Update

Hey, just to update everyone, nothing new going on here.
that is all. good day.

Green to Gold

Ok, so I found out about this program for enlisted soldiers who want to go to college and become officers called Green to Gold. What it'll do is after Iraq, I'll leave the Army to go to school for 4 years at any school I want as long as they have an ROTC program. Because I want to be close to Tiff and the family, I'll probably be going to University of Texas at Austin. Anyway, I can a degree in anything I want, and then after college, I'll go back into the army for 2-4 years depending on the contract I sign. Only this time, I'll be a lieutenant, and life won't suck nearly as bad. Not to mention that I won't have to worry about coming back to Iraq for at least 4 years, if ever. So, just do me a favor and pray that this works out ok. Thanks guys.

Getting Hit...Hard

Ok, so it was Friday, Aug 17, fairly normal day in Iraq. We go out to recover some broken down vehicles and headed home after a fairly boring day. anyway, on our way back we go by blast hole after blast hole. We go past one that we all hate b/c of it's location and nothing happens, but the truck behind me gets blowed up. Gunner's knocked out, so my truck, with the medic goes back to check on him. A coupla minutes later, we're rolling again.
Well, we get maybe 150m down the road when my truck gets hit by God knows what. I mean, the explosive was so big it left a whole you could put a queen size bed in. Not only that, but it went off less than 3 ft. from the truck. Anyway, my eyes are burning really really bad from all the dust and i drop out of the turret yelling at the medic to splash water in my eyes. this he does and before i had a chance to get back up in the gun, he says "Hey dude, you're necks bleedin' bad." Now I'm like crap, what happened. anyway, turns out i got hit with shrapnel in both my neck and face. Medic patches me up and i get up to join the firefight that's been raging outside for 2-3 minutes. Well, i had to use my personaly machine gun seeing as the .50 cal which mounts to truck had been blown off it's mount and onto my head (thank God for helmets). Well, I start shooting, not having a good idea of what i'm shooting cause i still can't see, and after about 75 rounds, put 3 rounds in my own shield.
At that point in time, I fired myself as the gunner and hopped down. team leader then hopped in the gun while i applyed pressure to the wound on my neck and continued flushing my eyes with water, while at the same time my truck and the truck behind me (the first truck to get hit within the last 7 minutes) head for home at top speed.
anyway, all said and done, I got some stitches in my neck and am being put in for a Purple Heart which, believe it or not, I wasn't trying to get.

HANDS HELD HIGH

Here's the lyrics to my favorite song right now; Hands Held High by Linkin Park on their Minutes to Midnight CD. I highly recommend it. Also, favorite saying from this song; "When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die."

"Hands Held High"

Turn my mike up louder I got to say something
Light weights step to the side when we come in

Feel it in your chest the syllables get pumping
People on the street they panic and start running

Words on loose leaf sheet complete coming
I jump in my mind and summon the rhyme, I'm dumping

Healing the blind I promise to let the sun in
Sick of the dark ways we march to the drum and

Jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumping
F*** that I wanna see some fists pumping

Risk something, take back what's yours
Say something that you know they might attack you for

Cause I'm sick of being treated like I have before
Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for

Like this war's really just a different brand of war
Like it doesn't cater the rich and abandon poor

Like they understand you in the back of the jet
When you can't put gas in your tank

These f***ers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing the check
Asking you to have compassion and have some respect

For a leader so nervous in an obvious way
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
In their living room laughing like "what did he say?"

[Chorus]
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
[End Chorus]

In my living room watching but I am not laughing
Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen

World is cold the bold men take action
Have to react or get blown into fractions

Ten years old it's something to see
Another kid my age drug under a jeep

Taken and bound and found later under a tree
I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me

Do you see the soldiers they're out today
They brush the dust from bullet proof vests away

It's ironic at times like this you pray
But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday

There's bombs in the buses, bikes, roads
Inside your market, your shops, your clothes

My dad he's got a lot of fear I know
But enough pride inside not to let that show

My brother had a book he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine

On the back, he hand-wrote a quote inside
When the rich wage war it's the poor who die

Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
both scared and angry like "what did he say?"

[Chorus]
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you

With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you
[End Chorus]

In School Again

Well, I guess I have a lot of free time on my hands...ok, not really. But anyway, I decided to start going to school again. Believe it or not, I'm actually working on getting my Personal Training Certificate! Anyway, guess that's all for now.

I'm Back!!

Well, this will probably come as no surprise to anyone, but I am finally back at my base of FOB Normandy. I got here yesterday afternoon, spent two hours dusting off a months worth of desert, and then, once everyone got back from mission, started hangin out and tellin everyone about my leave.
There were a couple a personnel changes since I've been gone, but, oh well, I wasn't moved and nobody in my team was moved, and those are the ones i care about the most, so...whatever.
Anyway, had an interesting experience today; first mission in a full month...we were sitting at an IP (Iraqi Police) station and i was up in the gun pulling security. anyway, one pickup decides he's not going to pay any attention to me telling him to turn around and try to just blow right past my truck...to make a long story short, 2 bullets through his engine block changed his mind.
anyway, guess that's all i got for now.
mark

Stateside

Well, just to let everyone know, I'm finally back in the states for a couple of weeks.
Also, i've already been to some fabulous restaurants; Cheesecake Factory, El Toro, Casa Ole, McDonald's (yes, mcdonalds is awesome when you've been in Iraq for 8 months), not to mention like...30 other places. oh, and many more to go.
Anyway, yeah, i'm gonna go have fun now...peace out.

Bracelets

I recently found out that our CO is ordering bracelets in memory of Rosa for our entire company. I believe that they are some kind of silver bracelet with his name, date of birth, and date of death. I've seen them before and they're actually really cool. Anyway, that's all i got right now.

Specialist Rosa

Warrior Ethos:

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Although it may be true that I will never leave a fallen comrade on the battle field, it is also true that they will leave us on the battle field. On Friday, May 25, 2007, SPC. Rosa was killed in action while on a mission in Muqdadia, Iraq.

Rosa was one of those guys that, regardless of who you were, and whether or not you really liked him, he could make you laugh. He was the guy that, upon seeing, a smile crept across your face. He was a friend, and he is a Hero.

Rosa, my brother, rest in peace for you will be sorely missed.

Blogging just to Blog

Basically, I'm just writing this b/c it's been a while since I've blogged; so, here's the scoop.
I'm doing good, though my company can't seem to make up their mind on how we do things which messes up my sleep cycle which stresses me out. I need a vacation that won't come soon enough and won't last long enough and will end up with me back here. Other than that though, I'm doing ok.
Also, just thought of this, and this is my personal opinion that many others agree with me upon; America no longer has any courage. Let me explain that; America doesn't have the courage to let us do what is necessary in this country to do what needs to be done in order for true victory to be achieved. What we are doing here right now is doing nothing in real terms to get the job done. Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the American people who are too concerned with another country's peoples' rights, a country, by the way, who purposely hides those guys who attacked and killed thousands on 9/11. Maybe it's even the fact that political correctness is the only way to go, or at least that's what comes down to us.
I wish I could give exact examples of exactly what goes on over here, but unfortunately, I can't b/c of certain things that would happen to me if I did (i.e. jail).
You know what I think would be great? I think it would be great if President Bush could learn how to say, "Ok, that's enough, we've done enough, and they can finish it on their own." But what I really here is, "Gee guys, I, I think we should do some more to help these guys out." To be honest with you, I thought the original reason we came over here was for weapons of mass destruction (most probably now in Iran), and to squash Al-Qaieda's funding. Since when did over-throwing Saddam and establishing a Democracy become the real priority, or was it always the priority and WMD's and Al-Qaieda's funding were just an excuse to invade?
What I want to know is what's really going on here, and what are we doing about it? I live here, and I don't know.

New Pics

Smell of Victory

I've heard it said so many times..."The sweet smell of victory."
My question is, what's so sweet about it? In the gym, the "sweet smell of victory" is the smell of sweat; in the business of cleaning, it's the smell of chemical cleaners; in the meat packing industry, the smell of dead animals and lots of raw meat; in the fishing industry, the smell of fish, usually dead fish.
But what about on the battle field? What's the "sweet smeel of victory" there?
Well, I will tell you all about that "sweet smell." The "smell of victory" on a battle field is that of blood, burning flesh, burning tires, and gunpowder. What's more is the symphony that goes with it; men's last screams of agony, explosions as bombs go off in the distance and up close, cries of "allah akbar" (God is great) before the insurgents kill the "infidels," the sound of screeching tires as a humvee tries to stop before it reaches the bomb planted in the road, and lets not forget the never ending gunfire as men fight for their lives.
These realizations do not come from my own experience...well, not completely anyway, but from many others experiences, and the one thing I have realized; The "sweet smell of victory" is the most bile, most disgusting smell there is on earth.
Instead, I prefer to look at the other side; the what results due to the actions taken side. What results from that battle is the safety of others, most of whom don't care one bit that we almost died for them. It's the knowledge that those who were killed, the terrorists anyway, will not be able to harm Americans again.
I don't know how it became known as the "sweet smell of victory," but it was poorly named indeed. Instead, I believe it should be called the "sweet results of victory," for that is the only good part about it when all is said and dead.

Death of a Friend

I heard a couple of days ago that a guy at a nearby FOB (Forward Operating Base) was killed in action, and, knowing that I have a lot of friends over here, asked for a name. The name I was told, at that time, was simply PFC Avery. Immediately, an alarm went off. I then began to look online for articles on who this particular Avery was and got a full name; Jeffrey A. Avery...more alarms. At this point, I still wasn't sure if this was the guy I knew and had hung out with in basic, so I needed a picture. Today, I finally got that picture, and, as it turned out, it was in fact, him.
I've been told that the loss of a friend in combat is a unique experience because we all come over here knowing not everyone is going back, wondering if it will be us, or the guy standing next to us. That statement is very true but what surprised me was that, other than being surprised and somewhat sad about it, it hasn't bothered me like I thought it would. Perhaps I'm still in shock, perhaps i've just been hardened to accept death as a daily part of life, I don't know. But what I do know is, well, nothing.
Nothing. Here, nothing matters; your dog back home, your car in the garage, or that fancy watch on your wrist. the only thing that does matter is everything. Everything being life itself in its rawest form, fighting, quite literally, for survival.
If you don't understand what I just wrote, you probably never will simply because you probably have a job where you sit behind a desk all day.
Some people say they run to live a healthy life. I say I run just to keep mine. If I don't, I die, or worse...I don't want to be the next beheading video.
I guess when it's all said and done that I have in fact learned something, that I do, in fact, know something; I want to live. Unfortunatly, I must first pass through hell.

New Schedule

Ok, so we don't really have a schedule here, but things are changing a lot...12 hr missions instead of 6 hr missions for one, so, ultimately, i'll have less time on the internet. However, I will try to blog, and facebook at least once a week, and i'll do what i can for aim and email everyday.
Mark
also, please tell me what you think of "Lost"

LOST (Rough Draft)

First off, this is a rough draft and it's still being revised. All comments appreciated and please tell me if you think something doesn't work.

Lost
We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

Never again will I get to see
my friends who gave it all for me
Friends who died there by my side
Friends who wanted to stay alive

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

I am lost forever to myself
Forever found by no one else
Only by myself can I see
All my friends, my reality

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

The only thing we've ever wanted
Was to go and be ourselves again
The only thing we've never gotten
Is to see our families and friends

We are the lost souls of tomorrow
We are the heroes of today
Forever we will live in sorrow
For those we laid to rest today

International Lovin'

Managed to catch this pic out at an IP station. Just thought I'd share it.

Full Gear

myself out an IP (Iraqi Police) Station in full gear. I look bigger than I am b/c of all the gear on my vest, and some extra protection under the vest. All in all, vest, about 40 lbs (maybe more); helmet, 4 lbs; pistol with ammo, 3 lbs; and rifle with ammo, 23 lbs. Also, vest has pouches which contain extra pistol and rifle ammo, as well as first aid and a stuff sack.

My Room

Being Noticed

So, yesterday morning, I got my breakfast and was heading towards my truck so I could eat when our First Sergeant saw me. The First Sergeant is the highest ranking enlisted person in the company. He says to me, "Did you order smaller uniforms last time we ordered uniforms?" I replied, "No, I got the same size as always First Sergeant." He then told me, "Next time we order uniforms, be sure to get a smaller size, you're losing too much weight for those to look good on you."
I've never been so happy to see my First Sergeant. Usually, if he calls you over, you just messed up super badly and your life is about to end; so him giving me an offhanded compliment like that really made my day.

New Room

Lowest Weight EVER!!

Okay, so I've been losing weight since high school where i weighed between 230-250 lbs. As of about 10 minutes ago, i weigh 183 lbs even...i'm so happy!! anyway, guess that's all.

How to kill an ipod

So, you want to kill an ipod? Here, apparently, is a fool proof way to do so.
First, lay ipod on desk, floor, etc. secondly, take M9 Beretta pistol, and hold approximately 6 inches over ipod. Now, drop pistol 6 inches to ipod insuring the pistol lands on the control pad.
Congratulations, your ipod is now dead. Not just knocked unconcious and will recover later. Utterly and completely dead with absolutely no hope of ressurection.

Of Iraq

IM me

Hey, if you wanna talk to me via AIM, I'm usually on between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. your time (Central time). Keep in mind, during that time, i will be in and out and probably only there for a total of 4 of those 9 hours, but that is your best shot to catch me. You can also try to catch me at any time of the day, you never know. Also, you can always just send a message to me and AIM will deliver it when i sign on.

Me

Here's some pics of my room, jail cell, whatever...notice how close the door is to my privacy barrier!!

Will Kill for Freedom

Okay, if you want a better explanation on why I chose this title, check out Soldier's Poem in the blog archive.

Soldier's Poem

For all the free people that still protest, you're welcome,
We protect you and you are protected by the best.
Your voice is strong and loud, but who will fight for you?
No one standing in your crowd.

We are your fathers, brothers, and sons,
wearing the boots and carrying the guns.
We are the ones that leave all we own,
to make sure your future is carved in stone.

We are the ones who fight and die.
We might not be able to save the world, well at least we try.
We walked the paths to where we are at
and we want no choice other than that.

So when you rally your group to complain,
take a look in the back of your brain.
In order for that flag you love to fly,
wars must be fought and young men must die.

We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear,
If that's not respected, we would rather stary here.
So please stop yelling and put down your signs,
and pray for those behind enemy lines.

When the conflict is over and all is well,
be thankful that we chose to go through hell.

Anonymous