Posted on 08/09/2004 12:23:17 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
My Sqd Ldr came back from leave the other day. So the Sgt that was filling in as Sqd Ldr while he was away, is now back in the TC hatch, so now I am now back to being a Machine Gunner again. They asked me if I wanted to stay behind the 50 cal in the hatch and I told them, "hell no."
We had an Observation Post today, in the hottest part of the afternoon. Well over 100 degrees today. We went somewhere, parked the vehicles, and dismounted. 1st Sqd, who was several hundred meters away from us, called in over the radio that they discover some UXO (Un-Exploded Ordinance). So me and my AG (Pvt from Minnesota) walked over there with our Plt Sgt. to investigate it. When we walked over to them the Sqd Ldr for 1st squad pointed it out to us, it was a small 60mm mortar round with blue paint, just sitting there in the middle of the dirt road by itself. I kept my distance from it, I didn't want to get too close to it. That thing could booby-trapped or be a f**king IED or something. I told my AG to stay with me as our Plt Sgt walked over to it, and we walked a couple steps away. As he looked at it perplexed he said, "Damn, what a strange country. Mortar round just sitting there in the middle of the road." The mortar round had its explosive completely taken out of it, and it was just its outer shell. My Plt Sgt suspected that they probably took the explosive out and used it to make an IED. We disposed of the mortar shell and went back to pulling our OP shift.
Before we came here to Iraq, we had a bunch of OC's from the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk Louisiana come up to Ft Lewis to help us out with our training. We were doing some simulated combat training to help get ready for Iraq, and in one of our training scenarios, Lt Armeni engaged a lone sniper with a Tow missile. Which gave the OC's a hard on, they said that, that was fantastic, because it was like smashing a fly with a sledge hammer. Lt Armeni brought that same smash your enemies tenacity out here to Iraq which inspired all of us. Right now Lt Armeni is in critical condition in Germany. He was wounded on that attack on 05 AUG 04. I received a e-mail from his father thanking me for this site which allowed him a little more insight to the event that critically wounded his son on that day, and to continue praying for him. I am asking everybody to please include Lt Armeni and his family in their prayers. It would mean a lot. To me, and everybody else here. I know of at least five guys here who are alive today because of his actions on that day.
Yep.
Now that would be a right puckering situation!
Right and the Russians had a habit on not painting their ammo. left one guessing,, ,
My district mangager is Damon's mother-in-law. I receive word from her on a daily basis & just wanted to let everyone know on this site, including the author, that Damon is doing better. He has been moved from ICU down to step down ICU, & has been through 3 surgeries to remove shrapnal & repair injuries. He had to have his spleen removed, a lung repaired, & intestines repaired, among other things, but is doing better. His mom & wife are currently with him in Washington D.C. After reading this account of everything that you guys went through I cannot express my sincere gratitude, in words, for everything that you & your fellow military men & women are doing for us back here in the states. I have another dear friend over there as well, his name is Ken Santee, if you see him tell him hi for me, but above all everyone over there, please be safe.
3:06 AM
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