Helmet, Integrated Ballistic Shell Combat Vehicle Crewman
Posted on 08/07/2004 7:08:32 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
Today at 15:15 we had a Company Mass Formation for a Purple Heart Ceremony for the fire fight that happened several days ago. My Plt Sgt who was standing next to me when we got ambushed was one of the soldiers today to receive a purple heart, for that bullet that almost killed him that went completely through his CVC helmet.
This Purple Heart Ceremony was by far the largest Purple Heart Ceremony we've had so far here in Iraq, a lot of people were getting them today, about a dozen. Most of the Purple Hearts awarded were for RPG shrapnel and grazed bullets from AK47's.
When they put out a time to be at a formation, like 15:15, what they really mean is be there at 15:00, you always have to be at a formation 15 minutes early, then at 15:15, you stand in formation, at the position of Parade Rest till the big shots show up. Today is was the Battalion Commander, the Command Sergeant Major, and the Full Bird Cornal. They didn't show up till almost 15:40. So for about 40 minutes we had to stand in the hot sun, sweating our asses off in our DCU's.
For completely selfish reasons, I always hate award ceremonies, because you get to watch other people receive medals, and your standing there in formation with bunch of guys who are thinking the same thing your thinking, "Hey, how come I didn't get one", which isn't really too fun. At award formations every now and then when somebody gets pinned a medal, you'll hear somebody in the formation cough the words "bullsh*t" under their breath, or whisper "What the f**k? THAT guy?!" But that childish behavior never happens at Purple Heart Formations, in fact, that's the one awards ceremony that I'm always glad I'm not one of the guys out there getting a medal.
Finally an Army Captain finally came out, and we all stood at the position of attention as he said his "Attention To Orders, these men are awarded the Purple Heart" speech. I only got to watch about 20% of the ceremony, because it was soo damn hot and we were standing in the sun for soo long that the sweat that was pouring down my face was getting into my eye balls, and the sweat was all salty and stingy because I've never washed my hat. (gross huh?) So when they pinned the third guy in the long line of awardies, I had to shut my eyes closed, because the salty sweat was getting into my eyes, and it would sting painfully if I tried to open them. You can't move your body at the position of attention, so I couldn't wipe the sweat from my eyes and face. I physically couldn't keep them open. So for about 80% of the ceremony I had to stand there with both my eyes closed. Finally, when everybody was pinned, they told us to stand at the position of Parade Rest and I was able to touch my face again, and wipe the sweat off from around my eyes and be able to see again.
Our Commander then gave a brief speech, I couldn't hear what he was saying, because he didn't really talk that loud and I was way in the back. All I heard was "you guys whooped them" or something. When he was done talking, it was all over and they released us. And exactly when they released us a Sgt showed up and yelled "QRF had been activated! 3rd Plt get your asses to the motor pool!" When they activate QRF that means something's going down in Mosul and they need US Forces to be there. As the guys from third Plt ran off to the motor pool to go deal with whatever they have to deal with I overheard one guy say "You guys don't get hurt, I don't want to stand around in another Purple Heart Ceremony."
Last night I was sitting down smoking a cigarette outside my room with a guy from my squad (from Michigan). And I was staring up into the stars over Mosul, when I saw a flash of a white streak across the night sky, and I freaked out and yelled, "Oh Shit!" and stood up. I thought it was a mortar or a rocket, but instead it was just a shooting star. My friend just laughed at me. That's pretty bad when you start thinking shooting stars are mortars.
Bump
I was in the Air Force in 71, and pretty much "anti-war", (I didn't think we were trying to win so why do it) when kerry opened his big mouch there were large numbers of us that wanted to go violate his civil right, by taking him for a ride.
Supporting these troops is easy for me. And I support their mission. Anything less is a sham.
Helmet, Integrated Ballistic Shell Combat Vehicle Crewman
Even Colonel Douglas Macgregor noted that the Army had stuck the Strykers in the releatively safe North of Iraq amid the Kurds.
That thing is not combat tested. Its killed five soldiers in eights months with roll-overs alone. We don't know if the vehicle can fight or not since the brigade has never received its Mobile Gun Systems. Say what you like but if you ever see a real war, M2 .50 caliber machine guns are no match for a bunker line. You need firepower. Those brigades don't have it.
BTW, you mentioned urban environmnets. A wheeled vehicle must either turn around (22 steering points) or make a wide circle (55 feet) to clear obstacles in the urban environment. That takes a lot of space and room.
A track driver stands on one brake and guns the engine. The track PIVOTS and is out of harns way while your driver is still backing up and pulling forward trying to make that vehicle turn around 180 degrees. They are too wide to go into any alley and will never get out. So, the bad guys have a refuge from wheels.
It sounds impressive and a far cry from my “ceremony”. I’m glad they did it for you all.
I was hit at Hue 23 February 1968. I was evaced to Phu Bai then to Da Nang. After a couple days at the Naval Support Facility hospital there some of us decided to go AWOL and rejoin our units - hitching rides wearing hospital blues.
I thought nothing more of it.
Over a year later I was stationed aboard a tugboat in Okinawa. Covered in grease, rust and dirt I was summoned to the Colonels office. The Colonel handed me my Purple Heart and commented that he had never presented a Navy award before, and how did a boat crewman get hit?
“Colonel, the NVA thought it would be better to destroy ammo supplies before they were delivered to our Marines”.
Army boat people never got much respect - except from those we supported.
Is that “List of Improvements” real or a parody?
I quote from his "al qaeda"- "We also had the Chaplain walking around yesterday, checking up on us and available for us just in case we wanted somebody to talk to. There was no need for me to talk to him, I did enough talking to god the other day....
Keep a close eye on that new guy - he sounds like a candidate for suicide. We had an almost suicide way back when We found him - after we sailed - with his M14 in his mouth. All we could do was tie him up for the rest of the mission.
I think he is serious about most of them. No way will he get 30 electrical outlets.
I'm glad they did it for them, too.
No way will he get 30 electrical outlets.
You're being called out on your other post about the Swift Vets. Better go defend youself.
This is what "battle tested" means:
Military Stats...
Statistics for Operation Enduring Freedom/ Operation Iraqi Freedom at 1000 casualties:
(where numbers do not add to 1000 - information is undetermined/pending)
Killed in Action: 540
Died later of Combat Wounds: 129
Died while Missing in Action: 8
Died while Captured: 3
Deaths by Accident: 205
Illness: 33
Self-inflicted: 34
Homicide: 6
Deaths by Pay grade:
E1 - 1 W1 - 1
E2 - 64 W2 - 22
E3 - 184 W3 - 6
E4 - 282 W4 - 5
E5 - 163 O1 - 15
E6 - 119 O2 - 19
E7 - 38 O3 - 43
E8 - 14 O4 - 10
E9 - 8 O5 - 6
Total Enlisted: 873
Total Warrant Officer: 34
Total Officer: 93
Active Duty: 812
Total Reserve: 188
White: 699 (71.4%)
Black: 120 (12.3%)
Hispanic: 114 (11.6%)
Other: 46 (4.7%)
Male: 977 (97.7%)
Female: 23 (2.3%)
Active Duty Home Stations (top 10):
Camp Pendleton, CA: 105
Fort Hood, TX: 86
Fort Campbell, KY: 77
Fort Bragg, NC: 58
Fort Carson, CO: 44
Fort Stewart, GA: 42
Camp Lejeune, NC: 40
Fort Riley, KS: 38
Twentynine Palms, CA: 34
Fort Lewis, WA: 25
* Almost half of the first 1,000 to die have been either E-3s or E-4s. Almost half of the 1,000 were younger than 24.
* Nearly three-fourths of the deaths have been Army.
* Two-thirds of the deaths have been caused by enemy action or devices.
* Reserves/Guardsman makes up 18 percent of the deaths.
* More than 70 percent of those who have died were white. Despite fears that an all-volunteer force would end up putting minorities at greater risk than whites, the military death toll is distributed proportionately among America's racial and ethnic groups.
There are NO battle stars on the Stryker Brigade!
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