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Brothers (and Sisters?) This Fourth...

HaybletHayblet Posts: 2,429 ✭✭✭
Gentlemen I wanted to share this story from my WoW Guild Forum from a friend who I did a lot of content with and I'm lacking words to describe how this story reached me. So when everyone here has a Cigar for the 4th, please think of this story and our fallen hero's.

[QUOTE=Yggdrasil;12931]I finally felt it necessary to type this out. It is something I never told my wife or anyone really until today. I had ripped her head off about something so silly and in her tears I explained where I was coming from. Haditha a town in Iraq is where I lost my best friend. A friend of mine since middle school that chased after me after I enlisted when he didn't have an ounce of guts until the Core shoved them in there for him. But he wanted to experience the world with me -- a world at the time that was at peace and for all extensive purposes kids like him got a free ride to college or a house out of it -- things the likes of a job out of high school or his parents could never provide him. We went though basic together and eventually went separate was as I went into the scout program and he went the route of a normal field grunt. We kept in touch but we didn't meet face to face again until that hell hole of Haditha when I saw the 5-4 painted on helmets and equipment -- his unit.

The battle you will never hear about on TV or see a special on but it was fierce. I don't care what you see on the news when 530 people are willing to hold out to the death with civilian shields protecting them no amount of technology or tactics can make it easy. It's man to man like any battle in ww1 or ww2. Of course as a scout I found a roost and set up shop -- feeding the commanders back at the post information on movements, correcting firing mission, laser painting enemy bunkers etc. Of course though out all this I also support with suppression fire from my spotters MG, mostly to keep the enemies heads down, but of course if they choose to leave that head out then of course its my job to take that head off. As the individual fire teams sweep though the city I of course continue to report how far each had advanced to prevent friendly air or artillery fire from falling on them because at the time the A-10s and the 155s were laying a lot of the hot fire zones to waste. It was then I spotted him though my scope as I was putting marks down on a map -- my best friend for life Nick. Its odd that just seeing him made me happy but only for a moment since I knew full well what type of mess we had gotten ourselves in. What kind of mess I had gotten him in because he didn't deserve to be in the middle of this awful war.

Of course I start helping his fire team out. Extra MG fire, extra snipes, extra attention to the details of his units movements. It was going great -- and I was proud of my all my brothers but of course most all for my main bro. Of course even all the chaos my attention got dragged away. I remember some Captain screaming over the radio for fire. An A-10 charged in from behind us with the gut rinsing sound of its main battery ripping a building in front of the Captains position to pieces as stray shell casings from the war planes unleashed fury fell on the roof tops above me and all around us. Sweeping the windows of the now shelled out building for activity and I waited. Waited some more. Nothing and I report quickly that zero moment spotted in the targeted building. By this time a few pieces of armor had enter the streets near the Captains position so I shifted my attention back to where my good buddy was working house to house. Then it happened. For **** sake if I had been watching his back it wouldn't have but a man with a bomb and artillery shell strapped to himself ran into the building Nick was in and unleashed a violent explosion that shook the ground enough to rattle me several blocks back with an engulfing dust cloud that filled the air for what seemed like forever. I saw them dragging pieces of him out. **** pieces. Delirious grunts tried CPR as they too were most likely in shock from being so close to the concussion but a man missing a chest will never breathe again. The last I saw of my best friends face from middle school was a bloody pulp getting zipped up into a bag though my scope.

The reason I do really bring all this up is for a lot of people days like this are great for BBQ or beer. For people like me.. it is a day where the memories of those that left us -- and at time the guilt of being alive can be worse then dying sometimes when you know at times you could have made the difference. From this moment on I was never the same. I don't make friends well out of god awful fear of having something like this happening to me again. I also lash out at a lot of people around these days -- days we are suppose to remember because of the guilt I do and will always carry with me from my failing. From the guilt of writing his mother saying I saw it happen and failed to react. The **** guilt is almost unbearable at times. So I just want to say to those I have been a total *** to lately or ever.. I am sorry I am who I am.. but hopefully I understand now where I am coming from and with me letting all this *** out on you that maybe I can try to not be that total *** I come off as at times. Because as emotionless a lot of poeple might think I am.. trust me.. that monday when I was writing the 4th or 5th letter to his mother about her son I balled my eyes out secretly so no one would see me. Nick of the 5-4.. as long as we have a Marine Core you live, as long as I live you live, but I wish you were here with me bro. Miss you until I join you in death.

While I know this is late.. sometimes it takes old grunts like me time to reflect and maybe screw up a little or a lot to realize how much all this *** has really effected us. How it effects everyone around us.

Now I always knew "Yggy" had some experience as a Marine, but he never went into detail. I'll man up and say his story made a few tears stream down my face. For his brother and fellow Hero, I will be smoking my God of Fire by DC, One of my last Armada's, and if I have the time possibly my only Opus X love Affair. So please guys, just think of the hero Nick of the 5-4 this Fourth and remember to thank those brave Hero's for giving us our Freedom.

Comments

  • mfotismfotis Posts: 720 ✭✭
    Cheers to them and all who have served especially to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
  • jr_p951jr_p951 Posts: 1,121
    Being over half way to retirement and just got done with my 4th tour through in 3 different countries, I've lost some close friends over the years. 9 to be exact, 13 if you count the guys I barely knew but worked with. On Memorial Day I like to tell my kids the life story of one of my fallen friends. They've all heard their names over the years since I talk about my work at home from time to time. But the previous stories are usually of funny or crazy things that happen while on det in Vegas, Yuma, or some other little detachement. I always start off by saying...Remember such and such. They usually can recall the stupid act committed. Kids have an unbelieveable memory sometimes. But this 4th of July I'm celebrating that we didn't lose anyone this deployment! 4th deployment and noone was killed!! We brought everyone home, some broken and battered but alive to have a beer on Independence Day! In my experience, thats something to celebrate all in itself!
  • Amos_UmwhatAmos_Umwhat Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks for the story, and thanks to all of you who serve, as well. I tend to go on and on at times about ending our involvement in wars overseas, especially after the mission has been accomplished for awhile, and this kind of story illustrates why. I guess this is why I get pissed when people are forever saying "We ought to go over there and...whatever". Don't say WE until you put YOUR name on the dotted line.

    Prayer for your friend, bro, all you can do is all you can do.
    WARNING:  The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme.  Proceed at your own risk.  

    "If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed.  If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." --  Mark Twain
  • YankeeManYankeeMan Posts: 2,654 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I've said this before, but they can't print enough money to pay our armed forces for what they are worth and what we ask them to do.

    Thank you all for your service and you will be in my thoughts on the Fourth.
  • JonathanEJonathanE Posts: 401
    Thanks for posting this.

    JDE

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,917
    Wow, what a post - Thanks for sharing.
  • roland_7707roland_7707 Posts: 2,833 ✭✭✭
    +100
    One God, One Truth
  • fla-gypsyfla-gypsy Posts: 3,023 ✭✭
    roland_7707:
    +100
    +1000
  • ellinasellinas Posts: 329
    THAT is a really sad story. I have to agree with what was said above, "they can't print enough to pay our armed forces"
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