This is a story I wrote about the National Guard unit from my hometown. May all the soldiers from every country come home safely.
I cannot even remember why I joined the National Guard anymore. I have only been in for just over a year now. I was sent to boot camp in November of last year. I thought it was a joke. I am National Guard the worst I will have to respond to is a flood. That’s what I thought before they started sending the Guard into Iraq.
My Guard unit is a transportation unit based in Nebraska. I drive those big old trucks you see on all the highways of the great United States hauling Humvees or tanks. That’s all I do is drive trucks. I am just a part-time soldier.
When the news came of our deployment in Iraq my wife was at work and our 7-month-old daughter was napping. I sat on the couch and cried. Then I got up and watched my little girl sleep. I wanted to memorize every little detail of her so I could take that with me. My wife and I talked late into the night of what would have to be taken care of before I left. As we lay in bed I held her tight and we both pretended to sleep.
In my uniform pocket is a picture that was taken 2 weeks before deployment. It’s of my little girl and her mother. I kiss it each night before I go to sleep. Letters arrive regularly but that’s not the same as being able to hear their voices. I did get to talk to my wife on her birthday and I heard my little angel cooing in the background.
The mission was just a simple transport to the reserve base. But as I have learned nothing is simple during wartime. Somehow we had gotten lost and it was dark when gunfire erupted and my truck shuddered to a stop. I jumped out of the truck not knowing where to go. I could not tell where the gunfire was coming from. Sgt. Petersen ran in front of me and got shot in the leg. I dragged him over an embankment and we both rolled down the slope. As I slowly stood up I took stock and realized my weapon was still in my truck. I cursed my stupidity while trying to get my bearings. I was startled to see a man standing there with a gun pointed at me. He was dressed in jeans and a dress shirt. Sgt. Petersen was tending his wound when I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the man with the gun and froze for a second. It seemed like an eternity but the man had not moved or even blinked. He just stood there. Then Sgt. Petersen grabbed his gun and tried to bring it up. The man shouted in Arabic and two shots rang out. I was sprayed with blood and tried to blink it out of my eyes. They evidently had shot about the same time because they were both dead. I stared at both bodies as my mind tried to catch up. The sound of gunfire brought me back.
I crawled up the embankment slowly expecting to be shot any second. When I peeked over the top I saw the rest of my unit were still gathering themselves. Some were returning fire but some were walking in a daze. I started yelling for them to get over the embankment. As they scrambled over it I started returning fire. I just shot at anything across the road. The rest of my unit that was with me did the same. It comes as a blur now but I remember muzzle flashes and someone trying to call for help on the radio. We stayed pinned down there for hours. When daylight came the firing stopped.
As our relief arrived I went to the bottom of the embankment. Sgt. Petersen was laid out with a poncho covering him. But the Iraqi was still there lying with his eyes open. I wanted to scream at him and ask him why. Why had we been attacked? But I just stood there and stared. I am just a part-time soldier.
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