Dodge City

Original post date:
Sunday, April 01, 2007

The middle of March was a baptism by fire for my unit. Insurgent forces assaulted the IZ with rocket attacks for about 6 days straight. One of those days I was posted with SrA Whitfield. Whitfield is stationed at Nellis AFB with my brother. Earlier in the day, we had a discussion about how she didn't like the President and his polices. However, when the rocket hit and we were first on scene, politics went out the window. Four people were injured, and Whitfield ran to perform first aid on one of them. It hit a large trailer that held a few offices and I went through the rubble for any other casualties. I was luckily to have Whitfield with me. She had recent Combat Lifesaver training and having a medical bag. The guy she was treating had a really bad wound on his leg and was peppered with shrapnel. This was more than enough for this deployment, sadly that wouldn't be the last.

Two days later there was other rocket attack with three casualties. I wasn't the first on scene, but Whitfield again was there working on a young woman that worked for KBR. I did not deal with another major rocket attack, especially where it hit. It was pretty close to my trailer. I walk by there everyday to work. Personally I am glad I wasn't first on scene, I might have not performed as I did at the last attack. Two of the injured stopped breathing and ultimately died. It demoralized a lot of us. Our leadership gave us a speech on how well we did and sometimes know matter how hard you tried to save someone it might not happen. They tried to prepare us for more attacks and not to allow the terrorists to stop our resolve in our mission here.

Indirect fire is expected. No matter how hard you try to secure an area. You can't stop indirect fire, especially when it is happening in a city that is as big as Baghdad. However, all the intelligence we have received and other incidents going on around us. This place is about as fortified as Dodge City over hundred years ago. Where my comrades and I are the marshals. The people I work with are the only people here I trust. In the IZ, you really don't know who the enemy is here.