I was deployed to Iraq in 2003 to 2004. I kept a journal while I was there. This is my story...
April 12, 2003 Partly cloudy, cool breeze, boots untied. The past few weeks were interesting before you arrived. My sister in-law sent me this journal so I guess I'll put some good use to it. I arrived here in Kuwait on March 3, 2003 after an 18 hour plane ride and I was ready to hit the hay. While I was sitting there waiting for the plane to land I kept dazing off, I couldn’t help but think about right before I got on the plane. We were in a line to walk up the steps and three people were standing at the end of them. It was a Chaplin, a Major, and a Captain and they were shaking our hands, saying their goodbyes and telling us they would see us soon. My throat dropped to my stomach and I told myself “I hope so.”
March 18, 2003
Two weeks after being in Kuwait and lugging around 3 duffel bags, a foot locker and a back pack. They told us to pack lighter because we were heading out soon. That was the first night of the air war. I started to pack what I thought I would need the most and I was down to 1 duffel bag and a back pack. While I was packing we had a scud alert exercise, the alarms were sounded off and we all had to mask up. We couldn’t take off our mask till the speakers said all clear. I remember reading a sign before we entered the chow hall (which was a tent) and it said “The next time you hear the alarm; it will be the real thing! There will be no more exercises!” I thought to myself, this is for real!
March 19, 2003
The next day we loaded our vehicles filled them with boxes of water and MRE’s (food) and packed up all our stuff. All weapons were mounted up, ammo was being passed out and then one by one American flags started going up on vehicles. Almost every vehicle had one and I wished I had my camera, but I had already packed it away. Our company was being split up and my closest friends that I called my brothers, which always watched out for me, were not going with me. We all said our good byes, because I didn’t know if I was going to see them again. That night we drove all the way to the boarder of Iraq. A General we were following wanted to be the first one there. We stopped to get some sleep, but I couldn’t sleep at all! I lay on top of my humvee underneath the stars and to tell you the truth it was kind of creepy. There was no sound of any kind! No birds, planes, traffic… Since we all couldn’t sleep we just stayed awake. Suddenly at 11:30pm we saw what looked like shooting stars! But they weren’t, they were MRL’s (multiple launch rockets) and patriots. WOW! It looked like something from Star Wars. While that was happening we heard three honks from far away, which means GAS! Everyone hurried to put their masks on. While laying there I couldn’t help to think where in Iraq the missiles were going and what they were hitting.
March 20, 2003-First day of Ground war
Our mission was secure Breach 5, which is the entrance to Iraq from Kuwait. Those few days I saw a lot of soldiers go through. I saw 3rd ID, 101st, transportation and the marines. After a few more days we heard that Iraqi soldiers were switching the direction of the signs and that a couple of convoys were ambushed. One morning we had heard that 9 were captured and 5 were assassinated on television! 1 out of the 9 was a female, and I was seriously scared for my life! Some of the higher ranking went to go check out the directions of the signs. I wonder why? They said that the convoys that were getting lost had gone through our breach, Breach 5! And the ones captured had gone through there too! I prayed so much that day for that girl. I started wondering if we had waved them in? If we were the last ones to see them alive? Could we have done anything to change what had happened? All I did was wonder “what if.” Every day I listened to the BBC news and asked around if anybody heard anything. People started saying the rest are dead and that even if there was 1 soldier alive, the army wouldn’t risk lives for just that 1. I thought to myself, what if that was me?? Would they leave me there to die and forget about me? I wouldn’t believe it! My Sergeant told me a story about 1 POW and how they found him and rescue him. So, I thought there is a chance! After that my Platoon Sergeant told us to write a letter, more like a will in case something happen to us and to put it in our upper right pocket and to keep there at all times.
There is more in my journal, but I thought I would save that for me. I wanted to share a moment with you, which is embedded in me for a life time. I hope you support our troops and never forget about them. Thank you This is a picture of my team. My gunner on the far left passed away as soon as we got back home, a day after my birthday. We miss you!