April 1, 2003 Now that the 3 sister battalions that compose 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne had solid foothold to operate from and the city was completely sealed, missions began to be conducted against key facilities being utilized by the loyalists. Hospitals and schools had been set up as command posts by the insurgents, knowing US would not willingly strike those locations. The chaos and carnage of war no longer affected the soldiers. In a short week of war, thousands of boys of college age became men. A filing cabinet was formed in the back of our minds. This mental blocker was as vital for the soldier as our body armor. It allowed us to store all of the images and actions that would weigh against our soles and free our minds for the actions at hand. Many of us wont open the cabinet for years. We have been taking down one insurgent stronghold after another. We have yet to take any casualties. There hasnt even been a serious injury within the battalion. We are beginning to feel confident. Too confident. Word comes from our sister brigade, the 502nd Infantry, that they have taken a casualty. The first Screaming Eagle to die in combat since Vietnam was Specialist Brandon Lowe. Brandon was a fun loving, 20 year old from the midwest. His mother had pleaded with him to join the Navy or Air Force but he would hear none of it. He was determined to serve and fight with the legendary 101st Airborne. A unit that has built its own prestige and reputation as being one of the best infantry divisions in the entire army. Brandon was struck by shrapnel during and ambush. A fragment from a mortar round penetrated his chest just under his arm where there was no body armor. None of us knew him personally but it hurt just as much as if we did. To this point, the war had only cost us our sweat. When we found out that our comrade had paid for the war with his blood it brought us back to reality. We werent invincible. We werent playing war in our backyards. We were in a hostile country with men that would do anything possible to take our lives. We had no way of knowing it, but this was just the beginning of what would be a very long year. We thought it hurt to lose a brother that none of us had met but it wouldnt compare to when we would start losing our closest friends...
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:23:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015