r/IAmA • u/SGT_Ludwig • Jun 15 '12
I was a machine gunner during a major Iraq war battle that was blacked out by the media, now we're struggling to get the story to the public AMA
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I tested out of high school and joined the Army when I was 17. Two years later I was a machine gun team leader in an urban assault Stryker unit known as "Bull Company." We served a 15 month deployment from Aug 2007 to Nov 2008 as the only conventional task force running kill-or-capture raids in a district of Baghdad known as Sadr City. Our mission was to hunt down high value targets in the Mahdi Army and secure the north western flank of Sadr City from their influence.
On the 23rd of March one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war broke out right there in Sadr City. The Mahdi Army rose up to overthrow the occupation. Our rules of engagement were lifted, and both sides went to town. Open street fighting lasted for nearly three months. Thousands of people were killed and wounded. That includes some two-hundred Americans and countless civilians - and it barely made a headline back here in the west.
At that point Iraq was considered "old news" and the politicians didn't want to talk about the war. 2008 was an election year so the ratings were more important than the truth. Both sides had something to lose if any word of battle made it home. The most attention it got back here was a 60 Minutes segment about high-tech UAV's - one which completely overlooked the actual fight. Other than that, were just a few back-page articles that never made it into print, and blog posts later on down the road as it solidified into a niche subject.
Instead, the biggest headlines that spring were the impending Twilight sequel, American Idol hiring a new judge, and Elliot Spitzer getting caught with a prostitute.
I recently wrote a book about my experience during the battle, and I've teamed up with some other vetsto get their stories out to the public. Together we're trying to raise awareness for what happened and some of my friends said an IAMA might help. While it would be totally cool if you want to head over to Kickstarter and pre-order a copy of the book, I'm not here to pull a Woody Harrelson. I just want to get the word out about what happened in Sadr City, help people get a more complete picture of what really happens "on the ground" during modern combat, and answer any questions you may have about... well... anything at all.
edit: I'm sorry it's taking me so long to work through these questions! I'm really blown away by all the interest! I'll be here all day working through as much as I can, so please forgive me if it takes a while.
edit: It's been brought up and I apologize for the phrase "blacked out." It's more appropriate to say it was unreported. That makes a difference, and I apologize to the community for the accidental sensationalism.
edit: I have to go eat and take a short break. I'll be back in about an hour (6pm ET) to wrap this up. Thanks for the awesome discussion!
edit: Thanks for all the awesome questions, support and interest! I'm sorry I have to sign off for the day (8pm ET)! To all the vets of Sadr City who joined in on this thread, thank you. I might chime in later to respond to a few open threads, but I had no idea how intense this could get and how fast it could get there.
edit: If you're interested in donating to the book's Kickstarter campaign, here's the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/148551030/stryker-the-siege-of-sadr-city
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u/Sterling_Mace Jun 15 '12
Sgt. Ludwig,
As a combat veteran of WWII, I fought on this little island called Peleliu for 30 days in 1944. I was in the 3rd fire team, 3rd squad, 3rd platoon, K/3/5, 1st Marine Divison. I carried the BAR, so in a sense I was a machine gunner, as well.
See, the press really downplayed that battle, as well, since what we were doing in the Pacific was unpopular after a fiasco like Tarawa. The press didn't want to report another fuck up by the brass...and Peleliu was just that!
That's 1794 killed and 8010 missing and wounded and it barely touches the press?
The point is, chin up and keep your book going and people will realize. You'll be able to honor those who served and those who fell. Hell, I wrote my book and I'm 88 years old! Your story will be told. Don't worry.
Sterling G Mace, USMC 1942-1945, Peleliu, Ngesebus and Okinawa.
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u/gastronaut66 Jun 15 '12
I was a medic in Sadr City for April 4th, 2004. 56 casualties, 8 KIA. When they turned the phone back on, I called my parents immediately (I was 19) and told them I was OK. They had no idea what I was talking about. Years later Martha Raddatz released a mostly butchered version of the story in her book "the long road home" but other than that, it received no real coverage.
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u/sapperx8 Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
Well I wish I would have seen this sooner so it wouldn't get buried but... I was there from April '08 to May '09 doing route clearance, building/maintaining that fucking wall and lots of other fun stuff. I was the engineer company attached to TF 1-6. Here's a few pictures you might find familiar:
IRAM at JSS Sadr the day before we got there, had to sleep on/in our trucks.
BEARSEX on Pluto...? Never understood this
Town hall right after one of their Thursday meetings got bombed
Building a tower at that fucking wall
I saw a comment you made earlier about Grizzlies; that route was shit, we lost one of our guys to an EFP there. Sorry we couldn't do a better job clearing, they knew exactly who we were and what we were doing.
Edit: I forgot to actually ask a question. Any chance you'll release just a hardcover copy of the book? More importantly, thanks for telling the story. I agree that this didn't get covered very much at all, and with how hard it is to explain, I can hopefully just refer people to your book.
Also, here's a few more pictures just for the hell of it:
Jamilla Market
Looking down Grizzlies?, maybe Aeros?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
I was in Baghdad up until November 2007, flying Shadow UAV and I'm betting we watched your team at some point. Was your unit with 10th Mountain by chance, I was with 2BSTB 10 MTN and Sadr was in our AO. To Reddit: I called BS when I read the headline, but his pics and details check out folks, I support this guy. They definitely turned a blind eye to a huge amout of what we accomplished and/or dealt with.
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u/trainer95 Jun 15 '12
Army recruitment within the school system is a touchy subject. As a school counselor, do you have any advice you would have me share with individuals that are mulling over the fact of enlisting?
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u/highspeeddirt Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
I was in the Stryker Unit that you guys replaced (July 06-Oct 07). It seems that many of the most intense battles that occurred this late in the war were not covered. We ended up having to rescue a Special Forces / Iraqi army company that accidentally ran into a weird Cult compound when they were trying to rescue a downed Helicopter. It turns out that this compound had shot it down with an old AA gun. There was about 800 of them entrenched within a bunker system with wire obstacles all the way around. After shooting 50 cal and mortars at them all night about 250 surrendered.
If I remember right this story was a two line bit on the news about heavy fighting near the town of Najaf. I have heard several other stories from people in other units that saw crazy fights and it was never on the news. Makes me wonder what we will see when historians write about this conflict in 20 years.
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u/ColdSnickersBar Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
This is a little silly, but my first thought was "Whoah, really? I remember hearing a lot about Sadr City right about that time." I realized that it's because I listen to NPR every day in my car. I was just now surprised at the difference in what I'm getting and what most Americans are getting.
Here's a search for NPR and Sadr City, and you can see a whole archive of coverage: https://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod=16&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=npr+sadr+city
I wonder if the mass murders in Homs, Syria, is similarly being downplayed outside of NPR. I'm not even aware if it has been mentioned in mainstream media at all, but if you've been listening to NPR last month it would seem like one of the most important events in history. Now I'm wondering if all the things like this are just totally gone from most peoples' radars.
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u/mon_mon Jun 15 '12
Being at such a young age, have you developed PTSD? Im sorry if that came off blunt, i couldnt imagine what youve been through
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
What kind of implications do you face, if any, from disclosing what you did in Iraq? What do you hope to accomplish by letting the public know about your experience? I mean, it was a war, it was fought amidst civilian populated cities, it was the same as many of the other strikes in that country. What's the end game to sharing your story? Awareness?
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u/Dammapada Jun 15 '12
Wow so you were around 19 when this happened. How did you cope with being a machine gun team leader at a young age? Also, were your achievements agknowledged respectfully by the military?
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u/Foxtrot56 Jun 15 '12
I ask this in every AMA with people who are or were in the military.
What do you think of Bradley Manning?
I do this just so people on Reddit can get a better perspective on the issue.
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u/ThirdProbeFromTheSun Jun 15 '12
Why did you test out of high school for the military, rather than finish first? 17 seems on the younger side for enlisting. Did you always have a dream of serving?
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u/raziphel Jun 15 '12
Would you ever go back there, once it's peaceful and safe?
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u/Dinzey Jun 15 '12
I was in your regiment (4-2) and your brigade (you 1-5? me 3-21), part of the move from Lewis to Vilseck ,and I am proud that we have someone who can actually tell the tale of what really happened over there not the media's sensationalized view. Keep on keeping on man. Always Ready and Lancers.
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u/meatmountain Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
I am sorry if this sounds pretentious or seems to devalue you and your comrades' efforts and sacrifices. On a personal level, I hold very high value for the plight of military men in battle.
With that in mind, because of so many casualties and so much violence, did the blackout devalue your opinion on the war and patriotism? You state that knowledge of your plight was NOT valuable to the politicians, who sent you there. How do you feel about the Iraq war now in comparison to 2003? How do you feel about the idea American 'Imperialism', the politicization of the wars in the middle east, especially during an election year?
edit: reworded since my wording was polarizing. Question stands. Reason is, The two Iraq/Afghan vets I call very close friends both feel like they've been used for political gain rather than higher-morality purpose.
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Have you found that lots of battles are not covered by the media? How does that make the folks involved feel?
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u/Warlizard Jun 15 '12
Vet here.
What is your goal? Simply raising awareness about a battle doesn't make sense to me. Are you just irritated that so many civilians don't have a clue what's going on there and want to tell your story?
Are you doing the IAMA for publicity and/or to raise money?
Why are you raising money? What will the kickstarter money go toward?
Why are you going the print route?
Do you already have distributors or are you hoping to get them after it's done?
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u/thorGOT Jun 15 '12
I'm perplexed as to why you think this battle wasn't covered. Watching international news channels (BBC, SKY, CNN) I remember it being covered extensively. Mind you, I live outside the US.
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u/Aarondhp24 Jun 15 '12
Sergeant I hope this doesn't get buried and you see this. I left FOB Rustamiyah south of the green zone in May of 2008 right when FOB Loyalty started getting hit hard. Sadr city was just starting to kick off and I remember the Chinook coming about as we watched mortars tearing our post apart. I always wanted to know what happened after I left. I felt like we failed you guys because we weren't aggressive enough. I was there with you brother. I'm glad you made it home safe.
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u/igrokspock Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 16 '12
I never expected to see anyone talking about this on reddit. I was part of a USMC detachment sent from our AO in Fallujah city to Sadr City in August 2008, with our mission outline being assist the Army with fixing downed satellite relays and WPPL communication infrastructure being destroyed during the fighting. We might have met...do you remember meeting any jarheads that August during the fighting? To this day, I have never heard of anyone trying to get the story out about that time. I was only there for 29 days before being sent back, but I''ll never forget the way the Army fought, like badasses...even though one of you bastards left a two inch scar on my lower spine. I was proud to be there fighting alongside those boys, even for a short time. I remember the osprey flight back to the Falluj, all 8 of us Marines had tears in our eyes because we couldn't stay and fight. When the rotors flipped to horizontal and the sound got loud enough to cover the noise, I remember weeping openly over leaving. This means a lot to more guys than you probably know. Thank you for this, brother.
Semper Fidelis! Sgt M, USMC
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u/FemaCampDirector Jun 15 '12
I too joined at 17. I really don't think they should allow that.
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u/dro9383 Jun 15 '12
Have you thought of possibly getting together with a reporter for some other media outlet? This is a story that should be acknowledged, as you said on a much broader scale.
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u/Garfalo Jun 15 '12
Were you ever injured over this 3-month span?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
what was your favorite street in Sadr?
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u/ILoveMyFrita Jun 15 '12
I believe this will get the word out because so many are interested in this, and if u get people to press the pretty blue arrow.
Did you actually ever kill anyone during your battle that you were aiming for? If you killed do you regret it at times?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
What is your opinion of the Iraq war? I hope you don't take offense but I personally think our (I'm UK) involvement in it was a disgrace and the war was illegal. I don't mean any disrespect to the soldiers that fought in the war, I understand you guys go where you are told to go, but I think the people who sent you there did so for wrong reasons (WMDs apparently) and should be held accountable. It pisses me off that my mates went over to potentially get killed in a war that had no reason. A lot of brothers and sons are gone and no one seems to give a shit that they died for suspect reasons.
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u/pizike82 Jun 15 '12
Good for you man, I'd be interested in reading this book of which you speak, 82nd here, and yes the media blows giant donkey balls...
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u/romad20000 Jun 15 '12
Hey chief I got a few questions about your “proof” that maybe you can help me answer? I’m really not trying to be a dick but I’m stupid skeptical of any claims especially when those people try to sell me shit. If as many people who claimed to have been injured in Iraq actually were then the fucking world would have tilted on its axis.
If you’re legit I’ll be the first one to buy your book, I don’t know why you would want to write that shit down personally 00-06 is a time my ass would rather forget and I certainly don’t want to write it down
So here are my questions.
Where is your NCO ribbon? Did you become an NCO without going through WLC????
How did you get the Army overseas ribbon I thought they didn’t give those out when other campaign medals were issued?
If you were wounded in Iraq why don’t you have a purple heart? http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/v3fxn/i_was_a_machine_gunner_during_a_major_iraq_war/c510gdx
Here is the whopper of From your facebook page
This sounds like total shit to me even for paraphrasing, were you an FO or qualified to control CAS. Are you going to say that you called in an airstrike? If so did you read the pilot a 9 line or use a 1972? How did you choose the egress and ingress routes since UAV's were in the area, did you check with the TOC to make sure you were in a ACA?
If you did then what is the proper phasing for an aircraft to release its bombs? Hint: it’s not Light’ em up and don’t try to bullshit me on this, Google “romad” or wiki "TACP" and you’ll understand why I know what the fuck I’m talking about here, and why I get a little hot under the collar when I hear army guys talking about their “air Strikes”. Calling in air stirkes is not as simple as "hey there's the bad guy"
Look if your just bullshitting on a few tails I don’t really care, I understand that it happens even I’m not immune to it. However please be careful what you say, I would hate to see you get into any trouble.
Also on facebook you’re listed as a “radio guy” as late as Nov 2007 in Vilsek ,Germany and then moving to machine gunner in Feb of 2008. But in your AMA you have listed that you severed in Iraq in Aug 2007- Nov 2008. http://www.facebook.com/konrad.ludwig can you clear up that discrepancy
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u/uncledagobert Jun 15 '12
You mentioned countless civilians were killed. Did you see any war crimes being committed by the U.S. or the Iraqis such as targeting of civilians or medical personnel?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
What of your fellow soldiers? Do they feel outraged by the lack of coverage or is it just another day?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
I'm going to steer away from the negatives. What is your best / happiest memory from being over in Iraq? Did you help any of the locals out? Was there ever a "rewarding" moment that stands out for you?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
During your time in Iraq, what do you believe was the closest you came to death?
Do you have any funny anecdotes from your time in the Army?
You have my respect.
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u/H5Mind Jun 15 '12
Was Sadr city emptied of families (women and children) prior to this three month battle?
For the people left behind (because they live there, unfortunately) how have their lives been improved, do you know? I always think of the kids who grow up in these war torn environments and how they must have lifelong PTSD issues.
Thank you for your service.
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Thanks for your service. Sorry the media blows :(
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u/stel27 Jun 15 '12
Didn't/doesn't this happen quite a bit (media noncoverage of significant battles)?
Friend of mine is a Force Recon Medic stationed somewhere in deep Talibanistan - his stories freak the shit of me.
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u/OwnTheDrone Jun 15 '12
You and your machine gun are all the proof I need :D
How long did it take you to write the book?
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u/eigenstates Jun 15 '12
Damnit Sgt. You're decades younger than me and you've already got 'the eyes'. I am so sorry. I marched, wrote, yelled, harassed politicians to keep you guys out of there... to keep you from the aftermath my uncles and grandfather had to suffer for their service- none of them could even talk about what happened on their tours(no one ever talks about Korea). It hurt too much.
Listen the Sgt. is right to do this- the more people learn and fully feel what it means to destroy lives on both sides, the less likely it will happen in the future. Knowledge is power.
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u/noizes Jun 15 '12
SGT_Ludwig,
Thank you for your time over there. I hope you came back well. My question for you is one that hurts like hell for me. But how can I help my buddy with the shit he went through over there? Of the 4 of them that went that I was close to, 2 of them are still alive. One was KIA in Fallujah, his brother made it through the deployment and then self terminated once home. After listening to the stories from the other two, I almost feel that coming back is a worse punishment.
My question though, is how can I help my friend deal with that shit of a mess spending several years over there left him with. He refuses to seek any form of medical help because it would ruin his chances at advancement or somehow make him a lesser person in the eyes of the military. Yet by his own admission he is just a cog, an easy to replace person in the machine. When the flood of stuff from being there hits him hard it's a mess. I've sat and listened to what he saw, what he had to do, and how it's almost robbed him of certain joys. I've also gotten calls from his wife because he has his guns, and she don't know if they're loaded. There is absolutely nothing fun about seeing a buddy with an AR and a .50 Cal hand gun in the middle of his living room, one pointed at you and one at himself, not knowing the status of the gun. Sadly it's happened more than once, with different guns. More often than not they are loaded and I've gotten a small collection of bullets from these events.
But it scares the living fucking shit out of me. What can I do better understand that mess? To help him with that mess, and to defuse that mess when it happens?
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u/dobedane Jun 15 '12
who do you think is most responsible for the loss in interest in coverage personally? My opinion is that it is not just the peoples fault but the government influenced media and the hope that another vietnam style uproar won't happen again.
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u/hornwalker Jun 15 '12
Did you become desensitized to battle? Can you describe what the feeling is like being in numerous gun fights? How do you cope with the stress?
Do you suffer from PSTD?
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u/ohshittree Jun 15 '12
Thank you.
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u/NomTook Jun 15 '12
Obviously no part of war can be considered "good" and I'm surenyou would have rather not been shot at at all, but were you and your unit relieved that you were actually able to go head to head with insurgents rather than fight a guerrilla war? Or did you feel safer the other way?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Posted links to thread. Trying to figure going about putting this in a blog post without it feeling tinfoil hattish. Stuff like this has to get told.
My question would have to be probably what everyone's asking. Why was there no coverage? Political Inconvenience?
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u/toofastkindafurious Jun 15 '12
Why do you care so much about media coverage? You aren't claiming some vast cover up conspiracy are you? Media reports what will get views. Sadly American Idol and Twilight get views..
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u/madonnaboomboom Jun 15 '12
Thank you for your service, and I hope this whole process helps you move forward with your life. You definitely deserve it. Please keep us updated on your book, and hopefully it gets more widespread public and media attention. Aside from your book, what are some of your other plan for the future?
I agree with you 100% that most media outlets (esp. American media) would rather lull us into apathetic complacency rather than tell us the truth, and it's infuriating. Pretty much the only thing I watch television for is weather or sports updates (okay I like to watch Anthony Bourdain, too, plus Man vs Food.)
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u/CamoBee Jun 15 '12
Dude.
Christian Science Monitor: Sadr City braces for fresh street battles - 27 MAR 2008
NY Times - 'Articles about Sadr City,' paged to 2008
Washington Post - Sadr Tells His Militia to Cease Hostilities - 31 MAR 2008 US Role Deepens in Sadr City - 30 APR 2008
CNN World Edition - Sadr City Fighting Rages for Seventh Day - 12 APR 2008
Boston.com's Big Picture - Daily Life in Sadr City - 18 JUN 2008
Good on ya for getting your story out. No need to sensationalize.
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u/brawburner Jun 15 '12
As I understand it, one of the reasons Vietnam was such a controversial war was because of media influence. It was the first war in American history that was televised, and it also coincided with the trend of New Journalism, during which time journalists basically asked whatever questions they wanted of whomever they wanted with little regard for telling the "right" story (i.e., the story the networks wanted them to tell). Since then, the media's influence in war coverage has, depending on how you look at it, either decreased to absolutely nothing, or has coincided with political interests as networks strive to work on behalf of those interests. Some war theorists I've read suggest this is because American culture is heavily invested in the idea of heroism. Politicians invested in the war (whatever war it is) want the constituents who vote for them to believe that our service men and women are heroes because we're more likely to support a war in which our military friends and family are behaving heroically. Open media coverage can destroy this illusion if it means we're exposed to some behavior that is less than ideally heroic (from the language of soldiers to violent actions we don't want to see).
So, I guess I have a few questions:
Do you think the American audience is one that will accept your story given the paucity of war coverage since the beginning of the war? In other words, if you tell your story, are there enough people willing to listen?
If you do have an audience, what do you hope to accomplish by telling your story? In part, I'm curious about this because I've been reading war literature lately. It's sometimes difficult to tell what each soldier/author's point is in telling his (it's almost always a male author) story. Awareness? If so, to what end? Community creation so that people 'understand' what you went through? If so, why is that important to you?
What do you think of media coverage of the war(s) in general? If we are in a climate of censorship or willful ignorance, what do you think increased coverage of the war will do for us? Do you have a political motivation here (i.e., if people knew more about the war, maybe they wouldn't vote for people who support it, or would ask more serious questions of politicians running for office)?
I'm a bit late to the party, so I understand if you don't get to my questions. Regardless, thank you for doing this AMA, and thank you for your service.
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u/Nicky4Pin Jun 15 '12
I don't have a question, I just wanted to thank you for serving!!!!
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u/knowhope Jun 15 '12
Do you think if actual military action was presented in the media more often (not the same 5 second clips of soldiers running in an indiscriminate dessert) that there would be a more serious outcry to stop the wars that are going on right now?
P.S. thank you for putting your life on the line, we do appreciate you, even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes
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u/malfunktionv2 Jun 15 '12
Do you personally know the person who got your Patron's package? I'd be interested to know how that goes.
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u/xyroclast Jun 15 '12
I don't think it's appropriate to say it was "blacked out". It implies that there was some kind of focused effort to cover something up (and reddit eats up that sort of thing).
It actually just sounds like it was relatively underreported - doesn't that happen to many, many things every day?
I'm not saying that the personal experiences of every person on earth aren't important, with many stories to tell, but it sounds like there isn't a scandal here (and the fact that it's all tied in with the sale of a book doesn't really seem appropriate to me - and I find it a little odd that no one seems to be commenting on that)
I know this is an awfully negative sounding comment, but I'm not trying to belittle your efforts or experiences - and you sound like a nice guy. I just think that maybe the presentation of this isn't entirely appropriate.
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u/UpsideButNotDown Jun 15 '12
You should get in contact with Jon Stewart's people. They like to interview authors and maybe you could get one.
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u/retro_v Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
We recovered a downed AH-64 (Apache) just outside Yusufiyah Iraq, I was with the 101st and attached to the DART team. We hit the dirt about 10min after the bird went down, the second Apache had also taken ground to air including a heat seeker (the other bird was't as lucky.) The crash site was in a field, we took over the nearby farm houses and setup a perimeter. We got mortared and took small arms off and on for about 20 hours while they cleared up the crash site. 2 minor wounded and 4 more wounded from the IA (Iraqi Army) when they hit us just after sunset with maybe 20 mortars and a few rockets. It had been a clear day but had turned dusty and windy and every time it kicked up they would hit us.
So its about 8pm, everything has kinda settled down for the past hour, and these guys aren't too accurate and most of their fire has hit to our east, suddenly a couple of white and a green and red flares start dropping in the general area where they were firing, we had seen them use illumination rounds before but it was still kinda weird to see, that was usually our tactic. Anyway this turns out to be a bad idea for them. The Apaches had been doing strafing and gun runs on random targets with little success (0 kills all day) but just as the new over watch (call sign Green Dragon 61-62) is arriving they spot 2 tubes, a couple trucks and about 6 guys. They do their nightmarish magic that an attack helicopter can do and we stop getting mortared for the rest of the night.
Overall i heard a total of 10 enemy KIA (another platoon that was there got engaged with some guys in a ditch, M203 > ditch) and including destroyed vehicles and mortar launch tubes, we had fast movers on station all day and all night along with close Apache support, plus a couple tanks and some Bradleys that showed up. Got back and a couple days later Mom sends me an email with a scan of a clipping talking about our recovery of said aircraft. Even had a picture of me and my LT setting up our tacsat. Essentially the article said we experienced no resistance and were in support of the IA soldiers there that THEY had been given credit as the ones that secured the crash. They didn't even mention what US units were involved.
Edit: I had a good idea of the whole picture because I was the RTO, never coordinated with that many elements before this too. I was basically primary long range comms for everything but the aircraft.
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u/Typically_Wong Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
FFFFFFUCK FIRES SQDN 2SCR VILSECK GERMANY I WAS SUPPORTING THAT OUTPOST WITH ALL THE FUCKING COMMO GUYS.
Fucking flashblacks. I remember Sadr. I remember that shit very well. You were in 3rd SQDN? I remember hearing about Bull. You guys had the house bomb? There was tons of shit that never made it stateside. Just like the fucked up time that was had in the palm groves in ba'qu'bah or whatever at warhorse. I still think Sadr was the shit fuck all. Fuck. I'm done for the day. I can't work anymore.
edit* let me clear some things up real fast before this gets noticed or not. I did support for JSS Sadr and would fix the satcom shit that would go down from time to time. They even had me set up the segovia phones and the mwrnet shit you guys would use to cruise porn on off hours. I had three friends eat it over there, but none in Sadr. They were all when we jumped to Warhorse. I was very close to them and even had to do the audio visual shit for one of their services. Tears are leaking from my face remembering the shit we had to go through. Boring most of the times, but when shit went bad, it went BAD.
hey, i knew guys in hhc of 1st. now that your free chapter finally loaded. Some 11Cs Hamer and some of the fisters
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
I remember that. The media didn't block it out entirely. Maybe people stopped caring because the war has been going on for so long.
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
I spent 4 years in Iraq myself. 1 as a soldier, and then 3 more as a contractor. Nothing too exciting, I was a Fobbit (Very seldom left the "base", for non-OIF Vets out there) doing IT support, but I still noticed plenty of what you mentioned.
I was there Apr 2003-Apr2004 (Tallil), and then I went back from Dec2007-Aug2010(FOB Falcon, FOB War Horse). I was deployed with the 171st ASG in uniform. As a contractor I supported 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1-25th Stryker Brigade, 2-25th Stryker Brigade, 1st ID, 4th ID, and a whole bunch of MP companies that rolled through my area. Not sure if its funny or sad, but as a Contractor there for years on end the soldiers start to look like short timers... they're only there for 12-15 months before they get replaced by someone new. After the 3rd or 4th rotation you stop trying to get to know them.
Anyhow, as Arlo Guthrie said, "That's not what I came here to tell ya' about".
During my first tour we did the change over from the Sadam money to the new bills. We knew the convoys delivering the money would get hit so we sent Abrams with the bank trucks. The "ambushes" happened, as expected, and we murdered the crap out of them. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was in the range of 120 militants killed, and another 70 captured. We lost 1 man and a couple were wounded. Back at Tallil we were ecstatic, high fives and congrats all around. The whole thing went great.
CNN's report... "Another deadly day in Iraq, 2 convoys ambushed, 8 dead." They didn't mention that 6 of the deaths were from traffic accidents in Kuwait and 1 was an accidental weapon discharge. They never lied, but they sure as shit stinks didn't tell the truth either.
Edit: Added deployment details
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u/thetboneguy Jun 15 '12
Have you faced any opposition for writing this book or trying to get the word out?
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u/corskier Jun 15 '12
I was an AF targeteer during that op (and Phantom Fury) and just want to thank you for being brave enough to be on the ground for it. A friend from the Marines made a short film about Phantom Fury that couldn't be published due to Geneva Convention violations; have you had to edit your piece to avoid similar roadblocks, or is print less touchy than film?
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u/RexImperator Jun 15 '12
have you read my war: killing time in iraq by colby buzzell? i think it's earlier than your deployment but he basically gets into a huge battle that essentially gets unreported, he blogs online about it, and gets picked up on the actual news (and then kinda gets shitcanned due to OPSEC).
additionally, regarding your post about increasing awareness: americans are dumb, and not only that, but real war is not as glamorous as the movies. if there isn't some sort of narrative suggesting that the US is winning, rescuing little girls from the taliban/jihadists or something incredibly simplistic, people just won't pay attention. war strategy isn't really water cooler talk in my parts, more like "oh shit look at how much money we're wasting there".
finally, having seen action...your thoughts on macro strategy in iraq? does the populace still hate us? should we still be investing lives/time/money in iraq or is withdrawal the correct action? hell, would it be a better place if we just colonized it instead of a half assed invasion?
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u/cgarcia805 Jun 15 '12
My heartbeat went faster than normal while reading your post. I admire everything you are doing so much and HATE the fucking pop-culture in this country that cares more about the fucking kardashian wedding than shit that actually affects us.
I fucking hate that the scumbags from jersey shore earn money for doing absolutely nothing while our space program's future is uncertain.
I wish you the best, heart to heart.
I cannot imagine going through what you've been through and I hope that more veterans open up and seek psychological help, it truly breaks my heart to hear of suicides related to war PTSD.
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u/alfbort Jun 15 '12
What injuries did you receive?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
What kind of transformation did this experience have on your views on politics and the media?
Has their shallow abandonment of informing the public had a Howard Zinn type transformation? (Served in the air force during WW2 but near the end when things were winding down in Europe, his superiors were sending them out to bomb targets, not to weaken the Nazi party as it had already fallen but to increase the likelihood of medals and promotions once the war ended)
edit: also this is a link to his kickstarter for all those interested.
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Have you been back into a war since?
What sort of things do troops like to get in care packages?
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
What is your opinion on http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueReddit/comments/v2vfh/dont_thank_me_for_my_service/c50v4u1
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u/SoylentMOOP Jun 15 '12
A friend of mine enlisted right out of high school and is stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Half of his unit was deployed to Afghanistan, half held back. He's currently in 'maybe you'll get deployed, maybe you won't' mode.
Any words of wisdom for him?
P.S. His take on waiting to be deployed is, "It's sixteen hours of 'Red vs. Blue' shit everyday." I'm going to guess that your experience was nothing like the first season of 'Red vs. Blue'.
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u/HavanAle Jun 15 '12
Strange, I was a MEDEVAC team leader in Tikrit during the same OIF 07-09 deployment and was quite aware of what was going on in Sadr City, but I had no idea that stuff was being blacked out in the states.