the best I can, but when
it is thrown at them like it was last week, it’s hard to keep them away.
In the end, there ended up being three injuries, all non life
threatening. From what I am told, there was one Soldier with a
laceration on his leg, one suffered smoke inhalation and the third was
shot from a round cooking off (another reason to stay away from a
building when it is burning). The Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) was
three trailers (living quarters) that housed at least 12 Soldiers.
Thankfully, no one was home when the mortar round hit.
I wish I could say that’s it, but two days later we were hit again.
This time we endured three KIA’s. These Soldiers were in my Brigade so I
did not know them personally but the proximity brought this one close to
home. Many of the Soldiers on this tour are experiencing war for the
first time and they are pretty shaken up. We push on day by day
completing our mission, thinking about family and friends back home
asking ourselves why we do what we do. One word sums it up: freedom.
The freedom that we have, the freedom that we offer to those oppressed
is all the energy that I need to do what I do.
I have been asked if I think our mission here in Iraq is worth
while or if I think we should be here in Iraq. From my experience, I
believe in what we are doing in Iraq and I believe in my mission. I
believe in helping those that can not help themselves thus my career
choice. The carnage around a soldier is a part of the life that we
live, a chosen path. Some can handle it; some can’t, in the end we all
do our best to do what we believe in.
Sergeant First Class
Communications NCOIC
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