Today I have bad news. Well, it is really good news, as to the fact that everyone is alive. On the night of the 21st, my convoy was hit again. This time though, the gun fire hit my truck. I am fine. I just have a few small pieces of metal in the back of my right arm. I don’t even feel it there. The medics say that they will work their way out. It is really nothing compared to my driver and one of the TCN’s I had in my convoy. Coming through Baghdad that night we took fire. There was small arms fire, IED’s, tracer fire, flares, and mortars. Luckily, my truck, the military truck right behind me and the TCN right behind him were the only ones hit. The whole convoy took fire, but we were the only one that had bullet holes in our trucks.
I could see the flash from the barrel of the gun on the overpass as it fired at us. And then just a second later, my driver was yelling that he was hit. Now just so you know, I drive this stretch of the road. My driver was in the passenger seat at this time. I do this for several reasons, one being the reaction time to handle things when under fire. It is not how KBR wants it done, but I don’t care. I do what I think is the best for my guys and keeping them safe. I am in no way saying that my driver can’t do the job. As a matter of fact, this driver could have done it and me felt fine with it. But I drive this part and he gets all the rest. Anyway, he took a round into his right knee. Just a few seconds after that, I saw another flash and felt something hit the back side of my right arm. I was on the radio telling the escorts and the convoy that I was taking fire from the front, the left and the right. I asked my driver where he was hit and how bad? He told me in the right knee and not to bad, but it hurt. I told him to put pressure on it, we had to get through the kill zone.
My bobtail was on the radio and telling me that one of the TCN’s that was part of our convoy was stopped and out of his truck. The TCN was hit in the left leg. I told my bobtail to pick him up and get a move on. Because the TCN that was hit stopped in the road, we got split up a bit. I was still in radio contact with them. The escorts started to pull over and I told my guys. The bobtail said that they were still taking fire, so I told the escorts and we took off again. While all this was happening, my bobtail guy was out of his truck and directing the convoy around the downed truck while still taking fire. We went down the road a bit and stopped again. I could hear from the rear of my convoy all the time. They got moving again and were catching up to where we were stopped. I grabbed the first aid kit and crawled across the dog house of the truck and tried to get a pressure bandage on him form there. I couldn’t cut his jeans leg, so I had to go back to my side of the truck and get out. I ran around to his door and started putting the bandage on his knee. The lead escort was watching my back all this time. One of there guys was standing behind me with his weapon while I took care of my driver. Then we started taking small arms fire again. My driver was yelling at me to get back in the truck as the solider returned fire. I told my driver to tie off the bandage as I ran back to the drivers seat and radioed the rest of the convoy that we were taking fire again and that I was rolling.
When we got rolling I could see the road was blocked with traffic. I was going to have to make us a hole to get the convoy through and out of the kill zone. I hit 4 cars while trying to get my convoy out of there. The military truck behind me widened the path as I made it. I tore the hell out of the right side of my truck clearing that path. I told the guys to push on through and to “Drive it like you stole it. It is not your truck it is KBR’s and they can buy a new one” My guys did great in getting the TCN’s the rest of the way through the kill zone. We took heavy fire for about 3 to 4 miles and then it was intermittent for about another 15. We pulled into the nearest camp and got medical help for our wounded. But most of this last part was led my me and without a lead escort. They were busy covering our tails. They were great!!!!! It would have been lots worse, if they had not been there. I will run with them any time and any place. I feel the same about the Military Transportation company that were along as our shooters. One of their guys was injured as well. He took some glass in the face. He is fine and after the medic’s looked after him, he continued on with the convoy.
Always before, when my convoy has taken fire, I have had to watch it in the mirror. I have been lucky till that night to not have taken fire on my truck. That night, they hit the front of the convoy instead of the middle and rear like normal. It is a very odd felling to see the muzzle flash and a seconds later hear it tear through your truck. It is also a different feeling when the person injured is sitting next to you. When Roy was hit, I could hear the pain and fear in his voice. The other night, when Robert, my driver was hit, I could see it as well. I have had several of the reefer drivers ask me if I thought this was a sign to get out of a truck and off the convoys. I have to admit, a part of me does feel this way. But there is a bigger part that tells me not to let them SOB’s win. A friend and I were talking yesterday about it and he put it to me this way. It is the mother, daughter, sister, that says it might be time to stay behind the wire, it is the American in you that says you aren’t going to let them win by running you off. He says that the American spirit that each of us have in us is why our country is what it is, and it is people like me and my crew, and our Army escorts, that make up that spirit. So, I have to tell ya’ll now, I am not staying behind that wire. As a matter of fact, I am on mission now. We came here to do a job and hopefully do some good, I can’t quit now.
I do want to give my greatest thanks to the guys and gals of the Unit 3rd/86 FA for covering our tails that night. I want to give the young man that covered my tail while I was bandaging my driver my personal thanks for standing in harms way to make sure I was covered. I have written a statement commending the unit of escorts and the Army greens that were with us that night. It has been passed along to a Sergeant Major that says that they are going to find out the guy who covered me and I guess he will get a medal of something. At least these brave solders will know that me and mine are grateful for them covering our tails.
I am going to put the pictures of my truck on the group site if any one wants to see them. There are pictures of the bullet hole and the damage I did to the truck when I hit those 4 cars clearing a path. Ya’ll take care and remember us all in your prayers.
I have news on the driver that was shot last week in my convoy. I have been told that he is in Germany and giving them hell. He wont let them send him back to the states. From what I hear he is going to stay there for about 4 weeks and heal and them come back. The message I got was that he had to come back so he and Ben could beat Greg and me at spades. We are at a tie right now on games won. I hear he is doing very well. The bullet did hit bone, but it is a clean break. That is good news. The crew you see on the home page of this site is the crew I had when we were ambushed. They are great guys. I am going to assume that everyone at home is dealing with this alright since no one has bothered to send me an email or say anything about it. And as I am sure a lot of you know, I am NOT coming home. I am doing fine and so are the guys.
One week ago tonight, my convoy was ambushed. I had one man wounded. Not life threading. He had a gun shot wound to the lower right leg. I can not give all the details due to security and his family. I just want to say that I had a great crew on that run. The injured driver drove his truck to a safe zone and parked it like there was nothing wrong after he was shot. My crew did everything I asked them to do. They were perfect. We got our man air lifted out, changed a steer tire, inspected the truck to make sure it could be driven and kept Trans opps informed all at the same time. My driver drove the shot up truck into the next camp. My injured driver is doing well and telling his nurses that they need to get him well, he has to come back. The crew and I are all doing well and dealing with it well. I am so very proud to be their CC. They are all great men. They are true Patriots!
WOW, what a busy last few weeks I have had. Lots of things have changed over here and I really don’t know where to start. I guess the best place is where the last email left off. Well, the last one that told everything. I have had to go look it up because it has been so long. So, I hope everyone is ready. Do you have your drink, a comfortable spot to sit and are you ready for this?
Here we go………
After going to Fallujah and getting shot at for nothing,(ya’ll have to read the ruined my lucky streak post), when I got back to Anaconda, they wanted me to go to Camp Fallujah/MEK again. I grabbed two guys and off we went. We went to BIAP and sat there for 3 days before I made a deal with the Marines that brought us out of TQ/Ridgeway the first time, and made it out there. It was quiet a trip. I talked them into taking us to the first check point and dropping us there. We do that kind of thing all the time. The reefers peal out of the convoy as we pass the exit and the convoy never slows down they just keep on truckin’. That is about what we were doing, except they had to take us to the first check point because it was to far from the main road to the gate. Two of the escorts and my 3 truck stepped out of line and gassed on it as we passed Abu Garubi prison. We took the exit and made the check point. They handed me the radio and they left and we went to the gate. At the gate the 2 guys guarding it were surprised to see Americans showing up at night without escorts. I explained to them what we had done. They hit the roof. Said that our escorts should not have done that. I took up for our escorts and told them that I said that it was ok to drop us like we had. Well, they radioed in and the Lt. in charged told them to tell us to go away. 3 Americans, and he told them to tell us to go away! I couldn’t believe my ears. The soldier standing there said that he was sorry that he couldn’t let us inside the gate and that he wasn’t going to send us away even though that was his orders. He showed us where there was a place to park outside the wire and under a guard tower. He radioed the tower and told them to watch over us, we were Americans. About 4 hours later, we all 3 got a knock on our doors waking us up. They had a change in the duty and they new guy had a fit when he found out we were out there. So, they took us out of our trucks and brought us inside and gave us a tent to sleep in. Then about 0600 the next morning we were all woke up by mortar fire the shook everything around. After we looked to see if anything had gotten blown up we started trying to find someone to take us back out to our trucks. I talked to 2 Sgt’s and 1 Capt. They were al very hot about what had happened to us the night before. They asked who were our escorts and I would not tell them. I said that I would take the responsibility of them dropping us where they did, because I told them that it was alright. I told the Capt. that they were a great group of guys and that I did not want to get them into trouble. If I had told them I needed to be brought all the way to the gate then they would have done so.
He didn’t have a problem with that. His problem was with the Lt that wouldn’t let us inside the wire. I was told that the guys ass was grass, and that it WOULD NOT happen again. That was cool with me and we got 1 of the Sgt to take us back to our trucks. We delivered our ice and were out of there that night. The Marines were really nice to us all day. I think they felt bad that we had to sleep outside the wire like that. The guys that were with me and I are ok now with what happened. We kid each other that we don’t need shooters and escorts, we have slept outside the wire in Fallujah, we are tough. But it is a joke. Even though we all did sleep better under the watchful eye of the guard tower than we did when they gave us beds inside the camp. Go figure……….
The guys were great and I have them on the convoy that I am on now. They want to stay with me. They say that I am fun and that even though they know that I push the edges a bit, that I will take care of them and not do anything to endanger their lives. After that deal in Fallujah I wasn’t sure that they would want to run with me again. But it is a story for the grand babies and we are all alive and ok. They know that I did my best in making sure that we were watched over while out there and that is enough for them. I would trust them to watch my back as well, any time and any place.
I know that everyone has been waiting for more on what I am doing. I am sorry that I have not had the time to get the emails sent like I was before. A lot has happened and I am working on one that will cover all of the last few weeks. So ya'll better get something to drink and a comfortable spot to sit when I do get it out, it will be a long one.
Right now I want to share a few feelings I have going on. As a CC I have at different times, anywhere from 2 to 16 drivers in my convoy. Lots of them are new. I like to get to know my drivers. The other night, a driver that I took out on some of his first reefer missions had his convoy ambushed. He has been hurt but it is not life threatening. He was lifted to Germany to undergo treatment. As many of you know, I have known several of the drivers that have been wounded or killed over here. But this is the first time I have had one that I have had in one of my convoys before. Lots of feeling go through your head when it is someone that been under your command. I care about the guys and gals that run in my convoys, probably to much some times. I tell them all, once you have run with me and I have gotten to know you a bit, you are always one of my guys, even if I never have you again in my convoy. This driver is doing ok and his CC saw him yesterday before they flew him out. I am glad it didn't happen on my mission. But knowing that this driver has a sister over here in a different division and not being allowed to contact her drove me nuts yesterday. I went to anyone that would listen and told them about her to make sure she was notified. At this time I do not know if she has been. I will do some checking today to see if she has. I have lots of mixed emotions about this. I like both of them. I just hope everything works out for the good. I would like for all that come here to see what I am doing to take a moment and give these to friends their prayers today. Today is a great day. We, celebrate or freedom. So today, thank not that we
have our freedom, but also thank the soldiers and civilians that help to keep it. It comes at great sacrifice sometimes. I am thankful that one day I will be able to shake the hand of this driver again, for there are some that I won't.
I am thinking of you all and hope that all is well there in the
states.
I know everyone is eager to hear what is going on with me. I just came in to the internet cafe to check email. I will write out and email about all that has happened since I got back in country on my laptop in the truck and bring it in and send it off. I do want to tell ya’ll that I am fine and having a blast. And yes, my lucky streak was shot to hell yesterday. 9 1/2 months and I have had nothing but rocks fly at my convoys…..till yesterday. I am not going into the story right now. Let me just say that no one was hurt, we did loose a truck, but the driver was picked up. We are all ok and unharmed. That’s all for now. Will included it all in my next email. Ya’ll take care.
