π¨π¨π¨ WARNING!! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY STORIES OF WAR π¨π¨π¨
Below is my favorite picture of my deployment to Iraq. I have always, and will always, love animals. And for some reason, animals usually love me, too. We were on a patrol through the city, when we spotted this camel tied up at a gas station, so we pulled over to get a better look. As you can tell from the picture, we immediately became best buds π. If you look closely, it almost looks like the camel is smiling as it kisses my helmet. I can't help but smile every time I look at this picture, but at the same time, it brings up memories of possibly the worst night of my life. The reason is because this picture was taken a few days after a car full of fedayeen ran our checkpoint, and I was almost killed for the second time in my life.
For anyone still reading, even though it may not seem like it, I promise this story has a happy ending. I was assigned to a Delta Company in Iraq, which is a mounted Infantry unit. We drove Humvees with heavy weapon systems mounted on them, designed to take on tanks and other vehicles. With no tanks to fight, we found ourselves on IED patrols (a.k.a. drive around until someone tries to blow you up), perimeter security for raids, escort missions, and roving security checkpoints. A few nights before the picture was taken, we were set up on a checkpoint. We would stop vehicles and search them for bombs and weapons. Sometime after midnight, a small orange and white car started to approach our checkpoint (most cars in Iraq were orange and white, like in the picture), and started driving suspiciously. It would jerk to a stop, then start slowly rolling forward, pick up speed, stop again, etc.. We knew immediately that something was up, so our platoon sergeant stepped out to signal them to stop.
As soon as he did, all Hell broke loose. The driver of the car accelerated towards the checkpoint, hitting our platoon sergeant full on, sending him over the car. At the same time, the two passengers in the car started firing automatic weapons out the windows at us. No-one knows exactly how fast they were going, but they almost made it all the way from one end of the checkpoint to the other. I won't say exactly how we were set up (partly because I don't remember, partly because I probably shouldn't), but it was probably close to 50 meters. We immediately returned fire, and even though it seemed like minutes, the whole thing was over in probably 30 seconds. When all was said and done, 5 of our guys were wounded, 2 from gunfire, 2 from flying glass, and our platoon sergeant, whose leg was completely shattered. The 3 insurgents were neutralized. When I say this story has a happy ending, it's because our 2 worst injured guys ended making full recoveries. Our platoon sgt. with the completely shattered leg, ended up running The Air Assault School within 6 months. And one of our gunners took 2 AK rounds to the gut, and was home, fully recovered, and deployed back to Iraq with another unit within a year.
The other picture is of the tail light I was knelt next to while returning fire. You can see the bullet hole from the round that passed inches from my face. My chain of command let me keep it when we got home. I've told this story many times over the years, but almost exclusively to other vets, and I've never made a written record of it before. It hits different, seeing it all typed out π³. Needless to say, it was much needed, four-legged therapy a few days later. I wonder whatever happened to that camel. I hope it's okay.
