Charles W. Little I, SGT (USA), (USMC sep.) said...
First, let me validate my comments. I am a combat veteran. I am an infantryman. I’ve been engaged with every weapon system the enemy currently employs. I’ve been ambushed, in firefights, IEDs, etc. I’ve been outside the wire on 300+ combat missions.
I’ve walked the very path of Pat.
The number one killer of troops in Iraq is NOT the “Hollywood” style firefights—it is the roadside bomb (IED). I think it’s so imperative for everyone to understand that Pat was in a Transportation Company, a truck driver, during the initial invasion. The convoy driver will go down in this war as the helicopter machine gunner did in Vietnam…as the workhorse…the tip of the spear.
Iraq is littered with trash. Literally, trash is EVERYWHERE, and most notably, along every street. It is very easy to hide these bombs and hence the effectiveness.
It is a maxim in Iraq when outside the wire, “…its not IF you get hit by an IED, it’s WHEN..”
Driving in Iraq requires a concentration and focus equal if not greater than patrolling dense jungle. With perpetual motion and the speed of maneuver warfare, there are no ‘rest breaks’ or security halts. It’s a constant state of vigilance. It takes an immense toll.
Pat is a very genuinely nice guy.
I know killers. I know criminals. Pat is neither of the two.
When I approached Pat and Sue and told them I was going to Iraq, Pat was visibly upset. His mood and demeanor changed. He understood why I wanted to go, but he conveyed a deep impact the war had upon him. I could tell instantly he had been tremendously affected by those experiences.
I came to appreciate that during my tenure in Iraq.
Pat did the right thing. Many of us Soldiers and Marines fight medical care. We feel it’s a stigma or that we can fix it ourselves. He sought help. Pat was under the care of government physicians.
I will leave that at that.
What happened is a tragedy. I speak as family when I say we are devastated for the families of the law enforcement that were involved.
There are many victims affected by these events. Yet, Pat is as well.
We owe our veterans more than casting myopic judgments. This is much more complex than a criminal act.
First, let me validate my comments. I am a combat veteran. I am an infantryman. I’ve been engaged with every weapon system the enemy currently employs. I’ve been ambushed, in firefights, IEDs, etc. I’ve been outside the wire on 300+ combat missions.
I’ve walked the very path of Pat.
The number one killer of troops in Iraq is NOT the “Hollywood” style firefights—it is the roadside bomb (IED). I think it’s so imperative for everyone to understand that Pat was in a Transportation Company, a truck driver, during the initial invasion. The convoy driver will go down in this war as the helicopter machine gunner did in Vietnam…as the workhorse…the tip of the spear.
Iraq is littered with trash. Literally, trash is EVERYWHERE, and most notably, along every street. It is very easy to hide these bombs and hence the effectiveness.
It is a maxim in Iraq when outside the wire, “…its not IF you get hit by an IED, it’s WHEN..”
Driving in Iraq requires a concentration and focus equal if not greater than patrolling dense jungle. With perpetual motion and the speed of maneuver warfare, there are no ‘rest breaks’ or security halts. It’s a constant state of vigilance. It takes an immense toll.
Pat is a very genuinely nice guy.
I know killers. I know criminals. Pat is neither of the two.
When I approached Pat and Sue and told them I was going to Iraq, Pat was visibly upset. His mood and demeanor changed. He understood why I wanted to go, but he conveyed a deep impact the war had upon him. I could tell instantly he had been tremendously affected by those experiences.
I came to appreciate that during my tenure in Iraq.
Pat did the right thing. Many of us Soldiers and Marines fight medical care. We feel it’s a stigma or that we can fix it ourselves. He sought help. Pat was under the care of government physicians.
I will leave that at that.
What happened is a tragedy. I speak as family when I say we are devastated for the families of the law enforcement that were involved.
There are many victims affected by these events. Yet, Pat is as well.
We owe our veterans more than casting myopic judgments. This is much more complex than a criminal act.
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