More sad news
Another soldier from one of our brother units was just killed. It has been a rough week for our brigade. We frequently cross paths with this unit outside the wire and it’s hard to hear that they’ve suffered such a terrible loss. I don’t know the soldier’s name yet. It was another IED (improvised explosive device) attack, once again along a road we know well.
A friend and I talked today about how easy it is to become complacent here. Our unit has been extremely lucky. We’ve probably run over 400 missions by now and haven’t suffered casualties. We sometimes take our luck for granted and lose sight of how fortunate we have been so far. It’s really sad that it takes the death of another soldier to remind us how dangerous our job can be. According to the newspapers the number of insurgent attacks has nearly doubled in several categories since this time last year. All the more reason for us to keep our focus and maintain diligence.
I’m sure my words create additional worry for my loved ones and those of my fellow soldiers. Take comfort in the fact that we are very good at what we do and take great pains to make sure that everything we do is done as safely as possible. We frequently see other units whose complacency is evident at first glance. Soldiers who do not carry out their missions looking mean and ready. That definitely isn’t the way that we operate. We have our game faces on from the moment we leave that gate. Anyone with the nerve to mess with us has to know that we’re a hard target and that they are going to pay the price for any confrontation.
1 Comments:
Hey Joe, Not long now before you can begin filling the watermelons with your favorite adult beverage! We assume you lived through the cesspool irrigation experiment (I imagine it's no less toxic than the Tualatin? - I'm curious to hear your opinion of the flavor differences between their cesspools and ours).
Glad you're alright! I heard about one or more of ours killed by a homicide bomber as they were passing out candy to some kids in Baghdad last weekend!... It's a good reminder of how fragile this life really is; and how, many times, it hangs more on the choices other people may make than on any we have control over. Yes, keep your game faces on, ready to act quickly and forcefully if the need suddenly arises. We all hope it doesn't! Take good care and bring each other back safely, Uncle Petee
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