Posted on 01/29/2005 3:37:54 PM PST by Former Military Chick
BAGHDAD - Taylor Burk's friends here in Iraq told him over and over: Don't come back. You've bled enough for your country. You've got nothing to prove.
But the 21-year-old medic from Amarillo, Texas, couldn't stand to be away from his brothers in arms. So, even though the gunshot wound he sustained while saving another soldier's life made walking painful sometimes, he pushed to leave Fort Hood in Texas and return to his unit. And when he got back to Iraq, he finagled his way out of a headquarters job and into a frontline company.
Spec. Burk died Wednesday after a powerful roadside bomb exploded next to the armored humvee he was driving in southwest Baghdad.
Soldiers were told that a small piece of shrapnel ripped into him under the collarbone, severing major blood vessels. Two other soldiers were wounded - one hit in the head by shrapnel, the other suffering a broken arm. They had been on the way back to base from a routine patrol.
Happening as it did on the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Iraq - a day when a helicopter crash killed 30 Marines and one sailor - Burk's death merited barely a mention in news reports. But for the soldiers of his battalion, it was shattering. Several - hard men, men trained not to let their emotions get in the way of their jobs - cried when they heard.
"We've got people who made it their mission not to leave this" base, said Burk's squad leader, Sgt. Andrew Wintz, 40, a native of Brooklyn. "We've got people who went home on leave and never came back. He took a bullet and he came back."
Wintz added: "I want people to know that he was proud of what he did. He was proud of being a combat medic."
He was good at it, too. On April 4, during one of his first missions in Baghdad with Charlie Company, First Battalion, Eighth Cavalry Regiment, which is part of the First Cavalry Division, a soldier in his humvee, Pvt. Joseph Bridges, was shot in the face and thigh during a five-hour firefight against more than 100 insurgents.
The thigh wound was life-threatening because it hit an artery. Burk began to tie a tourniquet around it when he was hit by a rifle round that took a chunk out of his heel.
He kept treating his patient all the way to the combat hospital.
Bridges made it, and is now in the United States.
Burk also was sent home to recover. For his actions that night, he was awarded a Bronze Star; for his wound, he received a Purple Heart. When he was well enough to work, he was sent to his unit's base at Fort Hood, where he was given a rear detachment job.
He spent a lot of time chatting online with his buddies in Iraq. Almost immediately, he began pushing to get back to Baghdad.
"He said, 'Hey, I didn't join the Army to cut grass,' " Wintz said. " 'I joined the Army to be a combat medic.' "
When he returned to Iraq, he was given a job at battalion headquarters, a job that didn't require him to leave the base often. That didn't suit him.
When a medic was wounded from Alpha Company, he begged to take that spot. He knew it would mean near-daily patrols into Baghdad's Doura district, where roadside bombs and gunshot attacks are routine.
"I would tell him all the time, you're a better man than me," said his roommate, Spec. Lamart Brown, 21, of Goldsboro, N.C.
Indeed, most of his fellow soldiers disagreed with his decision to come back. But they were glad to have him around.
"When he came into the room, even if he was in a bad mood, he'd have you laughing and joking around," said a close friend, Pvt. Kirk Kelley, 24, of Nacogdoches, Texas.
Burk was a little nervous in his first few missions after returning, but he settled quickly into the routine, soldiers said. He didn't have occasion to treat another wounded American, but he treated plenty of Iraqis, they added. Army field medics in Iraq are constantly beseeched by ailing civilians who can't find help in Iraq's decrepit health-care system.
Like many soldiers, he wasn't sure whether the American mission in Iraq was succeeding, friends said. What he knew was that he wanted to be there to help his comrades.
He was driving the third in a three-vehicle convoy when the bomb, a 155mm artillery shell, exploded. Soldiers were told it was unclear how the shell was detonated. The convoy was carrying a device designed to jam radio-detonated bombs, but the machines are not foolproof. Neither is the armor on even the most heavily armored humvees, as Burk's was.
Two nights before he died, he was sitting with a group of medics who were planning a post-deployment adventure. The unit is scheduled to leave Iraq in a month.
"He was talking about how he'd never been hunting, and we were talking about doing that when we got back," said Sgt. Bryan Hayes, 32, of Haughton, La.
Hayes shook his head, eyes downcast.
"There's so much you could say about him. He was a great guy."
bump
So very sad but he did not die in vain, nor will his bravery be forgotten. Iraq's election is in progress right this minute. Let Freedom Ring!
HERO **PING**
My heart goes out to this man's family and they need to know that his patriotism will not go unrecognized.
Wow. Specialist Burk's story exemplifies the American soldier: cheerful, competent, and self-sacrificing in the performance of his duty.
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Happening as it did on the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Iraq - a day when a helicopter crash killed 30 Marines and one sailor - Burk's death merited barely a mention in news reports.
But for the soldiers of his battalion, it was shattering.
Several - hard men, men trained not to let their emotions get in the way of their jobs - cried when they heard.
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Words To Taps
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Thank you for the **ping** I will make sure he gets the link and reads all these most wonderful, thoughtful and respectful comments, he does cherish his fans and is a true patriot!
Thank you for adding the words again, we must never forget -- you can listen to the music at comment 1, click on TAPS!
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
IT'S THE SOLDIER
It's the soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the
PRESS.
It's the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of
SPEECH.
It's the soldier, not the campus
ORGANIZER,
Who has given us the freedom to
DEMONSTRATE
It's the soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a
FAIR TRIAL.
It's the soldier who salutes the flag,
Serves under the flag
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who gives the protester the right to burn the flag.
-Father D. E. O'Brien
Thank God for this hero and his loved ones!
I have to agree with you, Ronnie.
Gratitude to his parents for raising such a determined young man, sorrow with them at the loss. :-(
Go in peace, Spec. Burk. Thank you.
Prayers for Spec. Taylor Burk and his friends and family.
I will always remember Taylor Burk as my own personal hero. I am a sister of the Army soldier that he saved last year in Iraq in April 2004.
After my brother (the gunner) was wounded in the leg (severed a main artery) and face, Burk insisted he be taken to the cash. The Lt wanted him taken elsewhere. Burk told the LT that he was going to take my brother to the cash or he would die. His decision is what ultimately saved my brother's life. He kept my brother alive until he got to the cash where my brother died on the table. They were able to bring him back.
He had to take my brother back through enemy territory under heavy gunfire to get him to the cash. All the while he was shot and told no one about it.
So as you can see, this young man did more than just "his job". He laid his life on the line and, I assume, his career to save my brother.
His funeral is today (in less than 30 minutes). My brother will be speaking about Burk and pinning the medals on his uniform.
I thank God that I had the chance to meet this brave man, hug him, thank him and tell him how much he meant to me and my entire family.
I was looking forward to making a trip out to Texas next month to welcome him home.
We will forever remember Taylor. He is what a real hero looks like.
May you rest in peace Taylor. I look forward to hugging you again one day. You are my hero!
I think that is an excellent idea! I will start emailing my local media outlets today!
I am also going to start a blood drive in his name. I think since he was a medic he would appreciate that. I have several online friends in other states that are going to try to coordinate one in their area. I can keep y'all posted on that if you'd be interested in helping in your area or even just donating blood in his name.
Excellent ideas, keep me informed.
First I wanted to say that it was nice to see all the wonderful remarks regarding Spec. Burk. I have entertained the idea and actually have seen a few replies from families that read of a fallen hero and send either a public or private note thanking us for our tribute to our finest. Those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Please check out comment 39. It is amazing to read the remarks of those who loved Spec. Burk, it gives us a glimpse of who this young man was to his family. I thank his dad for sharing his words and hope he will post some photos of Spec. Burk and his family.
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