Posted on 08/05/2004 6:29:28 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
This is what CNN wrote on their website about what happened yesterday here in Mosul:
Mosul clashes leave 12 dead
Clashes between police and insurgents in the northern city of Mosul left 12 Iraqis dead and 26 wounded, hospital and police sources said Wednesday.
Rifle and rocket-propelled grenade fire as well as explosions were heard in the streets of the city.
The provincial governor imposed a curfew that began at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. EDT), and two hours later, provincial forces, police and Iraqi National Guard took control, according to Hazem Gelawi, head of the governor's press office in the Nineveh province. Gelawi said the city is stable and expects the curfew to be lifted Thursday.
Now here's what really happened:
I was in my room reading a book (Thin Red Line) when the mortars started coming down. Usually when we get mortared it'll only one, maybe two mortars. But this mortar attack went on for almost 20 minutes. Each one impacting the FOB every couple minutes. Something was up. My roommate ripped open the door and yelled "Get your guys, Go to the motor pool! The whole BATTALION is rolling out!"
Rated "R" for language.
This was only my second day as a T.C. Sitting right next to me out the hatch was my Plt Sgt.. Shortly as we were driving down the main street leaving our FOB, a man, dressed in all black, jumped out from the side corner of a building, pointed his AK47 right at me. Right at my f**king head and all I saw was the fire from his muzzle flash leaving the end of his barrel as he was shooting at me. I heard and felt the bullets whiz literally inches from my head, hitting all around my hatch and 50 cal mount making a "Ping" "Ping" "Ping" sound. I ducked the f**ked down in the hatch. I yelled "We're taking fire! 3 O'clock!!! Turned the gun around towards where the guy was and fired a burst. I fired a burst right over our back air guard hatch where our First Sgt was sticking out of and shooting. He yelled "Tell him to stop f**king shooting over my head!!!" Sh*t. My bad. I looked over and my PLT Sgt who was sticking out the hatch next to me a couple seconds ago was now dropped down from the hatch and now on his back. He was yelling, "I'm Hit! I'm hit!" I looked at his helmet and a bullet went right through his helmet and exited through the other side. Holy sh*t! I didn't see any blood on him. He looked completely dazed though. He took his Helmet off and observed the holes in his helmet. No f**king sh*t, the bullet entered his helmet, and exited through the other side, missing his upper forehead by like 1-100th of an inch. A f**kin miricale. He was standing right next to me, that's how close the bullets were from hitting us. We continued driving.
Powerful read. The Stryker Remote Weapons Station did not jam and succesfully engaged targets while moving.
read this
Angels deflecting bullets again. Somebody at home is praying for him. We should all not let down our intercessory guard for these ones we love and support. God will overlook their coarse language...notice that they are careful to not take His name in vain?
"The Stryker Remote Weapons Station did not jam and succesfully engaged targets while moving."
I take back my opposition to the stryker!!!
I'll link to this from the Liberating Iraq blog too:
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com
High adventure all around. Hope he and his buddies are safe. Good hunting!
I have no doubt that angels were involved, but the helmet was designed to do this, which may have helped.
May the angels continue to watch over these guys...
God helps those, who help themselves.
;-)
Blackfive has some great posts - I am going to link to this one -
Thundering Third - Part 4 - Marines Destroy Ambushers:
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/08/thundering_thir.html
The guy has a good question. Having to exit the vehicle to reload seems like a non-optimum design decision
You can only get so much into a five pound bag and if you want to carry more you put it wherever it'll fit.
Scary stuff and plausible reporting but he'd have been a lot less happy if the rack had been empty.
I recieved an e-mail from B Abell Jurus, the author of the book Men In Green Faces, which is about Navy Seals in Vietnam, and she forwarded me an e-mail she recieved from Ed Fitzgerald, one of the Original Green Berets. He read my Men In Black blog entry, and said some interesting things, and double taps on the confusion that happens in a situation like that. Check out what he said about the blog: That "green" gunner captured vividly the total confusion, the terror of that situation he was suddenly thrown into. He shows us clearly something that is very true--the fact that in the middle of a firefight like that, you only can track about 1/10th of what is happening.(Maybe 1/40th of what is going on for the most experienced and coolest guyson the scene, those with many previous firefights). So often in fiction (and in the bullshit tales told by people who were never in a real firefight) we read these accounts where the "hero" both "sees" andtells you you step by step in minute detail every single thing that is taking place--in a situation where he could easily be killed or horribly maimed. Mostly, that's just crap. The way this guy described it (with all the warts--not sure what he is hitting most of the time, shooting too closeto his own men, etc.)--that is indeed how it is in a situation like that. Too often, even in otherwise very well-written action books, there is no hint of that confused desperation which hits people when they are suddenly in it up to their eyebrows, with death or serious injury an all too real possibility. Loved the way that "green" gunner captured the reality of that kind of firefight--he nailed it right on the money. Ed
Ping for later
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