Round 2
The short story of how I got blown up again goes like this. We were traveling north to go secure the perimeter of a village so a few Blackhawk helicopters could come in and land and drop off our first platoon so they could go through and kill or capture all the bad guys that hide out there. The timeline was tight so we were moving a little faster than normal up the highway. We had just passed the north edge of one of the cities in our area which is an area that often has IED’s placed there. These areas are known as “Tier One Sites”.
I am assisting a new member of our platoon with navigating and identifying IED’s and such from the lead tank. Just kind of being a tour guide in a way. We are in a tank (Wikipedia: M1A2 Abrams) and I am in the loaders hatch. This means that I am one of the two guys on the top of the tank with there heads out. We pass a large blast hole and as we do I think I see something so I stand up higher to get a better look. Yes, as ridiculous as it sounds that’s how you do it. Look in a hold and decide that; “yes there is a bomb” or “no, it’s clear”. The blast hole was clear and right as I turn around I go back to looking at the shoulder of the road for discrepancies or anything that looks tampered where a roadside bomb might be hiding. It goes off.
At that point is when the shoulder of the road just explodes in front of us. The blast is ridiculously loud and the concussion off the explosion hits me so hard that it knocks my legs out from under me and I tumble like a Plinko chip on the Price is Right to the floor of the tank.
The best part about being in a tank is that the height that we ride at often keeps the shrapnel from getting to you. But the blast still hits like a head on collision and that’s what I caught the brunt of. No shrapnel just dirt and scorching hot air.
We never did find the SOB, that did it. We couldn’t stop and raid the entire town like I had wanted. We had a mission that we needed to complete and the birds were inbound. I have plenty of time left over here and this group of guys, usually 3 to 4 work in an IED team, has a special place on the top of my list.
The only injuries I received weren’t from shrapnel but from the fall. I bruised my spine pretty good just above my tailbone and it looks and feels like I got hit with a baseball bat. There is also a pretty good cut on my shin. I have no idea what my shin hit but it did and there is now a golf ball underneath my cut.
Don’t despair over me folks, I am fine. Just a little bit pissed. Just a few hours earlier that day we had found another IED and given the make up of it and the one that I was hit with I am pretty sure that it was done by the same guys. I took some video of the IED we found earlier that day and I have added a still frame from it. This blast was most likely the same as the one that hit me. Take care, and keep sending prayers my way. They are working.
I am assisting a new member of our platoon with navigating and identifying IED’s and such from the lead tank. Just kind of being a tour guide in a way. We are in a tank (Wikipedia: M1A2 Abrams) and I am in the loaders hatch. This means that I am one of the two guys on the top of the tank with there heads out. We pass a large blast hole and as we do I think I see something so I stand up higher to get a better look. Yes, as ridiculous as it sounds that’s how you do it. Look in a hold and decide that; “yes there is a bomb” or “no, it’s clear”. The blast hole was clear and right as I turn around I go back to looking at the shoulder of the road for discrepancies or anything that looks tampered where a roadside bomb might be hiding. It goes off.
At that point is when the shoulder of the road just explodes in front of us. The blast is ridiculously loud and the concussion off the explosion hits me so hard that it knocks my legs out from under me and I tumble like a Plinko chip on the Price is Right to the floor of the tank.
The best part about being in a tank is that the height that we ride at often keeps the shrapnel from getting to you. But the blast still hits like a head on collision and that’s what I caught the brunt of. No shrapnel just dirt and scorching hot air.
We never did find the SOB, that did it. We couldn’t stop and raid the entire town like I had wanted. We had a mission that we needed to complete and the birds were inbound. I have plenty of time left over here and this group of guys, usually 3 to 4 work in an IED team, has a special place on the top of my list.
The only injuries I received weren’t from shrapnel but from the fall. I bruised my spine pretty good just above my tailbone and it looks and feels like I got hit with a baseball bat. There is also a pretty good cut on my shin. I have no idea what my shin hit but it did and there is now a golf ball underneath my cut.
Don’t despair over me folks, I am fine. Just a little bit pissed. Just a few hours earlier that day we had found another IED and given the make up of it and the one that I was hit with I am pretty sure that it was done by the same guys. I took some video of the IED we found earlier that day and I have added a still frame from it. This blast was most likely the same as the one that hit me. Take care, and keep sending prayers my way. They are working.
Two 130mm Artillery Rounds
My shin.
e.JPG)
posted by Jacob @ 12:53 AM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
dear jake, every blog post you write makes this war more real for us back here at home. just knowing that our jake reaaaaalllly rides in a tank and reaaaallly faces IEDS is sobering. We think of you always, pray for you always, pray for your buddies always, and constantly, continually and always, always are appreciative that you are out there fighting the bad guys for us. we love you, lisa
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