"Most troublingly, I didn't have a clue how to fire an RPG. But for whatever reason, I picked it up. And for whatever reason, I survived. Now I was in possession of a foreign weapon that I'd never held and had not the slightest idea how to use.
"I took cover behind another tree and looked the weapon over. I'd seen them in movies and pictures, but we were never trained how to use enemy weapons. I fumbled with the rocket until it snapped firmly into place. I thought that if I could just somehow figure out how to fire the damn thing, I could destroy the building and free up my brothers. Plus -- and I'd be lying if I didn't admit it -- I loved the idea of shooting these bastards with their own damn weapon.
"I popped out from behind my palm tree. Squeeze. Nothing.
"I reloaded the rocket, checked the sights, and put it back up on my shoulder again before exposing myself from behind the tree a second time.
"Squeeze. Nothing again. 'Motherfucker!' I muttered.
"I started to wonder whether there was a reason this stupid thing had been tossed into the battlefield; maybe it was a dud. That's when the launcher's dual-trigger system caught my eye. If it didn't work this time, I was done fooling with this thing.
"No sooner had I exposed myself and gotten into a kneeling firing position than I heard Gardner get hit in the ribs. Gardner's screams sounded like someone getting his arms sawed off. His body collapsed to the ground. He was seven yards away, lying in an expanding pool of deep-red blood.
"The Fedayeen zeroed in on his body. Their rounds punched the dirt around him. Gardner's face turned as white as Tardif's had. Blood was pouring out of his mouth, along with gargling sounds. Later we'd learn that he'd been paralyzed from the waist down, but at the time, all we knew was that if we didn't do something fast, another round would find and kill him.
"I thought, 'If I'm going to fire this thing, I better do it now, because if I don't, they're going to kill Gardner.' I pointed the RPG back at the terrorists, aimed at the structure, braced for the kickback, and squeezed the trigger."
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Wednesday 23 January
By Ryan
"I say we nuke the whole damn Middle East! Why should we have to play with these crazy people. Just simply turn the crazy switch on and let me have it. If I was there I wouldnt fight with my hands tied like our soldiers are expected to do. This Iraq thing is like another vietnam, they can only do so much. Kill them all, torture em, beat em, and whatever else we can think of."
We shouldn't even be over there in the first place. Yes, it's like Vietnam: It's pointless and we're going to end up losing. Why go nuke some place for trying to defend itself? What's our reason for being over there? After all "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11".
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Thursday 07 February
By Hutch
Some of you need to get a clue. As a vet I can assure you that great strides toward success are beig made in Iraq and always have been. Patraous has greatly increased the rate at which we are moving forward. Do any of you realize how many cells have been ordered FROM the U.S. (by their leaders) to fight against us in Iraq? That is exactly what we wanted. To fight the war somewhere besides our city streets. We did not start the war, we just changed it from a "home" game to an "away" game. You will soon see what I mean when and if a liberal takes Bush's place and removes our troops. Within months we will be engaged here and I would really like to thank the dems in advance. Another thing is the "Bush Lied" crap. The senate was given the same imformation that Bush was given and they ALL came to he same conclusion. If you have never been to the desert you have no idea the vastness of the area. Even with the technology we have now, if given the time I could hide the Golden Gate Bridge under the sand and you'd never find it. I would be saying the same thing if Clinton would have been Pres and made the decision and in my opinion he's the most cowardly waste of good air that's ever crapped behind a pair of loafers. It's only fair. Be glad we are where we are doing what we are doing. We have the greatest men and women in uniform and like it or not, they won't let us down.
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Thursday 07 February
By Hutch
Some of you need to get a clue. As a vet I can assure you that great strides toward success are beig made in Iraq and always have been. Patraous has greatly increased the rate at which we are moving forward. Do any of you realize how many cells have been ordered FROM the U.S. (by their leaders) to fight against us in Iraq? That is exactly what we wanted. To fight the war somewhere besides our city streets. We did not start the war, we just changed it from a "home" game to an "away" game. You will soon see what I mean when and if a liberal takes Bush's place and removes our troops. Within months we will be engaged here and I would really like to thank the dems in advance. Another thing is the "Bush Lied" crap. The senate was given the same imformation that Bush was given and they ALL came to he same conclusion. If you have never been to the desert you have no idea the vastness of the area. Even with the technology we have now, if given the time I could hide the Golden Gate Bridge under the sand and you'd never find it. I would be saying the same thing if Clinton would have been Pres and made the decision and in my opinion he's the most cowardly waste of good air that's ever crapped behind a pair of loafers. It's only fair. Be glad we are where we are doing what we are doing. We have the greatest men and women in uniform and like it or not, they won't let us down.
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Friday 15 February
By Mike
Wow!!!!
1st to the vet. You must be older and probably as nieve as my dad. Yes you are correct that bush didn't lie. It was all of his advisors and of course the devil himself (Cheney). Yellow cake from Africa LOL haha. They knew they were going to invade before 9/11. And to say that Clinton would have done the same...I dont think so. He would have sent cruise missles in and called it good. Or even maybe stayed the course in Afghanistan and not even look at Iraq, since hmmm.... Saddam didnt try to kill his dad, duh. We are in Iraq for that very reason and of course THE OIL.
2nd.. I would like to thank the Democrats for one thing. Standing up for the US citizens rights, when all the Republicans wanted to do was flush our rights down the toilet. And if you disagree look at the current news and pay attention to the Republicans walking out of the house because the Democrats wouldnt renew there "WARRANTLESS Wiretapping".
3rd...God bless the the US for electing those Democrats
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Friday 11 January
By MrLongDong
I say we nuke the whole damn Middle East! Why should we have to play with these crazy people. Just simply turn the crazy switch on and let me have it. If I was there I wouldnt fight with my hands tied like our soldiers are expected to do. This Iraq thing is like another vietnam, they can only do so much. Kill them all, torture em, beat em, and whatever else we can think of.
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Sunday 13 January
By Peter Downey
I am absolutely astounded by this article.
I take my hat off to the trouper involved, he deserves all the credit.
What I do not understand is why these troops were not given basic training in the weapons they were likely to encounter on the ground in this theater.
During WWII it was my understanding that at least the elite Allied Brigades received basic training in enemy weaponry so that they knew what to expect from them as well as how to use them under such circumstances.
Have we for gotten the lessons of the past, and wouldn't we be further advanced if these lessons wes still taught?
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