Posted on 02/24/2007 2:27:52 PM PST by Bigun
Hi everyone.
I'm still alive but freezing my tail off. We got 8 inches of snow last week and it reached 5 degrees below zero that night. That's not why I'm e-mailing though. You may have heard about a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul last Thursday. It was at one of our FOB's (Forward Observation Bases) about 27 miles from here. But the real story is why no one was killed. We employ several thousand Afghans on our various bases. Not to mention the economy that is fed by the money these locals are making. Some are laborers and builders, but some are skilled workers. We even have one Afghan that just became OSHA qualified, the first ever. Some are skilled HVAC workers. Anyway, there is this one Afghan that we call Rambo. We have actually given him a couple of sets of the new ACU uniforms (the new Army digital camouflage) with the name tag RAMBO on it. His entire family was killed by the Taliban and his home was where our base currently resides. So this guy really had nowhere else to go. He has reached such a level of trust with US Forces that his job is to stand at the front gate and basically be the first security screening. Since he can't have a weapon, he found a big red pipe. So he stands there at the front gate in his US Army ACU uniform with his red pipe. If a vehicle approaches the gate too fast or fails to stop he slams his pipe down on their hood. Then once the gate is lifted the vehicle moves on the 2nd gate where the US Army MP's are. So he's like the first line of defense.
Last Thursday at 0930 hrs a Toyota Corolla packed with explosives and some Jack Ass that thinks he has 72 Virgins waiting for him approached the gate. When he saw Rambo he must have recognized him and known the gig was up. But he needed to get to that 2nd gate to detonate and take American lives. So he slams his foot on the gas which almost causes the metal gate to go up but mostly catches on the now broken windshield. Rambo fearlessly ran to the vehicle, reached thru the window and jerked the suicide bomber out of the vehicle before he could detonate and commenced to putting some red pipe to his heathen ass. He detained the guy until the MP got there. The vehicle only exploded when they tried to push it off base with a robot but no one was hurt. I'm still waiting for someone to give this guy a medal or something. Nothing less than instant US citizenship or something. A hat was passed around and a lot of money was given to him in thanks by both soldiers and civilians that are working over here. I guess I just wanted to share this because I want people to know that it's working over here. They have tasted freedom. This makes it worth it to me.
Name redacted for security reasons, CPT, US Army
That's ok. It's just another confirmation I'm not as nuts as I sometimes think LOL!
Sylvester Stallone would probably sue.
No problem! My face was probably all scrunched up with that deja vu. It was a sight, I'm sure. LOL!
Given that your post is now 1.5 hrs old I'm sure I've missed the boat already on that one!
They have tasted freedom. This makes it worth it to me.
Thanks for the freedom we all have here in the good old U.S.A.
WOW, thanks for posting this! It sure would be nice to see Rambo get US citizenship. I think he more than deserves it...
We even have one Afghan that just became OSHA qualified
OSHA is in Afganistan! They're DOOMED!
Rambo is not a big fan of the Taliban, and he has a very good memory of who was a Talib...While I was at Bagram, some Talib tried a driveby shooting at some French troops outside Camp Phoenix. The French fired back and hit the shooter. Rambo, who was seriously offended by this, had grabbed a cudgel. I had heard that the term coup de grace might have been used...
Those two men are truly heroes, and people there and here are grateful to them. No telling how many lives they saved that day.
"I want to tell you an interesting story about an Afghan security office at Camp Phoenix near Kabul. This fellow has worked at this base for four years -- nearly four years. His job was to guard the front gate and screen cars before they are allowed to approach a U.S. military checkpoint. He is very popular with our troops -- people who have gotten to know him like him a lot. They appreciate his courage and his personality and they call him "Rambo." (Laughter.) Must have been a lot for the Afghan citizen to be called "Rambo," but that's what they call him.
One day Rambo was on duty, a car loaded with explosives tried to crash through the front gate -- they were attempting to get to our troops. This fellow did not hesitate, he jumped in the car and he prevented the terrorist from exploding the device. He saw somebody who was about to harm our citizens, our troops -- he then jumps into the car and stops the attack. A U.S. Army sergeant then responded, helped him pull the guy out of the car.
One of our U.S. soldiers who was there said this, he said, "He saved our lives. I promised him I'd name my firstborn son after him." The guy is hoping for a boy. (Laughter.)
It's a human story. It's a story that speaks of courage and alliance, respect for life. To me it's a story that says these people in Afghanistan want to do what is necessary to survive and succeed, and it's in our interest to help them."
Ping
Good morning Mrs.Nooseman. Popped in for a few minutes to catch up with what's going on in the world. I'm glad I could add a little input to this.
What those two fine men did that day still amazes me. And I'll always be grateful to them for saving lives of our men and women serving over there.
BTTT
I couldn't agree more.
Those two men are heroes and show that we are doing the right thing in this WOT.
Bravo! Standing ovation!
------------------------------------------------------------------------ KABUL, Afghanistan (24 January) – The Afghan security guard and interpreter who prevented a vehicle borne suicide bomb attack received awards for their bravery from Commander ISAF (COMISAF) today, in a small ceremony at HQ ISAF.
On the morning of 16 January, the security guard, Rambo, and the interpreter were on duty outside the main gate of the Coalition base in Kabul, when a vehicle crashed into the front barrier. It became clear to Rambo that the driver was attempting to initiate a suicide bomb. Without thinking of his own safety, Rambo physically forced the driver from the vehicle, preventing him from detonating the device. Throughout the incident, the interpreter remained at his post, giving commands to the driver and helping confirm that there was a bomb in the vehicle.
COMISAF, General David Richards, presented both with a framed certificate, an ISAF coin and a gift for their families. A citation was given to each of the men, commending them on their bravery and outstanding steadfastness. Col. Dan Hokanson, Chief of Staff at the Coalition base, and a number of Coalition forces were present at the ceremony, to show their appreciation to the two Afghans.
During the ceremony, COMISAF addressed each man. “Rambo, we are in awe of your great courage and we salute you here today.” He went on to add that the interpreter “was every bit as brave as Rambo; you could have left your post, but you demonstrated the great Afghan quality of courage.”
Thanks for the great news ping, Sleuth!
He wants to protect the troops who freed him using his "steel resolve"
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