Thank you, Bryon Curnutt, for your service to America.
Posted on 05/13/2004 10:23:18 PM PDT by mdittmar
Bryon Curnutt swept through Iraq with the First Marines when the invasion started. A year later he returned for a second tour in the war zone. Now he's home in Ucon, recovering from a grenade wound, and anxious for a third trip into Iraq to be reunited with his unit in Fallujah.
Curnutt had been stationed with them when the recent uprising began. They were being fired upon almost every day, but on April 26th insurgents hit Curnutt's position especially hard: "They threw three grenades on the rooftop I was on, and another rooftop...then they just hit us with RPG's and machine gun fire," he explained.
One blast nearly took off the forearm of a Marine nearby. Curnutt felt blood near his ear: "I took shrapnel to the face, legs and chest."
Curnutt helped the other Marine to safety down some stairs. Curnutt was later flown to a hospital in Germany, before returning home to Ucon last weekend. Initial paralysis of the right side of his face went away after awhile with medication, but recently he once again lost full control over those muscles.
From U.S. invasion to Iraqi insurgency, Curnutt has seen a lot of change in Iraq, both in the people he's fought and in his fellow Marines as together they became veterans: "The first time there was more anxiety because none of us had ever seen combat before. But the combat now is a lot worse than it was last year."
Curnutt says most of that is due to foreigners, including many Syrian and Al Qaida fighters: "They have insurgents from other countries that are just stirring everything up."
That's why for Curnutt, being home right now is harder than being with his unit in Iraq: "You kind of feel wrong about being home, you know. Enjoying freedom when they're out there defending it."
Curnutt will be home for the at least the next 25 days. Then he hopes to catch the next plane into Iraq and rejoin his fellow Marines.
Curnutt thanked eastern Idaho residents who sent their support. Especially the students at Ucon Elementary. Every one of them signed a get well card that he said really helped him get better quicker.
Marine ping.
Thank you, Bryon Curnutt, for your service to America.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.