IED can't stop 'Untouchable' (Awarded Purple Heart)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (May 4, 2006) -- “I heard the whole thing. I knew what had happened, but I couldn’t believe that I was actually hearing it,” said St. Cloud, Minn. native, Sgt. Alan D. Lane. “It got black real quick. Not knowing what was going on, I got out of the vehicle. I couldn’t see hardly at all from my right eye and I had this ringing in my ears. I was just checking my body not really believing I was in one piece.”

Lane, Marine Wing Support Squadron-272 explosive ordinance disposal technician, was awarded the Purple Heart at a ceremony April 24, at the squadron’s motor transport lot for wounds sustained by enemy action.

The night of December 22, Lane and his group were making their way through farmlands and bumpy dirt roads, after responding to a 9 a.m. call from Al Qaim and successfully ridding Iraq of nine improvised explosive devices and two weapons caches.

“We were about 50 meters behind the lead vehicle. We were going five, maybe 10 miles per hour. They went through an area where there were two berms on the sides. We went through the same area. That’s when we hit the IED,” said Lane.

Lane’s vehicle had run over a pressure plate IED with three artillery rounds, 130 mm or larger, he said. It was connected to another just head-high on the passenger side berm. However, the enemy had fortuitously hooked it up incorrectly and it did not explode. Lane was told the front of the vehicle was completely destroyed. He is not sure that had the second IED detonated, the vehicle would have withstood the blast. It was the upper armor that protected them.

Fiberglass and other debris from the radio mount were blasted through the cab, causing damage to both occupants’ eyes. Lane also sustained a blast injury to his ears. He’s not sure if it’s permanent or not. There was some minor bleeding in one ear, but he said he is confident there was not substantial damage done to the ear drums.

Lane and his passenger were medically evacuated, first to Al Qaim then to Baghdad, where they stayed for about a week as their vision gradually improved.

“He’s the guy who goes and looks for things that blow up. There’s nobody that spends more time in that type of environment,” said Brig. Gen. Robert “Boomer” Milstead, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) commanding general. “If IED’s don’t find him, he finds them.”

Although Lane said he is glad to have done his job and his part, he also feels extremely lucky to have survived. He explained he was just out there doing his job like the rest of the “Untouchables.”

“There are very few awards that carry the honor of the Purple Heart. That award speaks to personal sacrifice. He paid a price that many of us who go over there don’t,” said Milstead. “Everyone (on the deployment) was prepared to do those sorts of things, but they didn’t-- he did. He was wounded in combat action and that speaks a great deal.”

Although looking at Lane one cannot see the results of his ordeal, it has certainly left its mark.

“It felt kind of strange to receive a Purple Heart for something I don’t feel like I have much physical injury from,” Lane said modestly. “I know my nerves are shattered, but I know other people have been killed or permanently disabled. I feel humbled by it.”

Sergeant Alan D. Lane, MWSS- 272 EOD technician, was recently awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received during a recent deployment.
Photo by: Lance Cpl. M. L. Meier

May God bless you Lance Sergeant Alan D. Lane Heroes like you make me feel that there might be hope yet for this sad republic

… I was just checking my body not really believing I was in one piece.”

Luck man!
I fully appreciate his doing a full body check. It reminded me of the first really hairy mission we had up the Perfume River so very long ago. Our boat took a pasting. The sandbags we had on the sides and around the gun mounts were nearly all empty from incoming pieces of metal. We took several direct hits to the hull.
When we arrived at the beachhead and could stand up and look around every one of the crew did the same thing – looked down at his arms and legs to make sure there were no leaks. No one had leaks on that trip. What a great feeling!

5 posted on 05/05/2006 3:24:52 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)

Hats off to this particular man.

BUT Remind me - Didn't one of your aspiring politicians get awarded the same for getting a coupla scratches and doing not a great deal and thereby got short-toured out of a combat zone? Can't quite recall the name though ;-)

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