Marine in 'Fall of Baghdad' Photo Injured

AP ^ | Fri, Apr 09, 2004 | KEN KUSMER

[Eurotwit]

INDIANAPOLIS - A Marine from Indiana whose smiling, cigar-smoking image helped symbolize the fall of Baghdad a year ago suffered severe head injuries in fighting this week in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah.

AP Photo

Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch, 36, of Terre Haute, marked Friday's one-year anniversary of the fall at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. Surgeons removed a piece of shrapnel that lodged near his optic nerve when a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into his tank Tuesday in Fallujah, his wife said Friday.

"He had to have his right eye removed. He's very concerned about that," April Popaditch said from Twentynine Palms, Calif., where her husband is based.

She said they spoke for 45 minutes after his surgery ended.

"I cried to him like anyone would to their loved one. Everything just came out," she said.

She said she told him, "I thank God that you have your two arms and two legs. I thank God for the wonderful Marines who were right around your tank to get you off to safety."

The two, who were married 13 years ago Thursday, also exchanged anniversary greetings. They wed a few days after Nick Popaditch returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq (news - web sites) during the 1991 Persian Gulf War (news - web sites), and now have a 10-year-old son.

April Popaditch spent their wedding anniversary a year ago watching video footage of her husband's tank in Baghdad. An Associated Press photograph captured him smiling and holding a cigar in his hand with a statue of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) looming in the background shortly before it was toppled.

His company finished its Iraq tour last year, but he joined another company that left for the region at the end of February, April Popaditch said. It was sent to Fallujah, where four Americans were killed and mutilated last week. Fighting this week in Fallujah has killed four Marines and more than 280 Iraqis.

"He is one of those Marines who has his hand raised anytime there's something overseas," April Popaditch said. "He says he goes for the people we lost on September 11."

Popaditch probably will be moved to a hospital in the United States within a few days, said Maj. Daniel Smith, executive officer of the 1st Tank Battalion based in Twentynine Palms. Losing an eye will end Popaditch's tank career, Smith said.

"He's been in the tanks enough, so he will be fine with that," April Popaditch said, but she added she hopes her husband can continue in the service.

[Eurotwit]

I did not know whether I should post this story. It's sad. But..

What an incredible hero.

Quite often, I feel totally unworthy being defended by such giants among men.

God bless him!

[Eurotwit]

Having trouble posting the picture...

[baltodog]

My sentiments exactly. I refer to our soldiers as just that -- our soldiers.

I used to say it was "us against them". It's not "us". It's our soldiers -- in fact it's Our Soldiers -- against them.

As for me, Free Republic is the closest I've ever come to battle.

[giznort]

Thank you for posting - you did the right thing. Please join me in prayers for this good gentleman and his wife.

[EllaMinnow]

Oh my Lord...if this is who I think it is..."Cigar Guy" was a huge favorite of many women freepers...

[mystery-ak]

Sorry to read this....Im sure he will still be allowed to serve.

[Catspaw]

Fri Apr 9, 2:35 PM ET
Staff Sgt. Nick Popadich of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment, smokes a cigar while standing on top of his tank, as he arrives at a main crossroad in downtown Baghdad, in this April 9, 2003 file photo. A statue of then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) is in the background. Popaditch of Terre Haute, Ind., suffered severe injuries in an attack on his tank this week, almost one year after the fall of Baghdad, and will likely will lose his right eye after being hit with shrapnel when a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into his tank Wednesday, April 7, 2004, in Fallujah, family members and fellow Marines said Friday. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File)

[EllaMinnow]

Yes, it's him. I am shocked.

[dandelion]

I'm just so glad he's alive. What a man...

God bless all his buddies, too.

[Viking2002]

I hate to see a good man lose an eye, but like his wife said - he has both arms, both legs, and most importantly - his life. He comes home a hero, with a wife and child waiting on him. I salute him, and my door will always be open for people like that.

[TheDon]

"He is one of those Marines who has his hand raised anytime there's something overseas," April Popaditch said. "He says he goes for the people we lost on September 11."

You did the right thing in posting this news. The more we know of their sacrifices for us, and others, the closer we come to more fully appreciating them as we ought.

[Blue Scourge]

My condolences to the family, but atleast as far as I can tell in the article he still has one eye and full use of his body....a blessing in a time of sorrow.

[Cold Heat]

A question for you tankers out there.

What the heck are they using in these RPG rounds to cause damage to that degree on a Abrahms tank????????????????????

A standard shape charge seems to be not enough. They can't be just HE.

[duckbutt]

Pray daily for all our troopers - - what a bunch of great Americans.

It's especially tough when you put a face and name together...

God bless his family.....Lord, may he recover to the fullest extent possible.

[Libertina]

April Popaditch said, but she added she hopes her husband can continue in the service.
What a woman!

[Ramius]

Damn.

Sure, it could have been worse, but giving up an eye for a great cause is a high price for that Marine. I have not enough words of thanks that will make up for an eye, or an arm or leg, or a life.

Where do we find such men? I suddenly feel unworthy.

[Ramcat]

Nick: You're one hell of a man. Thank you for your service.
April: You're one hell of a woman. Thank you for your service.

[MediaMole]

He was probably the tank commander and had his head outside with the hatch open. It doesn't take much shrapnel to do a lot of damage.

My thoughts and prayers are with him for a full recovery.

[Gringo1]

I was thinking the same thing about the M1A1 and RPG's. Usually a standard RPG will only take the paint off an M1, but there were several M1's disabled during the original fighting of the Iraq war by unknown projectiles. My best thought on this is either a turret ring hit(golden bb) or a hatch was open allowing a hit from above to send shrapnel into the crew compartment, or a hatch was hit from above and penetrated partially. Seeing that the alice packs on the outside of the turret were on fire when the tank returned to the bridge, I'd guess a shot from above and partial penetration since most of those guys would probably have been killed from a full penetration with a warhead big enough to bust open an M1A1 turret.

I know there was some talk about some new RPG round or russian-made anti-tank missles during the main combat of this war, but have not seen anything since then about what was going on with that investigation.

[mcshot]

That was the first question that came to my mind. Perhaps he was just exposed and caught a flyer. Hopefully someone can answer this.
Thx,
MC