Local platoon does good...story at 11 on msnbc
I'll start off with good news that was posted here. It's about the little girl that I mentioned in passing in a previous post. Our medic, Doc Allen, was responsible for stabilizing her. Just a couple notes on the story, though: 1. It wasn't luck that we were there. We're "there" 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. 2. She was shot, not hit by a mortar. If the link doesn't work, go to msnbc videos section and search for "Caught in the crossfire". Wendy, you can stop crying now.
I've tended to try to post more often, but it just hasn't happened that way. Generally not much to post, which is a good thing. Other times...well...just harder to find exactly what to say. The length between posts will stop being up to me soon. If you look at the news at all, you've seen the new plans for us here. So we'll be out in BFI before long. Not sure when. Not sure exactly where...
So the updates from my little section of Baghdad tend to be fairly upbeat. That continues I suppose. Mostly quiet...but again...quiet is relative. I had an epiphany of sorts the other night while we were doing the JSS shift. We were sitting on the balcony of the palace, having an MRE and we hear machinegun fire. To a man, we all look in the direction of it...but no one cares. Too far off. No zings, pops or cracks. So it's not at us and doesn't effect us other than being a cool background symphony.
Part of our job in the Market is helping the locals. Not a bad job. A selfless one, though. They ask for much and are generally helpless to help themselves. Not out of lack of ability. Mostly a lack of desire. But that's a deeper subject plane that doesn't need to be hit on here.
Being as days run into days lately, I can't remember exactly which one it was...but 25th of Feb I think. I got out of my truck on the western end of the Market, along with a couple other guys, to speak with some locals about a barrier that had been moved by another company (a common occurrence...they come through our AO, move a barrier and then don't put it back...thanks Charlie.). We're standing there trying to figure how or if we can move it (highway divider...ie, jersey barrier). We come up with a pendulum action using the chain on the humvee to swing it around in place. Great plan. Should work. As we walk over to the barrier, though, we hear "zip! zip!" Couple expletives later and my gunner's unleashed 50 rounds somewhere to the west. I'm ducking for cover behind a light pole. My SGT's on the south side of the truck hugged up next to it, nicely exposed and shooting west (right in front of me...blocking my line of sight...). Next to him is my driver, sitting out in the open on the south side of the truck. I start yelling for him to move, he's doing no good sitting out there. He gives me the "why?" look and it's all I can do not to shoot him myself. Seconds later rounds kick up next to him, coming from the south and he moves as my gunner adjusts his fire to the south and unleashes another long fusillade.
Apparently Pvt Jones shot enough, close enough to silence any takers out there. 2minutes was all it lasted. But it was one of the few times we actually had a target to shoot at. Or at least a couple had a target. Bad guys don't like to stay and play often. No different that time. No time to maneuver. No time to do much of anything. We were just trying to help move a barrier.
I guess it's good to be helpful here...that's why we're here. But sometimes their belief in the mystical surpasses their logical reasoning. If they have any. I swear they think we have magical pills and salves that will do anything. It's the only logical conclusion I can draw from them seeking help for a woman they brought us.
We were approached on the 27th by a group saying they had a casualty that had been hit by a mortar. Older woman. Missing an arm and leg. They had her at the local clinic, but the clinic couldn't help. Sure...we'll see what we can do, bring her to us (many reasons not to go to her...). So they do. And I have Doc Remaly take a look at her. In the meantime they bring a push cart full of others...3 others. Another older woman and two kids (about 3-4yo, one boy, one girl). Turns out the multiple amputee was DOA. Being as she wasn't bleeding when they got her to us, she was probably dead for a while. See belief in the mystical above...
Same with the little girl. She was done. Doc started with the other two. Reset and splinted both legs of the woman and then ran out of bandages patching holes in her and the little boy. It was rather amazing to me, the kid didn't cry. He probably had 15-20 holes in his body...but not a whimper while they worked on him. Just shut his eyes and squeezed his uncle's hand. I say his uncle...his dad wasn't there. I'll get to him shortly. But after some convincing, we finally got the IA ambulance to come over and loaded the two up to go to the hospital.
So the dad. He had gone with another victim (there were several others apparently that other forces had taken to the green zone) to the CSH. When the IA's were seperating everyone out at the hospital, they recognized him. Local insurgent. He tested positive for explosives and was arrested. Turns out dad was trying to ambush a local general and shot his own house. There's some dark humor in there somewhere...if you can see past the innocent child he killed.
I've tended to try to post more often, but it just hasn't happened that way. Generally not much to post, which is a good thing. Other times...well...just harder to find exactly what to say. The length between posts will stop being up to me soon. If you look at the news at all, you've seen the new plans for us here. So we'll be out in BFI before long. Not sure when. Not sure exactly where...
So the updates from my little section of Baghdad tend to be fairly upbeat. That continues I suppose. Mostly quiet...but again...quiet is relative. I had an epiphany of sorts the other night while we were doing the JSS shift. We were sitting on the balcony of the palace, having an MRE and we hear machinegun fire. To a man, we all look in the direction of it...but no one cares. Too far off. No zings, pops or cracks. So it's not at us and doesn't effect us other than being a cool background symphony.
Part of our job in the Market is helping the locals. Not a bad job. A selfless one, though. They ask for much and are generally helpless to help themselves. Not out of lack of ability. Mostly a lack of desire. But that's a deeper subject plane that doesn't need to be hit on here.
Being as days run into days lately, I can't remember exactly which one it was...but 25th of Feb I think. I got out of my truck on the western end of the Market, along with a couple other guys, to speak with some locals about a barrier that had been moved by another company (a common occurrence...they come through our AO, move a barrier and then don't put it back...thanks Charlie.). We're standing there trying to figure how or if we can move it (highway divider...ie, jersey barrier). We come up with a pendulum action using the chain on the humvee to swing it around in place. Great plan. Should work. As we walk over to the barrier, though, we hear "zip! zip!" Couple expletives later and my gunner's unleashed 50 rounds somewhere to the west. I'm ducking for cover behind a light pole. My SGT's on the south side of the truck hugged up next to it, nicely exposed and shooting west (right in front of me...blocking my line of sight...). Next to him is my driver, sitting out in the open on the south side of the truck. I start yelling for him to move, he's doing no good sitting out there. He gives me the "why?" look and it's all I can do not to shoot him myself. Seconds later rounds kick up next to him, coming from the south and he moves as my gunner adjusts his fire to the south and unleashes another long fusillade.
Apparently Pvt Jones shot enough, close enough to silence any takers out there. 2minutes was all it lasted. But it was one of the few times we actually had a target to shoot at. Or at least a couple had a target. Bad guys don't like to stay and play often. No different that time. No time to maneuver. No time to do much of anything. We were just trying to help move a barrier.
I guess it's good to be helpful here...that's why we're here. But sometimes their belief in the mystical surpasses their logical reasoning. If they have any. I swear they think we have magical pills and salves that will do anything. It's the only logical conclusion I can draw from them seeking help for a woman they brought us.
We were approached on the 27th by a group saying they had a casualty that had been hit by a mortar. Older woman. Missing an arm and leg. They had her at the local clinic, but the clinic couldn't help. Sure...we'll see what we can do, bring her to us (many reasons not to go to her...). So they do. And I have Doc Remaly take a look at her. In the meantime they bring a push cart full of others...3 others. Another older woman and two kids (about 3-4yo, one boy, one girl). Turns out the multiple amputee was DOA. Being as she wasn't bleeding when they got her to us, she was probably dead for a while. See belief in the mystical above...
Same with the little girl. She was done. Doc started with the other two. Reset and splinted both legs of the woman and then ran out of bandages patching holes in her and the little boy. It was rather amazing to me, the kid didn't cry. He probably had 15-20 holes in his body...but not a whimper while they worked on him. Just shut his eyes and squeezed his uncle's hand. I say his uncle...his dad wasn't there. I'll get to him shortly. But after some convincing, we finally got the IA ambulance to come over and loaded the two up to go to the hospital.
So the dad. He had gone with another victim (there were several others apparently that other forces had taken to the green zone) to the CSH. When the IA's were seperating everyone out at the hospital, they recognized him. Local insurgent. He tested positive for explosives and was arrested. Turns out dad was trying to ambush a local general and shot his own house. There's some dark humor in there somewhere...if you can see past the innocent child he killed.
posted by Robert Plummer at 2:34 AM
2 Comments:
You're right- I cried :-( Most war coverage makes me cry though. Don't know how you guys do it. Good to hear from you Bobby. We miss you. Wendy
You were right.. I cried. I cry a couple of times a week watching war coverage though. Good to hear from you Bobby. We miss you! Wendy
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