lsbets
01-24-2005, 03:50 AM
This from is from one of my soldiers who is home on convalescant leave recovering from wounds received in an IED attack in Baghdad on New Year's Day. I have taken the names out, but I asked him to e-mail me his account of what happenned that day so I could close the loop on some awards information. I think this gives a great look at what it is like running convoys over here:
We left Anaconda at I think around 0600 on New Year's Day headed back south to Kuwait. I was the lead 915 with SSG Mac's Hummer in front of us. The previous couple of days I was in the rear but the front element kept missing turns so I asked to be put out front so as to help run things cuz SSG Mac had only been convoy commander once before and never in a Guntruck.
So about an hour later (0700) our convoy was making the turn onto route Sword and just a few hundred meters onto Sword and there were soldiers on the ground frantically waving to stop the convoy. I radioed the info back thru the convoy. I told everyone to pull 100% security until I found out what was up. SSG Mac came back to my truck and we talked to the 1 ID LT (First Infantry Division Lieutenant) on the ground that was in charge. He showed us that they were cordoning off around an IED (improvised explosive device) in the median between the lanes up ahead. I explained to him that our convoy was not even completely onto route Sword yet and that left us vulnerable to attack. I got a radio message from SSG J in the rear that this is the area that previous convoys had been attacked. I radioed back that we may be a little better off because there were a few tanks and Bradleys here on the ground with 1 ID and their troops. ; J said they were also here before and we still got hit.
I told SSG Mac that he ought to bring up a second line of trucks so as to get everyone off the ramp to Sword and that we could better protect the convoy. As we were doing that, there was heavy auto gunfire to our 2 o'clock area approximately 300 meters away. I radioed through the convoy about the gunfire so they'd be on their toes. I told the LT that we had to reroute or get some air cover or something. He suggested that we use our guntruck to see if there was enough room on the far end of the northbound lane for 915's to make it through. SSG Mac agreed and went across the road to look. There were several other troops on the ground taking up positions around us. SSG Mac kept constant radio contact with me and I kept him in line of sight until about 200 meters out some civilian traffic blocked my view then I radioed him to not go any further. The situation got a little more tense with more auto gunfire off in the original direction and I told the LT it didn't look good. We'd already been there stopped for what seemed to be about 20+ minutes.
I told SSG Mac to return but he said he was on the other side of where the IED was and that there was a clearing for him to get through to meet us on the other side. Then the LT said he would position one of his tanks right next to the IED and button up so as to take the brunt of any possible blast of the IED and that we should drive the convoy around the far right side of the southbound lanes then return to the center once on the other side. I radioed throughout the convoy to get ready to move then they positioned the tank and we rolled. Things went smoothly as we drove on, meeting up with SSG Mac's hummer. The convoy got well underway and up to speed when FLASH! I was scanning to the right and an IED detonated right beside my truck to the right. It was what I think to have been a textbook case of a decoy IED then a real one up the road hoping that we went that way.
The next few minutes felt like hours. I immediately felt the upper part of my head go numb. I knew I had been hit but didn't know how bad. I was shaking on my right side. I couldn't see anything to the right. I told PFC G to step on it and get outta there. I knew we were the lead vehicle and if we stopped, it would leave the convoy in the kill zone. I got on the radio and told everybody I'd been hit and if I didn't make it, I love 'em. I looked at PFC G and she had a look on her face that told me in no uncertain words that my face was messed up. I was reluctant to bandage my face because of the fear of the extent of the wound. I then took out the bandage from my first aid pouch. I had trouble tearing the plastic open to get to it so I asked PFC G for assistance. I then took out the bandage and put it over the right side of my face and right eye. I kept pressure without tying it off. I then felt around my legs and side for any other injuries. I looked around for signs of blood or missing parts. I could taste blood in my mouth and I was dribbling. My hand was bloody but I felt as though I wasn't in as bad of shape as I originally thought. I was gonna make it.
The truck had obviously been damaged from the blast because as she drove on, the truck was bouncing vigorously and I could smell fuel. I told her to keep driving until it wouldn't go any more. Since I couldn't see to the right, I didn't notice that the convoy had already passed us and stopped and SGT G called PFC G on the radio and demanded that she stop. Upon stopping I kept pressure on my bandage and they pulled me out of the truck to the right. I noticed that the windshield was smashed and the door gasket was across my lap and there was fuel all over the ground. They took me over to a hummer and sat me down. I noticed a team already hooking up a tow bar to my disabled truck. I told them I was alright and that they needed to call for medevac. I also told them to keep security because we were in a vulnerable area. They were already doing all of that. We had traveled what I think was a couple of miles. Sgt G provided me with an additional bandage over mine and covered both of my eyes with the second bandage. Sgt F came and took over and talked to me and reassured me. She gave me an I.V. to help prevent shock. I continuously told everyone that I was fine and to stop babying me. I told them to prepare a landing zone for the medevac but they had already done so. Sgt.F told me to lay down but I refused thinking that I wouldn't be in charge any more once I layed down. So I sat there and waited for the helo while Sgt.F continually checked my pulse and condition.
Finally, the helo was inbound and I was taken to the front of the hummer to wait. Sand and dust was blowing everwhere so I closed my mouth and covered my face with my hands. Sgt.G was yelling to everyone to keep their weapons pointed down or the helo wouldn't land. The helo medics came and got me and I asked Sgt.F about my weapon and gear. She assured me all was taken care of. I said goodbye.
About 0830 I was rushed from the helo on a stretcher into Ibn Seena Hospital in the Green Zone in the heavily fortified center of Baghdad. Dozens of nurses and medical staff were surrounding me. They took me through what seemed like a 1950's era hospital to the emergency care ward. They stripped me of my clothes and put all kinds of tubes and needles in me. The doctor checked me out initially and then called in the eye specialist. To my surprise, when he examined me, I could actually see shadows in the room out of my right eye. After several grueling and somewhat 'uncomfortable' checks, they informed me I was headed to surgery to remove whatever was in my face and eye.
Next thing I remember was counting backwards from 100. I think 97 was uttered before I awoke in a different section of the hospital. I was now in a small room with paint and plaster peeling from the walls and a very small window across from my bed. I had already had the surgery and the doctor came in to see me. He said all was removed from my wounds and they were cleaned out. They were transfering me to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany for further treatment. A few hours later, another helo took me to Balad Hospital about an hour north of Baghdad which is at an airbase with flights out of the country. After arriving there, I slept several hours which ended up being the next morning before I knew it. Then I was flown to Germany in a C-141 which was made specifically for medevac. There were racks built in just for carrying stretchers. There was about a dozen or so patients laying on the racks and then about the same amount sitting on the sides of the aisles with injuries that didn't prevent them from walking onto the plane. There was one flight surgeon for every two patients. It was very good care for the 5-6 hour trip to Landstuhl.
Upon arriving at Landstuhl, I was assigned a room with two other soldiers already on beds in it. I talked with them for a few hours and learned of their injuries from Iraq. My new doctor finally came in and took me to his section of the hospital for assessment. Then I returned to a different room where I would spend the next three days. I had a new roommate. He was an Infantry Specialist that had gotten ambushed in Mosul about a week before. Both his arms were injured and one of his legs. His face had taken slight injury also but he could actually get around well. Although his injuries were extreme and lifelong results, he was in good spirits. I made it through the countless hours of vital signs checks, I.V. changes, doctor's visits, etc. until they released me. I then was flown to Andrews Air Force Base in the US near Washington, DC. It was an eleven hour trip aboard another C-141. Not a trip I would like to EVER take again. Same setup as before inside the plane.
I arrived the evening of the 5th and was assigned another hospital room with three other patients. We were just there until the next morning for our flights. We were met at the door by representatives of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. After receiving welcome gifts and continuous thanks for our service, we were given question and answer briefings. Finally, food then on to our rooms. I called a friend of mine that happened to work in Washington and he came by to see me. He had spent a lot of his military years deployed to the Middle East so as I described what had happened to me, I knew he really understood.
The next morning I boarded a C130 for what would be my final flight towards home. After two other stops at airbases along the way, we landed at Pope Air Force Base which is next to Ft.Bragg. I was taken by ambulance to Womack Army Medical Center for inprocessing. After seeing a general surgeon and an eye specialist, I was sent to admissions for a while. That is when I first saw the 'angel of my eye', my wife V. After going by the unit that I was assigned until the end of my ordeal, my wife and I headed home. This was the beginning of my 30 days of convalescent leave to give my face and eye time to heal naturally before the doctors consider further surgeries and treatment.
Wish me luck!
He is one of the finest soldiers I have ever met, and was the best squad leader in my company. He is also a very lucky man. The pattern of shrapnel hitting the door of his truck clearly shows that he would have been killed if it were not for the armor. We had another soldier get struck in his body armor by a 2 inch piece of shrapnel during the attack, and all he got was a bruise. If you ever wondered why I get so angry when people say reservists are not properly trained or equipped, the above is the reason. My soldiers have proven to me time and again that there is no finer truck company in the Army than ours, and it is an honor to command soldiers of their caliber.
We left Anaconda at I think around 0600 on New Year's Day headed back south to Kuwait. I was the lead 915 with SSG Mac's Hummer in front of us. The previous couple of days I was in the rear but the front element kept missing turns so I asked to be put out front so as to help run things cuz SSG Mac had only been convoy commander once before and never in a Guntruck.
So about an hour later (0700) our convoy was making the turn onto route Sword and just a few hundred meters onto Sword and there were soldiers on the ground frantically waving to stop the convoy. I radioed the info back thru the convoy. I told everyone to pull 100% security until I found out what was up. SSG Mac came back to my truck and we talked to the 1 ID LT (First Infantry Division Lieutenant) on the ground that was in charge. He showed us that they were cordoning off around an IED (improvised explosive device) in the median between the lanes up ahead. I explained to him that our convoy was not even completely onto route Sword yet and that left us vulnerable to attack. I got a radio message from SSG J in the rear that this is the area that previous convoys had been attacked. I radioed back that we may be a little better off because there were a few tanks and Bradleys here on the ground with 1 ID and their troops. ; J said they were also here before and we still got hit.
I told SSG Mac that he ought to bring up a second line of trucks so as to get everyone off the ramp to Sword and that we could better protect the convoy. As we were doing that, there was heavy auto gunfire to our 2 o'clock area approximately 300 meters away. I radioed through the convoy about the gunfire so they'd be on their toes. I told the LT that we had to reroute or get some air cover or something. He suggested that we use our guntruck to see if there was enough room on the far end of the northbound lane for 915's to make it through. SSG Mac agreed and went across the road to look. There were several other troops on the ground taking up positions around us. SSG Mac kept constant radio contact with me and I kept him in line of sight until about 200 meters out some civilian traffic blocked my view then I radioed him to not go any further. The situation got a little more tense with more auto gunfire off in the original direction and I told the LT it didn't look good. We'd already been there stopped for what seemed to be about 20+ minutes.
I told SSG Mac to return but he said he was on the other side of where the IED was and that there was a clearing for him to get through to meet us on the other side. Then the LT said he would position one of his tanks right next to the IED and button up so as to take the brunt of any possible blast of the IED and that we should drive the convoy around the far right side of the southbound lanes then return to the center once on the other side. I radioed throughout the convoy to get ready to move then they positioned the tank and we rolled. Things went smoothly as we drove on, meeting up with SSG Mac's hummer. The convoy got well underway and up to speed when FLASH! I was scanning to the right and an IED detonated right beside my truck to the right. It was what I think to have been a textbook case of a decoy IED then a real one up the road hoping that we went that way.
The next few minutes felt like hours. I immediately felt the upper part of my head go numb. I knew I had been hit but didn't know how bad. I was shaking on my right side. I couldn't see anything to the right. I told PFC G to step on it and get outta there. I knew we were the lead vehicle and if we stopped, it would leave the convoy in the kill zone. I got on the radio and told everybody I'd been hit and if I didn't make it, I love 'em. I looked at PFC G and she had a look on her face that told me in no uncertain words that my face was messed up. I was reluctant to bandage my face because of the fear of the extent of the wound. I then took out the bandage from my first aid pouch. I had trouble tearing the plastic open to get to it so I asked PFC G for assistance. I then took out the bandage and put it over the right side of my face and right eye. I kept pressure without tying it off. I then felt around my legs and side for any other injuries. I looked around for signs of blood or missing parts. I could taste blood in my mouth and I was dribbling. My hand was bloody but I felt as though I wasn't in as bad of shape as I originally thought. I was gonna make it.
The truck had obviously been damaged from the blast because as she drove on, the truck was bouncing vigorously and I could smell fuel. I told her to keep driving until it wouldn't go any more. Since I couldn't see to the right, I didn't notice that the convoy had already passed us and stopped and SGT G called PFC G on the radio and demanded that she stop. Upon stopping I kept pressure on my bandage and they pulled me out of the truck to the right. I noticed that the windshield was smashed and the door gasket was across my lap and there was fuel all over the ground. They took me over to a hummer and sat me down. I noticed a team already hooking up a tow bar to my disabled truck. I told them I was alright and that they needed to call for medevac. I also told them to keep security because we were in a vulnerable area. They were already doing all of that. We had traveled what I think was a couple of miles. Sgt G provided me with an additional bandage over mine and covered both of my eyes with the second bandage. Sgt F came and took over and talked to me and reassured me. She gave me an I.V. to help prevent shock. I continuously told everyone that I was fine and to stop babying me. I told them to prepare a landing zone for the medevac but they had already done so. Sgt.F told me to lay down but I refused thinking that I wouldn't be in charge any more once I layed down. So I sat there and waited for the helo while Sgt.F continually checked my pulse and condition.
Finally, the helo was inbound and I was taken to the front of the hummer to wait. Sand and dust was blowing everwhere so I closed my mouth and covered my face with my hands. Sgt.G was yelling to everyone to keep their weapons pointed down or the helo wouldn't land. The helo medics came and got me and I asked Sgt.F about my weapon and gear. She assured me all was taken care of. I said goodbye.
About 0830 I was rushed from the helo on a stretcher into Ibn Seena Hospital in the Green Zone in the heavily fortified center of Baghdad. Dozens of nurses and medical staff were surrounding me. They took me through what seemed like a 1950's era hospital to the emergency care ward. They stripped me of my clothes and put all kinds of tubes and needles in me. The doctor checked me out initially and then called in the eye specialist. To my surprise, when he examined me, I could actually see shadows in the room out of my right eye. After several grueling and somewhat 'uncomfortable' checks, they informed me I was headed to surgery to remove whatever was in my face and eye.
Next thing I remember was counting backwards from 100. I think 97 was uttered before I awoke in a different section of the hospital. I was now in a small room with paint and plaster peeling from the walls and a very small window across from my bed. I had already had the surgery and the doctor came in to see me. He said all was removed from my wounds and they were cleaned out. They were transfering me to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany for further treatment. A few hours later, another helo took me to Balad Hospital about an hour north of Baghdad which is at an airbase with flights out of the country. After arriving there, I slept several hours which ended up being the next morning before I knew it. Then I was flown to Germany in a C-141 which was made specifically for medevac. There were racks built in just for carrying stretchers. There was about a dozen or so patients laying on the racks and then about the same amount sitting on the sides of the aisles with injuries that didn't prevent them from walking onto the plane. There was one flight surgeon for every two patients. It was very good care for the 5-6 hour trip to Landstuhl.
Upon arriving at Landstuhl, I was assigned a room with two other soldiers already on beds in it. I talked with them for a few hours and learned of their injuries from Iraq. My new doctor finally came in and took me to his section of the hospital for assessment. Then I returned to a different room where I would spend the next three days. I had a new roommate. He was an Infantry Specialist that had gotten ambushed in Mosul about a week before. Both his arms were injured and one of his legs. His face had taken slight injury also but he could actually get around well. Although his injuries were extreme and lifelong results, he was in good spirits. I made it through the countless hours of vital signs checks, I.V. changes, doctor's visits, etc. until they released me. I then was flown to Andrews Air Force Base in the US near Washington, DC. It was an eleven hour trip aboard another C-141. Not a trip I would like to EVER take again. Same setup as before inside the plane.
I arrived the evening of the 5th and was assigned another hospital room with three other patients. We were just there until the next morning for our flights. We were met at the door by representatives of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. After receiving welcome gifts and continuous thanks for our service, we were given question and answer briefings. Finally, food then on to our rooms. I called a friend of mine that happened to work in Washington and he came by to see me. He had spent a lot of his military years deployed to the Middle East so as I described what had happened to me, I knew he really understood.
The next morning I boarded a C130 for what would be my final flight towards home. After two other stops at airbases along the way, we landed at Pope Air Force Base which is next to Ft.Bragg. I was taken by ambulance to Womack Army Medical Center for inprocessing. After seeing a general surgeon and an eye specialist, I was sent to admissions for a while. That is when I first saw the 'angel of my eye', my wife V. After going by the unit that I was assigned until the end of my ordeal, my wife and I headed home. This was the beginning of my 30 days of convalescent leave to give my face and eye time to heal naturally before the doctors consider further surgeries and treatment.
Wish me luck!
He is one of the finest soldiers I have ever met, and was the best squad leader in my company. He is also a very lucky man. The pattern of shrapnel hitting the door of his truck clearly shows that he would have been killed if it were not for the armor. We had another soldier get struck in his body armor by a 2 inch piece of shrapnel during the attack, and all he got was a bruise. If you ever wondered why I get so angry when people say reservists are not properly trained or equipped, the above is the reason. My soldiers have proven to me time and again that there is no finer truck company in the Army than ours, and it is an honor to command soldiers of their caliber.