Heavy Weapons & The First Casualty
One thing you notice in Iraq patrolling the streets is alot of other units that are patrolling as well use light or medium machine guns mounted on their vehicles. M249 SAW and the M240 Bravo, which are good weapons, but is it something you really want to patrol around in say a place like Baghdad? I'm a firm believer in bigger guns means less of us good guys getting killed. We patrolled around with a M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Which can engage targets at an effective range twice that of our m240 bravo medium machine gun. Much of the buildings in the cities are made of stone which even the m240 bravo would probably not be able to penetrate. However, the Ma-duece (M2 .50 Cal MG) as it is called, can easily go through the those and still keep going strong. There is nothing better than the feeling of whoever was shooting at us from behind those walls isn't going to get us. It's like music to the ears to hear that monster going off. Gives that false sense of security, which I would rather have then being paranoid.
It's true what they say that the first casualty of war is innocence. You watch war movies about the heroes that fought in previous wars and wish you could have been fighting with those brave men. Until you live it for real. I've found the hard way, that war is not glamorous. You quickly lose the idea of being a man fighting for his country when you have to carry your comrade who has been wounded in a gun fight. That nobility is lost quickly. When I go back to Iraq or even when I was there, it quickly went from freeing a people and fighting for my country, to just plain trying to stay alive. It's strange to think that you can really think to yourself, maybe I wont make it home, and for some strange reason it doesn't even really bother you that much. You can't live in fear in a war zone. Cherries who have never been in combat, before doing their first combat mission are very nervous, while us veteran relax and put it far from our minds until it is go time. I know alot of people that read my blog for the most part believe the United States needs to be there. I agree with this, since I think it is morally wrong to come in, bomb the country and do alot of damage to it, and just leave is irresponsible and just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. However, I lost the idea of going to Iraq to set people free from a dictator or to make it safe for democracy. When I go back to Iraq, my mind set is on making it home back alive. It's not about fighting for the flag, it's about fighting for my life and fighting for my buddies life. These men I am lucky enough to serve with, I have become so attached to it's like they are my brothers. War is not glorious or something that one should want, but it is also sometimes necessary.
It's true what they say that the first casualty of war is innocence. You watch war movies about the heroes that fought in previous wars and wish you could have been fighting with those brave men. Until you live it for real. I've found the hard way, that war is not glamorous. You quickly lose the idea of being a man fighting for his country when you have to carry your comrade who has been wounded in a gun fight. That nobility is lost quickly. When I go back to Iraq or even when I was there, it quickly went from freeing a people and fighting for my country, to just plain trying to stay alive. It's strange to think that you can really think to yourself, maybe I wont make it home, and for some strange reason it doesn't even really bother you that much. You can't live in fear in a war zone. Cherries who have never been in combat, before doing their first combat mission are very nervous, while us veteran relax and put it far from our minds until it is go time. I know alot of people that read my blog for the most part believe the United States needs to be there. I agree with this, since I think it is morally wrong to come in, bomb the country and do alot of damage to it, and just leave is irresponsible and just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. However, I lost the idea of going to Iraq to set people free from a dictator or to make it safe for democracy. When I go back to Iraq, my mind set is on making it home back alive. It's not about fighting for the flag, it's about fighting for my life and fighting for my buddies life. These men I am lucky enough to serve with, I have become so attached to it's like they are my brothers. War is not glorious or something that one should want, but it is also sometimes necessary.
