August 31, 2005
Click here for MP3 audio file of Gates Of Fire as Read by Chris Future of ThinkFuture.com.
Mosul, Iraq
Combat comes unexpectedly, even in war.
On Monday, while conducting operations in west Mosul, a voice came over the radio saying troops from our brother unit, the 3-21, were fighting with the enemy in east Mosul on the opposite side of the Tigris River. Moments later, SSG Will Shockley relayed word to us that an American soldier was dead. We began searching for the shooters near one of the bridges on our side of the Tigris, but they got away. Jose L. Ruiz was killed in action.
Although the situation in Mosul is better, our troops still fight here every day. This may not be the war some folks had in mind a few years ago. But once the shooting starts, a plan is just a guess in a party dress.
The only mission I’ve seen unfold close to what was planned was a B Company raid a few months back. It actually went so close to perfect that we could hardly believe it. The sole glitch occurred when a Stryker hit an IED, but since nobody was hurt, we just continued the mission. In retrospect, it’s hard to imagine why I didn’t write about it. But times are busy, and, apart from it going nearly perfectly according to plan, it just seemed like any other old raid.
I had been talking with Captain Matt McGrew about the “The Battle for Mosul IV” dispatch, intending to spend the night with him and some Iraqi troops at one of their combat outposts, to glean additional insight, but the on-going battles in Mosul kept getting in the way. On the night before the planned ride-along, the obstacle was a big and sudden push of operations and tasks bundled in a “surge operation.” Operation Lancer Fury was launched without notice even to the unit commanders here.
When I’d sat in on the “warning order” (notice of impending operations) for Lancer Fury last week, the plan was so cleverly contrived that the leadership at Deuce Four had to grudgingly acknowledge its excellence, even though the idea had originated from higher-up. In every military unit I have seen, there is a prevailing perception that good ideas trickle down from the top about as often as water flows uphill, so Lancer Fury apparently was a wunder-plan.
As a “surge” operation, Lancer Fury is sort of a crocodile hunt, where our people do things to make the crocodiles come out, trying to flush them into predictable directions, or make them take certain actions. And when they do, we nail them. The combat portion of the Surge amounted to a sophisticated “area ambush” that would unfold over the period of about one week.
This Surge is a complicated piece of work, with multidimensional variables and multifarious moving parts. Those parts range literally from boots on our feet to satellites zipping overhead. So, of course, glitches and snags started occurring the first day. Among other things, key gear failed; but overall, the Surge was going well. A few terrorists had already been caught in the first 24 hours.
Thursday night, a revised plan had me following some Deuce Four soldiers on a midnight raid. They had night vision gear, so they moved quickly. I had only moonlight, so I nearly broke my leg keeping up. Sleeking around Mosul under moonlight, we prowled through the pale glow until we came upon a pond near a farmhouse. Recon platoon had already raided one house and snagged some suspects, then crept away in the darkness to another target close by.
Five soldiers from Recon—Holt, Ferguson, Yates, Welch and Ross—were moving through moon-cast shadows when an Iraqi man came out from a farmhouse, his AK-47 rifle hanging by his side. Suddenly encircled by the rifles, lights and lasers of four soldiers, the man was quickly disarmed. A fifth soldier radioed for the interpreter and together they sorted out that he was a farmer who thought the soldiers were thieves skulking around his property. Recon returned the man his rifle, and started making their way back, umbral and silent across the ploughed fields.
During a halt in some trees at the edge of the field, I overheard the voice of LTC Kurilla, the commander of the Deuce Four battalion, quietly praising one of the soldiers for showing discipline in not shooting the farmer. After loading the other suspects onto Strykers, we returned to base, where I fell, exhausted, at about 3 AM Friday morning.
The Surge continued while I slept.
Alpha Company had deployed during the early hours and was conducting operations around Yarmook Traffic Circle. SGT Daniel Lama, who is as much respected as he is liked, was pulling security in an air guard position of his Stryker, when a bullet flew straight at his neck, striking him. As he collapsed into the Stryker, his body clenched in seizure, fingers frozen, arms and legs rigid.
I seldom get letters in Iraq, but waiting for me in the mailroom while I slept was a card. The return address sticker, an American flag on it, was from Jefferson, Pennsylvania. The postage stamp had an American flag waving. The card inside had a picture of an American flag for its cover. The sweet and heartfelt message inside ended with-
Please tell our soldiers we care so much for them. -Dan and Connie Lama.
I was still asleep when medics brought their son Daniel to the Combat Support Hospital, or “Cash.” It’s a familiar place for Deuce Four soldiers, who’ve seen some of the most sustained and intense urban combat of this war, receiving over 150 Purple Hearts in the process.
Bap bap bap! on my door. I jumped up and there was CSM Robert Prosser, the top enlisted soldier at Deuce Four. Prosser is always professional, always direct: “Sergeant Lama’s been shot. We’re rolling in ten minutes,” he said.
“I’ll be there in ten,” I answered, instantly awake.
Within minutes, I was running out my room, still pulling zips and fastening buttons, when I came sweating into the TOC. LTC Kurilla was there asking a soldier for the latest report on Sergeant Lama, now in surgery.
When a soldier is killed or wounded, the Department of Army calls the loved ones, and despite their attempts to be sympathetic, the nature of the calls has a way of shocking the families. There is just no easy way to say, “Your son got shot today.” And so, according to men here, the calls sound something like this: “We are sorry to inform you that your son has been shot in Mosul. He’s stable, but that’s all we know at this time.”
LTC Kurilla likes to call before the Army gets a chance, to tell parents and loved ones the true circumstances. Kurilla is direct, but at least people know they are getting an accurate account.
We loaded the Strykers and drove down to the Cash, and there was Chaplain Wilson, who might be the most popular man on base. Everybody loves him. Often when Chaplain Wilson sees me, he will say, “Good morning Michael. How are you today?” But sometimes he asks me, “Are you okay?” and I think, Do I look stressed?
“Of course I feel okay Chaplain Wilson! Don’t I look okay?”
He just laughs, “Yes, Michael, you look fine. Just checking.” But secretly, every time he asks, I feel a notch better.
Chaplain Wilson came out from the hospital smiling and explained that Daniel (Sergeant Lama) was fine. The seizure was just a natural reaction to getting shot in the neck. It was just a flesh wound. As if offering proof, Chaplain Wilson said: “When they rolled Daniel over, the doctor stuck his finger in Daniel’s butt to check his prostate, and Daniel said, ‘Hey! What are you doing?!’” Everybody laughed.
I changed the subject by snapping a photo of CSM Prosser while LTC Kurilla got Mrs. Lama on the Iridium satellite phone. I heard the commander telling this soldier’s mother that her son was fine. Daniel just had some soft tissue damage, nothing major. Kurilla told her that he and some other soldiers were at the hospital now with Daniel, who was still too groggy to talk. “Really, Daniel’s okay, and don’t worry about it when the Army calls you.”
We loaded the Strykers and headed downtown.
Some Strykers were scouting for the shooters, while others were working details at Yarmook Traffic Circle. Major Craig Triscari from the 1-17th Infantry from Alaska was with Major Mike Lawrence, “Q,” and other soldiers, when he noticed a car with its hood up. The 1-17th will relieve the 1-24th soon, so Triscari has been conducting operations with Deuce Four. The vehicle struck Triscari as odd: it hadn’t been there a few minutes earlier.
Automatic weapons fire started coming from at least two places. Bullets were kicking up the dust, and we got a radio call that troops were in contact at Yarmook Traffic Circle. Sitting inside the Stryker with LTC Kurilla and me were two new faces. A young 2nd lieutenant who had only been in Iraq three weeks, and hadn’t seen any real combat; and a young specialist, who, per chance, is one of the few Deuce Four soldiers who is not a seasoned veteran, though he has seen some combat. Also in the Stryker was “AH,” the interpreter, whose courage under fire I had seen before. But the more battle weathered fighters were not there.
Chris Espindola, the Commander’s radio operator, a respected and experienced fighter, was down in Baghdad at the Iraqi Criminal Court testifying against two terrorists caught by Deuce Four months earlier. Like the card in the mailroom, the circumstances behind their capture were more germane to the events about to unfold than anyone might have guessed at the time.
Kurilla’s reluctance to allow anyone outside Deuce Four ride with his soldiers - including writers - is well known. Partly because of writers, people hearing about Deuce Four in the news might think of Mosul as some kind of thrill ride where everything will end okay after a few hairpin turns. This is not true.
Newcomers, even soldiers, unaccustomed to this level of hostility, can only burden the men with added danger. So Kurilla makes sure they can be trusted by mentoring new officers and having them spend three weeks with him before they are allowed to lead men in this unit.
Some months back, a new lieutenant named Brian Flynn was riding with the Kurilla for his first three weeks, when Kurilla spotted three men walking adjacent to where Major Mark Bieger and his Stryker had been hit with a car bomb a week prior. The three men looked suspicious to Kurilla, whose legendary sense about people is so keen that his soldiers call it the “Deuce Sixth-Sense.” His read on people and situations is so uncanny it borders the bizarre.
That day, Kurilla sensed “wrong” and told his soldiers to check the three men. As the Stryker dropped its ramp, one of the terrorists pulled a pistol from under his shirt. Mark Bieger was overwatching from another Stryker and shot the man with the first two bullets, dropping him to his knees.
LT Flynn was first out of the Stryker, and both he and the airguard CPT Westphal, saw the pistol at the same time and also shot the man. The other suspects started running. But all Kurilla saw was LT Flynn stepping off the ramp, and then there was a lot of shooting. Kurilla yelled FLYNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! and was nearly diving to stop Flynn from shooting, thinking the new lieutenant had lost his mind and was shooting a man just for running from Coalition forces. Soldiers can’t just shoot anyone who runs.
Chris Espindola also shot the man. Amazingly, despite being hit by four M4’s from multiple directions, the man still lived a few minutes. Soldiers outran and tackled his two associates when they made a run.
During their interrogation on base, both admitted to being Jihadists. One was training to be a sniper, while the other was training for different combat missions. They also admitted that the terrorist who was shot down was their cell leader, who had been training them for three months. They were on a recon of American forces when Kurilla sensed their intent.
The cell leader had a blood-stained “death note” in his pocket stating he was a true Mujahadeen and wanted to die fighting the Americans. He got his wish; and now, Chris Espindola, Kurilla’s radio man, was down in Baghdad testifying against the two surviving co-conspirators. Despite their sworn confessions, Kurilla was left with a young radio operator with little trigger-time.
Flynn had now been a platoon leader for six months, but today Kurilla had another 2nd lieutenant who was being mentored before he became a platoon leader. Our Stryker did not contain the normal fighters that I saw with LTC Kurilla, but we also had a section (two squads) of infantrymen in Strykers from Alpha Company. This section was led by SSG Konkol.
We were searching the area for the source of that automatic weapons fire when Kurilla spotted three men in a black Opel and his sixth sense kicked. When Kurilla keyed in on them, he pointed his rifle at the car and signaled them to get out. The driver tucked his head and gunned the gas. The chase was on.
Strykers are fast, but Opels are faster. We were roaring through little streets and along roads, horn blaring, cars zipping off the sides, the steady chatter of multiple radio channels colliding inside the Stryker. A Kiowa helicopter pilot radioed that he spotted the car. As the chase continued, the Kiowa pilot said, “It’s going about 105 mph.”
How can the pilot know it’s going 105 mph? I thought.
As if in reply, the pilot radioed that the Opel was outrunning his helicopter. Captain Jeff VanAntwerp came on the radio net saying he was moving his section into position to intercept the Opel.
“Watch out for that kid!” yelled Kurilla over the intercom to our driver as we made a hard turn, managing to avoid hitting the child.
Opels may be faster than Kiowas on straight-a-ways, but when the car made turns, the helicopter quickly caught up. Kurilla ordered the Kiowa to fire a warning shot, then quickly authorized the Kiowa to disable the vehicle.
Kiowas are small, carrying just two people; they fly so low the two flying soldiers are practically infantrymen. The pilot swooped low and the “co-pilot” aimed his rifle at the Opel, firing three shots and blowing out the back window. The Kiowa swooped and banked hard in front of the car, firing three more shots through the front hood, the universal sign for “stop.”
The car chase ended, but the men fled on foot up an alley. We approached in the Strykers and I heard Kurilla say on the radio, “Shots fired!” as he ducked for a moment then popped back up in the hatch. Kurilla continued, “Trail section clear the car and clear south to north! I’m going to block the back door on the north side!”
About fifteen seconds later our ramp dropped. We ran into combat.
Folks who haven’t done much urban fighting might take issue with the wild chases, and they might say that people should always “stack up” and do things this or that way, but men in Delta Force, SEALs and the like, all know that when chasing wild men into the labyrinth, soldiers enter the land of confusion. If soldiers don’t go fast, the bad guys simply get away. Just a few minutes ago, these three guys were going “105 miles per hour,” and outrunning a helicopter.
There were shops, alleys, doorways, windows.
The soldiers with LTC Kurilla were searching fast, weapons at the ready, and they quickly flex-cuffed two men. But these were not the right guys. Meanwhile, SSG Konkol’s men were clearing toward us, leaving the three bad guys boxed, but free.
Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the left.
Both the young 2nd lieutenant and the young specialist were inside a shop when a close-quarters firefight broke out, and they ran outside. Not knowing how many men they were fighting, they wanted backup. LTC Kurilla began running in the direction of the shooting. He passed by me and I chased, Kurilla leading the way.
There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. And then LTC Kurilla was shot.
Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didn’t seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting.
BamBamBamBam! Bullets were hitting all around Kurilla. The young 2nd lieutenant and specialist were the only two soldiers near. Neither had real combat experience. “AH” had no weapon. I had a camera.
Seconds count.
Kurilla, though down and unable to move, was fighting and firing, yelling at the two young soldiers to get in there; but they hesitated. BamBamBamBam!
Kurilla was in the open, but his judo roll had left him slightly to the side of the shop. I screamed to the young soldiers, “Throw a grenade in there!” but they were not attacking.
“Throw a grenade in there!” They did not attack.
“Give me a grenade!” They didn’t have grenades.
“Erik! Do you need me to come get you!” I shouted. But he said “No.” (Thank God; running in front of the shop might have proved fatal.)
“What’s wrong with you!?” I yelled above the shooting.
“I’m hit three times! I’m shot three times!”
Amazingly, he was right. One bullet smashed through his femur, snapping his leg. His other leg was hit and so was an arm.
With his leg mangled, Kurilla pointed and fired his rifle into the doorway, yelling instructions to the soldiers about how to get in there. But they were not attacking. This was not the Deuce Four I know. The other Deuce Four soldiers would have killed every man in that room in about five seconds. But these two soldiers didn’t have the combat experience to grasp the power of momentum.
This was happening in seconds. Several times I nearly ran over to Kurilla, but hesitated every time. Kurilla was, after all, still fighting. And I was afraid to run in front of the shop, especially so unarmed.
And then help arrived in the form of one man: CSM Prosser.
Prosser ran around the corner, passed the two young soldiers who were crouched low, then by me and right to the shop, where he started firing at men inside.
A man came forward, trying to shoot Kurilla with a pistol, apparently realizing his only escape was by fighting his way out, or dying in the process. Kurilla was aiming at the doorway waiting for him to come out. Had Prosser not come at that precise moment, who knows what the outcome might have been.
Prosser shot the man at least four times with his M4 rifle. But the American M4 rifles are weak - after Prosser landed three nearly point blank shots in the man’s abdomen, splattering a testicle with a fourth, the man just staggered back, regrouped and tried to shoot Prosser.
Then Prosser’s M4 went “black” (no more bullets). A shooter inside was also having problems with his pistol, but there was no time to reload. Prosser threw down his empty M4, ran into the shop and tackled the man.
Though I have the photo, I do not remember the moment that Prosser went “black” and ran into the shop. Apparently I turned my head, but kept my finger on the shutter button. When I looked back again, I saw the very bloody leg of CSM Prosser inside the shop. It was not moving. He appeared to be shot down and dead.
I looked back at the two soldiers who were with me outside, and screamed what amounted to “Attack Attack Attack!” I stood up and was yelling at them. Actually, what I shouted was an unprintable string of curses, while Kurilla was also yelling at them to get in there, his M4 trained on the entrance. But the guys were not attacking.
I saw Prosser’s M4 on the ground, Where did that come from?
I picked up Prosser’s M4. It was empty. I saw only Prosser’s bloody leg lying still, just inside the darkened doorway, because most of his body was hidden behind a stack of sheet metal.
“Give me some ammo! Give me a magazine!” I yelled, and the young 2nd lieutenant handed over a full 30-round magazine. I jacked it in, released the bolt and hit the forward assist. I had only one magazine, so checked that the selector was on semi-automatic.
I ran back to the corner of the shop and looked at LTC Kurilla who was bleeding, and saw CSM Prosser’s extremely bloody leg inside the shop, the rest of him was still obscured from view. I was going to run into the shop and shoot every man with a gun. And I was scared to death.
What I didn’t realize was at that same moment four soldiers from Alpha Company 2nd Platoon were arriving on scene, just in time to see me about to go into the store. SSG Gregory Konkol, SGT Jim Lewis, and specialists Nicholas Devereaux and Christopher Muse where right there, behind me, but I didn’t see them.
Reaching around the corner, I fired three shots into the shop. The third bullet pierced a propane canister, which jumped up in the air and began spinning violently. It came straight at my head but somehow missed, flying out of the shop as a high-pressure jet of propane hit me in the face. The goggles saved my eyes. I gulped in deeply.
In the tiniest fraction of a second, somehow my mind actually registered Propane . . . FIREBALL! as it bounced on the ground where it spun furiously, creating an explosive cloud of gas and dust, just waiting for someone to fire a weapon.
I scrambled back, got up and ran a few yards, afraid that Kurilla was going to burn up if there was a fire. The soldiers from Alpha Company were heading toward him when LTC Kurilla yelled out that he was okay, but that CSM Prosser was still in the shop. The Alpha Company soldiers ran through the propane and dust cloud and swarmed the shop.
When the bullet hit that canister, Prosser—who I thought might be dead because of all the blood on his leg—was actually fighting hand-to-hand on the ground. Wrapped in a ground fight, Prosser could not pull out his service pistol strapped on his right leg, or get to his knife on his left, because the terrorist—who turned out to be a serious terrorist—had grabbed Prosser’s helmet and pulled it over his eyes and twisted it.
Prosser had beaten the terrorist in the head three times with his fist and was gripping his throat, choking him. But Prosser’s gloves were slippery with blood so he couldn’t hold on well. At the same time, the terrorist was trying to bite Prosser’s wrist, but instead he bit onto the face of Prosser’s watch. (Prosser wears his watch with the face turned inward.) The terrorist had a mouthful of watch but he somehow also managed to punch Prosser in the face. When I shot the propane canister, Prosser had nearly strangled the guy, but my shots made Prosser think bad guys were coming, so he released the terrorist’s throat and snatched out the pistol from his holster, just as SSG Konkol, Lewis, Devereaux and Muse swarmed the shop. But the shots and the propane fiasco also had brought the terrorist back to life, so Prosser quickly reholstered his pistol and subdued him by smashing his face into the concrete.
The combat drama was ended, so I started snapping photos again.
When Recon platoon showed up about a minute later, SFC Bowman asked LTC Kurilla to lie down. But Kurilla was ordering people to put out security, and directing action this way and that. When the very experienced medic, Specialist Munoz, put morphine into Kurilla, the commander still kept giving orders, even telling Munoz how to do his job. So SFC Bowman told Munoz to give Kurilla another morphine, and finally Kurilla settled down, and stopped giving orders long enough for them to haul him and the terrorist away to the Combat Support Hospital. The same facility where Daniel Lama was recovering from the earlier gunshot wound to the neck.
Combat Support Hospital
The Surge operation continued as we returned to base. The Commander and the terrorist were both being prepped for surgery, when LTC Kurilla said, “Tell Major Bieger to call my wife so she doesn’t get a call from the Army first.” But someone gave the Commander a cell phone, and I heard Kurilla talking to his wife, Mary Paige, saying something like, “Honey, there has been a little shooting here. I got hit and there was some minor soft tissue damage.” The X-ray on the board nearby showed his femur snapped in half. “I’ll be fine. Just some minor stuff.” That poor woman.
The doctors rolled LTC Kurilla and the terrorist into OR and our surgeons operated on both at the same time. The terrorist turned out to be one Khalid Jasim Nohe, who had first been captured by US forces (2-8 FA) on 21 December, the same day a large bomb exploded in the dining facility on this base and killed 22 people.
That December day, Khalid Jasim Nohe and two compatriots tried to evade US soldiers from 2-8 FA, but the soldiers managed to stop the fleeing car. Then one of the suspects tried to wrestle a weapon from a soldier before all three were detained. They were armed with a sniper rifle, an AK, pistols, a silencer, explosives and other weapons, and had in their possession photographs of US bases, including a map of this base.
That was in December.
About two weeks ago, word came that Nohe’s case had been dismissed by a judge on 7 August. The Coalition was livid. According to American officers, solid cases are continually dismissed without apparent cause. Whatever the reason, the result was that less than two weeks after his release from Abu Ghraib, Nohe was back in Mosul shooting at American soldiers.
LTC Kurilla repeatedly told me of - and I repeatedly wrote about - terrorists who get released only to cause more trouble. Kurilla talked about it almost daily. Apparently, the vigor of his protests had made him an opponent of some in the Army’s Detention Facilities chain of command, but had otherwise not changed the policy. And now Kurilla lay shot and in surgery in the same operating room with one of the catch-and-release-terrorists he and other soldiers had been warning everyone about.
When Kurilla woke in recovery a few hours after surgery, he called CSM Prosser and asked for a Bible and the book: Gates of Fire. Kurilla gives a copy of Gates of Fire to every new officer and orders them to read it. He had given me a copy and told me to read it. In my book, there is a marked passage, which I thought rather flowery. But I have it beside me on the table by the map of Iraq.
“I would be the one. The one to go back and speak. A pain beyond all previous now seized me. Sweet life itself, even the desperately sought chance to tell the tale, suddenly seemed unendurable alongside the pain of having to take leave of these whom I had come so to love.”
A short time after Kurilla gave me the book, following the death of one of his soldiers, he said to me, “I want you to write about my men. You are the only one who might understand,” the passage registered in my mind.
I asked CSM Prosser if I could go with him to see the Commander. Carrying both books, we drove to the Cash. Major Mark Bieger arrived alongside Kurilla’s hospital bed, paying respect. After spending some time with the Commander, CSM Prosser and I drove back to the unit.
The Deuce Four
The truest test of leadership happens when the Commander is no longer there. Kurilla’s men were taking down and boxing up his photos of his wife and children, and his Minnesota Vikings flag, when they decided to keep the flag so everyone could autograph it. It wasn’t long before there was no room left to sign, but I found a place to scratch. I wanted my name on that flag.
The place suddenly felt hollowed-out.
When I came back into the TOC, Major Michael Lawrence - who I often challenge to pull-up contests, and who so far has beat me (barely) every time - looked me square and professionally, in the direct way of a military leader and asked, “Mike, did you pick up a weapon today?”
“I did.”
“Did you fire that weapon?”
“I did.”
“If you pick up another weapon, you are out of here the next day. Understood?”
“Understand.”
“We still have to discuss what happened today.”
Writers are not permitted to fight. I asked SFC Bowman to look at the photos and hear what happened. Erik Kurilla and CSM Prosser were witness, but I did not want the men of Deuce Four who were not there to think I had picked up a weapon without just cause. I approached SFC Bowman specifically, because he is fair, and is respected by the officers and men. Bowman would listen with an open mind. While looking at the photos, Bowman said, “Mike, it’s simple. Were you in fear for your life or the lives of others?”
“Thank you Sergeant Bowman,” I said.
I walked back to the TOC and on the way, Chaplain Wilson said, “Hello Michael. Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes Chaplain Wilson!” Why does he always ask that? Do I look stressed? But suddenly, I felt much better. Chaplain Wilson might be the only man in the universe with a chance of getting me into the chapel of my own free will, but I have resisted so far.
Only a few hours had passed since Daniel Lama and the Commander were shot. It was around 9 PM when I heard Captain Matt McGrew was going to see Kurilla. I asked to come along. We entered the hospital, and saw that Erik Kurilla’s bed was beside Daniel Lama’s. Kurilla went from asleep to wide awake in about a quarter-second, said “hello” and asked us to sit down. After some conversation, the Commander looked over at the next bed and asked, “How are you doing SGT Lama?”
“Great, sir.”
“Good,” the Commander said, “You are my new PSD.” [Personal Security Detachment: Bodyguard.]
Daniel Lama smiled, got out of bed and I shot a photo of him reporting for his “new duty.”
It was near 10 PM when the airplane that would start their journey back to America landed outside, its engines rumbling the hospital floor. The terrorist who shot Kurilla, and who was now a eunuch in a nearby bed, might well have been the same terrorist who, after being released, shot Lama and Thompson and others. Kurilla could see Khalid Jasim Nohe, but made no comment.
As Captain McGrew and I drove through the dusty darkness back to the Deuce Four, the Commander and SGT Lama, along with other wounded and dead soldiers from around Iraq, began their journey home.
The next day, Iraqi Army and Police commanders were in a fury that LTC Kurilla had been shot. Some blamed his men, while others blamed the terrorists, although blame alone could not compete with disbelief. Kurilla had gone on missions every single day for almost a year. Talking with people downtown. Interfacing with shop owners. Conferencing with doctors. Drinking tea with Iraqi citizens in their homes. Meeting proud mothers with new babies. It’s important to interact and take the pulse of a city in a war where there is no “behind the lines,” no safe areas. It’s even dangerous on the bases here.
In order for leaders of Kurilla’s rank to know the pulse of the Iraqi people, they must make direct contact. There’s a risk in that. But it’s men like Kurilla who can make this work. Even and especially in places like Mosul, where it takes a special penchant for fighting. A passion for the cause of freedom. A true and abiding understanding of both its value and its costs. An unwavering conviction that, in the end, we will win.
Make no mistake about Kurilla - he’s a warrior, always at the front of the charge. But it’s that battle-hardened bravery that makes him the kind of leader that Americans admire and Iraqis respect. Like the soldiers of Deuce Four, Iraqis have seen too much war to believe in fairy tales. They know true warriors bleed.
Iraqi Army and Police officers see many Americans as too soft, especially when it comes to dealing with terrorists. The Iraqis who seethe over the shooting of Kurilla know that the cunning fury of Jihadists is congenite. Three months of air-conditioned reflection will not transform terrorists into citizens.
Over lunch with Chaplain Wilson and our two battalion surgeons, Major Brown and Captain Warr, there was much discussion about the “ethics” of war, and contention about why we afford top-notch medical treatment to terrorists. The treatment terrorists get here is better and more expensive than what many Americans or Europeans can get.
“That’s the difference between the terrorists and us,” Chaplain Wilson kept saying. “Don’t you understand? That’s the difference.”
Michael Yon does not receive funding or financial support from Fox News, or from any network, movie, book or television deals at this time. He is entirely reader supported. He relies on his readers to help him replace his equipment and cover his expenses so that he may remain in Iraq and bring you the stories of our soldiers. If you value his work, please consider supporting his mission.
[…] Michael Yon, is an ex-Green Beret who is over in Iraq and is in Mosul I think. He decided to go over there on his own free will to see just what it was like over there, to see if the media was portraying Iraq fairly. His writing is amazing. It’s riveting. Gates of Fire is the first piece of his writing that I sampled and from there I’ve been hooked. Go. Stop reading my blog, and read his. He has the stories to tell. Whether you support the Iraq war or not, his writing is not to be missed. Truthfully. […]
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[…] Barone Blog Dirty windows This week I had a chance to meet Michael Yon. He’s the blogger who was embedded with troops in northern Iraq for most of last year and whose reports, and photos, have deservedly won wide acclaim. One of his photos has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Here’s his blog. If you haven’t read his “Gates of Fire” story, you really should. Filed in: Media, Iraq | No Comments » […]
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[…] Yon is pro-troops, and at one point, grabbed a weapon and jumped into the fight. Read about it here in a post titled “Gates Of Fire”. The writing is riveting and he compliments and criticizes when he feels necessary. […]
[…] There is a more comprehensive mission statement here. I have no doubt that a more accurate picture will emerge. Michael Yon brings it straight, without an agenda. The good, the bad and the ugly. I believe that people can handle that and support the war at the same time. The problem is, we primarily get the bad and the ugly from the MSM. […]
[…] Gates of Fire - want to see pictures of an actual firefight between American forces and insurgents, and I mean up close and personal? You can almost hear the ricochets bouncing off the wall you’re hiding behind in this dispatch. […]
[…] Highly recommended: Read online, Gates of Fire, Michael Yon’s first hand account of a deadly confrontation with 3 terrorists. A couple of excerpts: Thursday night, a revised plan had me following some Deuce Four soldiers on a midnight raid. They had night vision gear, so they moved quickly. I had only moonlight, so I nearly broke my leg keeping up. … The three men looked suspicious to Kurilla, whose legendary sense about people is so keen that his soldiers call it the “Deuce Sixth-Sense.? His read on people and situations is so uncanny it borders the bizarre. […]
Great Great article. I am sickened at the politics of this war. Our soldiers are again being called murderers for doing their jobs. This must end, these politically correct wars. I hope all the young men in this article are well and healed both from the wounds and the trama. I would be proud to serve with these men. And Michael I hope you are well.
Fantastic reading, shows the strength of troops on the ground. Beats a bloody business in all of its fictional or claimed non fictional glory.
Keep plugging away, the more terrorists these guys deal with, the less of a threat to the world exists.
Ive read many articles since ive been in the military but i think this one was the best article about american forces in iraq, and i used to be in the navy
LTC Kurilla serves as an excellent example of leadership in action. Great stuff Sir. A brother officer from South Africa doing duty in Sudan.
To all the American and British troops in Iraq - you are doing a fantastic job.
Amazingly lucid, and incredible photos, though not the first time reporters or photographers have took up arms in an extreme situation. Tim Page claimed to have despatched several VC in a SF firebase attack in Vietnam, see “Page after Page”. Though I reckon it happens much less, what with much stricter RoE that the troops have in Iraq, Afganistan etc. Be safe.
I am sickened when I look at both this article and the people who have commented on it.
I am from Denmark myself, and therefore also an ally with USA. But nonetheless I think you should know that the whole war was started on lies. Both the american people and the american soldiers thoought they would be greeted as liberators and not occupiers, as they have tried to be since 2003. The goal is not, as you have been made to believe by massive propaganda from the white house, to help the iraqee people! US has created permanent mega-bases in the country and tries to seize the oilfields. America is not speaking about withdrawing from Iraq, but sending more troops.
So far over 500.000 natives in the country have lost their lives - not the figures you will get on Fox News, which is controlled by the White House.
Wake up, americans! Your (our) effort will not decrease the number of terrorists but INCREASE it! Invading and occupying a country just doesn’t work.
Stop this crazy war.
Thanks.
I bought your book back in 1999. and i’ve loaned it to eveyone! I was surprised to see that you attached yourself to my old unit, 25th INF. More specific 2-8 FA , I was a Forward Observer for Alpha Co. Inf 1st Platoon. Did you meet any FOs? I will gladly give you some finainal support as soon as I can. I what you doing is the very essance of what an american is. I know very well that what “they” let you see on the news is not reality. we need more patriots like you.
Jim
The book Xeones’ relation of the battle and events leading up to it, to Xerxes and his royal scribe as the Persian army advances toward Athens.
[…] If you haven’t read his stories before, start with Gates of Fire - an amazingly personal and compelling first person account of the battlefield. […]
Yes! Oh yes! Confront “cunning fury (congenital)” with the Captain’s limpid Christian idealism: compassion, understanding, mercy, and so forth and so on.
Amazing, is it not? How eager and willing idealists are to sacrifice others on the altar of their holy idealism.
Does this Captain ever himself face the cunning lacerating fury of these killers. No? I thought not. Were he to do so, do you suppose that might alter his eager placement of the lives of others on the altar of his sanctimonious idealism?
Perhaps after the first bullets rip into him, he would then be shouting: “Exterminate the brutes!” (if he should live through the excruciating pain).
Idealism meets reality.
I cannot believe terrorists that are captured are later released. In the game, and it is no game, of kill or be killed, there can be no giving of ones rights if in fact they are killers and have attempted to kill troops.
War is not for debate it is to be won!
I am very proud of the men and women who carry our beliefs into battle that freedom is worth the price. God bless you all!
Thomas H. Loomis
I don’t know if you knew Daniel Lama personally, but I did and I loved him very much. I believe we were soul mates and needless to say I made a huge mistake by hurting him and I live with the guilt everyday. It was so nice to find this story about him and I am very thankful for you writing it. I don’t know if there’s any way you can help me to contact him, but I would love if you could do that for me. He’s a great person with an even greater heart and I just want the chance to say I’m sorry. He was already checked out of the hospital when I called and I don’t know if he’s gotten any of my letters. Either way, thank you for your story and pictures, it was very good. I only wish I could’ve been there for him. Thank you so much for this!
Mike
The Jihadists, Khalid Jasim Nohe , should have been killed deader than a door nail.I “Don’t understand? I will try to pray that poor dumb son of a bitch dies for his country.
May God have mercy on all ours souls.
I will soon hit the money buttom for you again.
Thank and God speed
Excellent story!!
Drumstick, you sicken me. I hope you’ll live enough under sharia in your lovely Denmark to grasp the realities of this world.
You say “Invading and occupying a country just doesn’t work” - invading Denmark to liberate it from Nazis and protect it from USSR worked well enough for you in 1945, if I remember… and what Allies got in return? Tulips?
i was amazed by the encounter!!!if only i had been there,seeing my comrades being fired upon!!i wont hesitate to enter inside,guns blazing!!!!!that mudafuka terrorist is alone!!& have empty clips!!my 12 gauge would do that, if i where there,,only if triple canopy accepted me!!i would have shown them,my balls..tnx..im a nat geo addict
Damn!! What a post! The hair at the back of my neck is just beginning to settle down. That was awesome. Fantastic Americans. I’m so proud you are all countrymen of mine. I just said a prayer for you, and will again. Can patriotism cause tears? Maybe it is cigar smoke. O Lord, be with these MEN. Thank you and keep up the good work and good fight.
Im a marine and i do not think We should call Evreyone Who resisted the usa as a terroist I.S.I are terroist plaine simple
Even Islamic army in iraq Jaish al mujahadeen 1920 revolution and Jaami aka iraqi resitance have made the anbar salvation group and Fought with the usa and ING in Amara vs al queda they do not want no one there No americans and Definatley NO ARABS that are not iraqi we need to stop this Iranian Controll of the middle east and stop the israeli palestine conflict by one simply move Give the palestinians what they need no Houseing refugee camps but houses water food not gates and tanks and bombing runs conducted by IDF i think because of israeli arrogance this is why the arabs hate us
core 4 life
I am struck with awe.
It’s hard to remember sometimes that this didn’t happen last week. I forgot about the observation that terrorists get better medical care than Americans can in the US. That’s not a happy truism to be reminded of, as an American who is uninsured and cannot afford insurance, nevermind state of the art medical care. Needless to say, I expect My Soldiers to get that amazing care, not the terrorist. Bad guys should not be getting top of the line care. Good care, of course. Oh My God That’s Amazing Care, no. No. That is meant for My Soldiers. I’ll sacrifice my own health for them. But not for the bad guys! Because the more I believe that my own health is being given to save My Enemy is to inspire me to have a very angry talk with My Reps. I support the mission and My Soldiers. Please My Soldier Doctors don’t ever get confused. Your job is to save Americans FIRST. If I’m to be sacrificed too, it will be for My Soldiers. I have the right to feel that way, without guilt. And I do.
Michael,
I recently read your account of the fight when LTC Kurilla was shot. (Full disclosure:I am a retired Marine Officer who served in Nam as XO of an infantry Bn). I had to take a break. The adrenalin was running so high when I stopped reading I started to shake.Interaction with the locals was an inportant part of what I did. The the bulk of the battalion was usually some distance away and I spent a lot of time in the local villages. The people liked it because we kept the VC and NVA, who preyed on the villagers, away.
Normally, I went with only my bodyguard/driver and, sometimes, an interpreter. There were a few English speakers in some of the villages. Because of the jungle growth I carried a Browning shotgun we had captured in Hue. I never had to use it in the villages. We feared someone jumping out of the weeds. The only time I was shot at, in our villages, was from the opposite bank of a river. That immediately drew fire from the village self-defense force and ended it
Thank you Michael,for all that you do. Please continue to tell the story of our military and the true stories of the war.
Take care. God bless
Michael,
I just read your story about the fire fight that took out LTC Kurilla. Great job reporting and fighting. I would not have waited myself but would done what you did pronto!!
I wish all Americans could read your reports and get a better feel for the harsh but necessary battles our brave folks in uniform carrying out to free an enslaved people from the tyranny of idealogical maniacs bent on the world wide destruction of everything they do not agree with.
I wish you all the best and keep up the good work of telling the real story.
Great piece of writing! LTC Kurilla reminds me very much of another great LTC. Perhaps he was also leading troops at Carentan in a past life.
DL
Wow! This article is one of the best I’ve ever read. It is an instance where the photos (awe inspiring) were not as powerful as your words.
I was sorry to here of LTC Kurilla’s wounding but happy that he made it. I was amazed to hear of his support of the Minnesota Vikings; I too have the same affliction. If he does live in Minnesota and he or his family need anything direct them to me.
What a bunch of heroes; it is beyond comprehension without your words and photos.
I will pray for them and you daily.
Michael,
A great story. Thanks again,
Rob
[…] for the United States Army. The stories that got Yon in trouble with Brooks: Proximity Delays and Gates of Fire. Proximity Delays got Yon in trouble, and in Gates of Fire, Yon picked up a rifle and joined combat […]
One of the most riveting blogs I have ever read. Great work and my hand goes out to you and our servicemen in harms way. BTW, your comment: “LTC Kurilla repeatedly told me of - and I repeatedly wrote about - terrorists who get released only to cause more trouble. Kurilla talked about it almost daily. Apparently, the vigor of his protests had made him an opponent of some in the Army’s Detention Facilities chain of command, but had otherwise not changed the policy. And now Kurilla lay shot and in surgery in the same operating room with one of the catch-and-release-terrorists he and other soldiers had been warning everyone about.” indicates to me you do not know what they are fighting for over there “democracy” just like here in the good old USA. US law enforcement have been complaining of the same thing for 50 years. Keep up the good work and remind my fellow soldiers that we support whatever they think is necessary to stay alive. Dean Chaney Reno Nevada
Your writings are inspiring. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your willingness to put yourself in harms way to tell the stories of such great and valiant men. You are one of them.
I’m ashamed of our media and our politicians. The American people love our military men and women and appreciate the extremem sacrifice they and their families make.
Please tell them millions of people pray for them every day. We love them and cherish them. Yourself included.
Sincerely,
Monica Cole
7141 Dogan Ridge St.
Las Vegas, NV 89131
Your writings are inspiring. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your willingness to put yourself in harms way to tell the stories of such great and valiant men. You are one of them.
I’m ashamed of our media and our politicians. The American people love our military men and women and appreciate the extremem sacrifice they and their families make.
Please tell them millions of people pray for them every day. We love them and cherish them. Yourself included.
Sincerely,
Monica Cole
Las Vegas
[…] the Army threatened to kick me out was in late 2005, just after I published a dispatch called “Gates of Fire.” Some of the senior level public affairs people who’d been upset by “Proximity Delays” […]
So, let me make sure I got this straight…you interfeared with a combat situation, fired randomly into a building where a US soilder had just entered, shot a PROPANE TANK, which then caused the soilder engaged in combat to lose the upper hand, despite eventually overwhelming the insurgent? This is the most retarded, half-assed, Rambo style BS I have heard out of this war so far.
I don’t care if you are ex-military, because the keyword is EX. Keep taking photos, and I’m sure the troops you cover will be most appreciative with you remaining out of the “Gates of Fire” yourself. Bonehead.
Michael:
It will be a dark day for truth if they ever force you to leave Iraq before you’re ready.
Thank you for giving us the “Rest of the Story”. You should be put up for the Nobel Prize for journalism.
May God bless and protect you and our fighting forces.
Ken
RVN 1969 - 70.
Andrew, what does your “armchair soldiering” do for anyone involved, Michael or his readers, besides gratify your own ego? You weren’t there, in the same terrifying, adrenaline-laden circumstances that the author was, to make his “boneheaded” decision. Maybe from the safety of a chair in front of a computer, Mike would have agreed with your decision but he was out in a combat situation, where logic and even common sense doesn’t always spring into people’s heads. I don’t understand why you’re making the critique that you did. It seems like you just want everyone to know how smart you are. Well, feel free to go into battle and start a blog, perhaps I’ll read it.
JStan–I would not criticize a soilder who was doing that, but Yon is not a soilder, at least not an active one. He is there as a reporter. Picking up a weapon when you are supposed to be documenting the events is stupid and wrong. Period. The fact that his attempt turned out to be comically ineffective is a side not, but an important one since it highlights part of the reason why THEY HAVE THESE RULES IN THE FIRST PLACE. Boneheaded, plain and simple. You like defending boneheads, be my guest.
As for arm-chair critiquing, I have seen more than enough of that on sites like these that go beyond the respect the military deserves and delve into worship. Yon may be in a battle-zone, but I doubt most people commenting here are. Yelling “hoo-rah” from your keyboard is a thousand times more arrogant and snide than pointing out the foolishness of the guy who GENERALS in Iraq don’t want there anymore.
[…] the Army threatened to kick me out was in late 2005, just after I published a dispatch called "Gates of Fire." …In the events described in that dispatch, I broke some rules by, for instance, […]
[…] one of the catch-and-release-terrorists he and other soldiers had been warning everyone about. Michael Yon : Online Magazine Blog Archive Gates of Fire As I said, Gates isn’t an idiot, and given his credentials I think your judgment of his character […]
Some of us back here at home are still ready to salute you guys and gals for what you are doing. I know you all hear the chatter of the “great pullout” and to be honest it scares me. If we are not there fighting them, then what is to keep them from being here fighting us? I admire each and everyone of you, I pray for the soldiers there to keep up the great work, and to have patience for the ones here that do not believe we should be there. I for one and a select few know better. I love you guys!!!!! Stay the course, watch your back and for less of better words…GOD BLESS OUR SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN IN IRAQ.
A. stone would have no doubt cowered along the wall with the untrained troopers while braver men would have tried to save the LTC., and drumstick is no ally i want on my side of a shooting war.
this is a great story thank you from a deuce four solider i was there all year long in C co mgs cobra 46 i was the driver for our lt
again thanks for writing for us
spc bennett
p.s. when does the deuce four book come out
Just as amazing the 3rd time thru.
Drumstick and Andrew Stone, go find somewhere else to rant. There are plenty of other places to make your point… Like CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, New York Times and the LA Times websites. Your opinions are weak and uninformed and deservedly belong there.
This website mirrors the information I have received first-hand from returning servicemen. I trust their opinions more than Dan Rather or Stone Philips.
Excellent observations Rookie, rdw and jstan!
You’d think a Danish national would understand the radical nature of terrorists after the violence over the cartoons published there.
Michael, keep up the good work and the eyes on reporting!
I was reading the new Ernie Pyle!!!!!
One of my friends, Travis Johnson was in the deuce four. He told me about you and your website. I’ve only read this one so far, but I will absolutely read everything you put out there for us to read. Good job.
Great Story. God Blessed America!!
[…] Good stuff (note the wisdom of crowds effect in our guesses here). Good photos for the shutterbugs, good milint. for us war geeks: In an issue that hits the stands this week, Counterrorism magazine offers the most extensive treatment to date of the work Michael published during his first embed in Iraq. The cover story is an eight-page photo essay that incorporates excerpts from two of Michael’s most popular dispatches, “Jungle Law” and “Gates of Fire“. […]
good to hear some truth about what’s going on over there. you deserve respect for your writing, but more for looking out for those downed soldiers.
God bless that young soldier. My son is Army and daughter in law is air force — I know first hand the compassion, courage and dedication of our troops.
LTC Kurilla and CSM Prosser are two of the finest examples of America’s military you could have found - true warriors providing intelligent leadership and investment in both their men and the mission’s objectives.
I know you’ll miss Erik greatly. His leadership will be sorely missed, but the values and qualities he exhibited have left a wonderful legacy to be followed.
Best wishes for a quick recovery to both these fine gentleman warriors!
Just as amazing the fifth time through.
First let me say what a great story Michael. My son is over there now.
To Andrew: Your not only an idiot but a moron. Try reading the article again. Yon said he could see the leg of Prosser not moving and believed him dead. Even though Yon is and Ex I’m sure he knew enough not to fire in the direction of Posser. But the best thing to do I believe if entering a room like that and you know where the good guy is and believe only bad guys are there. Putting down a little suppressing fire is a good Idea. It keeps the heads of the bad guys down, while entering the building. And yes Prosser might have lost a little control at the time, but you don’t know what the out come would have been if Yon would have waited. Also I’m an ex as you would call it. Really a former Marine and law enforcement. But I can still but a round in your chest from 500 yards if I had to. In my opinion Michael did the right thing at the right time, giving the situation he was in.
Hey Iam anglo/Greek trauma psychologist and I want to say that because of my work I have got to know some guys US MARINES AND ARMY who have become good friends and who have my highest respect and liking .When I read the ”’marine baby killer ” rubbish I think of them and of your story and I know this is the over whelming magority of the US military. and what ever the politics you all have my prayers and liking and respect and I hope your country also gives that. By the way I know Haditha was no masacre of women and children deliberately but the end result of terrorist action that deliberately put these tragic innocent people in harms way . With my best Nikos
[…] battalion of about 700, the soldiers were awarded about 181 purple hearts. And they were winning, clearly winning, in their tough battle space. I traveled around to many units in different provinces, but nowhere was the pulse of this war as […]
I applaude you! To be behind the camera, to know the men and to tell the stories is a very difficult job. But this trip out you went on instinct, you knew you had to stop firing a shutter, pick up that rifle, bolster the clip and make it possible for the men you write about to be able to tell stories to their own families. Thank you.
Hi Michael,
Thanks so much for all you do. I’m new to blogs and have just lately been finding ways to find out what is REALLY happening in Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan.
I have no money now. But that will not always be so.
Is Commnder Kurilla getting good followup medical treatment Stateside?
Joyce Doucette Vancouver Canada
74 year old grandmother
Michael, your work is a blessing to everyday people like myself that feel like losing hope everytime we watch the evening news. I am active with many organizations here in the states that support our troops, have a stepson at Ft. Bragg and love and support our military, but until now, rarely got a glimpse at what was really happening in the sandbox. Thank you so much for bearing the sand, the heat and the danger to bring ordinary people like myself and heaping helping of the truth. And let the troops know they are loved and supported by many, many Americans.
Michael Yon, you will be a famous news person in the future, it’s not a matter of “if”, but “when!”
The service you are providing is absolutely, without question, bravery in action and belief in the cause!
Thanks for your sacrfices and bravery in the face of the enemey. Our soldiers are fotunate to have you along to tell their story, becasue the main stream media will not! God bless you and God’s speed to you and the troops you are embeded with!!
Yup, its just like that… you never know when or where it is going to come from.
Still the best reporting of the war I have heard anywhere.
MSM should be ashamed of itself.
Keep doing what you are doing - some of us back “home” need to hear this and not the constant whining and whinging that MSM provides us with.
Mr. Yon,
I just finished your dispatch, “Gates of Fire.”
May I complement you on one of the most riveting pieces of battlefield journalism I have ever had the opportunity to read.
I hope you know how much faith and support millions of Americans, such as myself, have for the work you and our troops are doing.
Be safe.
These reports must be published so more will know the real story. How can we help?
Thanks for giving us the real story - let these brave men that know matter what they might hear from the “mainstream” media that most of us support them and their mission!
Great work!
Although I’ve heard your name before, thanks to Bill Bennett and others, this is the first time I’ve read your work. I’m moved in ways I cannot properly express in this e-mail.
Keep up the good work, and tell those men there are hundreds of thousands of us who DO think of them everyday, and pray for their safekeeping. Tell them we thank them for the sacrifice they and their families endure, and we thank them for keeping all of us safe from the terror the Jihadists would gladly export to us, if given the chance.
I’m sitting in my perfectly safe office here in Houston at work now, but will go home tonight and write a check to support your efforts in Iraq. Please continue to tell the stories of those men and women in harms way…they need your voice and we need to hear.
By the way, picking up the rifle and joining the fight to help Kurilla was the right thing to do, even if they subsequently sent you home.
God bless you and all our fighting men and women.
Steve
Thank you for your bravery in showing the American public the rigors of life as a soldier in Iraq. Keep up the good work and pass my sincere thanks and admiration to the troops around you. Keep your head down.
Our soldiers should not be going through what they are having to put up with: Sleezy politics involved on the battlefield! As a country we have forgotten how to fight. After all the evidence of 9/11 was in; we should have nuked Iraq, Iran and any other country that had a part in the attack of 9/11; we should have nuked until they, like Japan, surrendered UNCONDITIONALLY; our soldiers would not even be in Iraq or anywhere else except as policemen to watch over new US territory! The American people would have applauded that and the Islamic men would have got their wish to die and join their “Allah!” This is not hate speech; this is just the recognition of a people who have the same mindset as the kamakazies [sp?] had in WWII - kill or be killed. More than once, in the record of Scripture, God gave the order to kill everything that breathes, no exceptions. We need to forget “surgical strikes,” and just do the job that needs to be done!
thank you for your continued front line reporting. Ernie Pyle would be proud of you.
andrew stone,
you are a pussy who doesnt know what it means to be in combat. you pretend to know the mind of a soldier or anyone who is confronted with watching a man he respects and loves die before his eyes rather than grabbing a gun and attempting to defend him.
In the heat of the moment, he reacted when the other “soldiers” wouldnt. did you forget about the young inexperienced LT’s?
Michael Yon is a soldier for life because he served with the elite and he continues to serve with the elite, not a s amere reporter , but as a brother at arms. If he were to live by the pussy reporter traitor credo of the msm then likely the thought of not doing anything in that situation would have come to him. but his exprience kicked in. No doubt any soldier would rather have an ex-soldier as a reporter in a war zone rather than an MSM reporter who is rootiing for the enemy!
wow. May God bless all our soldiers and allies who fight this war everyday protecting the lives of countless innocents here and abroad.
Thank you ALL.
[…] Source : Michael Yon. […]
I am a Vietnam Veteran. I just finished my book called “Corpsman Up!”. I was a corpsman with the Marines in Alpha Co. 1/4 1966-67. This writing is very well done. I disagree with our present administration but havel always supported our soldiers. It is good to know that bravery still exists in the way of extreme dangers. I commend Duece Four and all the brave men and women. Some things never change. Combat is ugly and has lifelong after effects. I could relate to the Commander and his sixth sense. I had a platoon Sgt. that was exactly like that. Peace and God bless all. Charlie Rose, HMCS (E-8) USNR Retired, Tuscon Arizona.
Wow! What a story. What brave men. I cannot thank you enough for the sacrifices that all of you have made. I am a retired Air National Guardsman. I wish I were younger so I could stand shoulder to shoulder with you. I know, that is easy to say from the safety of the computer keyboard, but I mean it. Thank you again for your sacrifice & your courage.
Thom
TSgt, CANG (ret)
Thank yoe fellas. My grandson is coming to join you in September. God bless you and God bless America. This is one American that does not forget. I think and pray for all of you every day.
Have the 2nd LT and the Specialist been prosecuted for dereliction of duty under the UCMJ? How they can stand ther and allow their CO to be repeatedly shot while offering no resistance to the enemy whatsoever, is unbelievable.
I am sickened when I read posts like #15 by Drumstick the Dane. You should do your homework, Drumstick. Three separate, bi-partisan committees, two in the US and one in Britain, have said that no one lied about our hyped the intelligence reports that were used to justify our liberation of Iraq. The leftist media here and in Europe have consistently distorted facts and told outright lies about the Bush administration since the day they took office. It happens every time a Republican is in the White House. If it weren’t for Fox New and conservative talk radio, there would be a lot more liberal sheeple in the USA today. Read the following article by David Horowitz, who puts the myth of “Bush lied and people died” to rest…if you are intellectually honest enough, you will agree.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=28944
Great story and admirable reporting. However, the ad hominem responses in the comments section make me cringe a bit. If you have a point to make, do it without attacking the character of a person you know nothing about over the internet. Blurting obscenities only reveals your own lack of argumentative skill.
Its a strange situation where a reporter has to leap to action in the face of unresponsive soldiers when a man’s life is on the line. My personal opinion is that in general a reporter should have his ass halued out of the country for picking up a weapon and endangering a soldier’s life. However, in this specific scenario, I think one can overlook the response of the author. The author should be very thankful his actions did not cause an explosion or result in the downed soldier losing the upper hand. At the end of the day, results are results and things worked out.
To all of you who fail utterly at logical argument, consider making a point instead of vomiting insults.
Hi there..
A little word from the tiny country called the netherlands, Europe.
Via a long way around I ended up on this webblog. I must say that I was amazed by the story above. I admit that on the daily news Iraq passes every day. Hell I already came to the point of just zapping to another channel, because it lost my intrest.
But this is different, the way you discribe your encounters makes it more personal, with the pictures and names of your teammates.
Although I myself wouldn’t place full names (first and last name) on the website ( you never know who might read it and use it against family or friends), it helped me regain intrest and has renewed my respect for people like you. Because in the end you are there fighting so I could wake up this morning without bombs or bullets flying around. You and your colleagues made it possible for me to wake up without any fears.
So although half of the world doesn’t support and understand what you are doing, I respect you for it. thx
Having read this great story and having just finished Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, one could not be in awe of our fighting forces. My family’s prayers go out to them every day. I, however, have no idea what Chaplain “Mr. Rogers” Wilson is doing over there. War is hell Father in case you haven’t noticed. This not some catch and release fishing expedition. These bastards want to kill us all. If there was a Patton over there, I think he’d slap you! Speak for yourself, not “us” and do us a favor and go back to Mayberry.
A writer, of sorts, myself, I am seldom lost for words but I have exhausted my stock of superlatives.
Thanks Michael. Just keep them coming.
What a great post, a truly great post.
I do think that Andrew Stone is trying to get on as a writer for The Times (New York, Seattle, Los Angeles). He is right on target. No mater the story, if it deals with soldiers or patriots- treat only as a negative.
2001
Sometimes I feel like Dave
At the end of the movie 2001
When my wife and sons
Go to her family’s orchard
In Levels, West Virginia
And I am left alone
For days on end
Until always,
At a certain point,
The time and space continuum
Is broken
Completely
Like Dave,
I stare out
Into a personal parallax
And stop
Unaware of what to do next…
To plaster my son’s room
To add a new lock to the front door
To go to a diner and eat a meal
When writing a poem
Is out of the question
Because the routine
After September 11th
Is no longer routine
It is clear,
It is so clear now
That without my wife’s questions
About my motives and strengths,
Her verbal crucible
Melding my actions
Into meaning and life
And my son’s laughter
And questions and needs
I would stare
Endlessly
Into a personal parallax
Lean closer, wife…
Gather our sons,
For whenever I failed
To notice that your presence
Alone
Breathes life into me,
I am heartily sorry.
It is time…
I have my duty…
After reading this story, I’m conflicted. I’ve worn the uniforms of three armed services, & my retirement certificate thanks me for 42 years of faithful service. My active service was in another war a long time ago.
We’re a war sold to the American people on a false pretext by leaders who rejected the advice of their generals, who sent insufficient force, who falsely promised a quick and easy victory, who falsely assumed we could impose democracy on a nation rife with persistent ethnic & religious conflict, & no history of democracy.
I’m conflicted because I’m not there with the soldiers of Deuce Four, following LTC Kurilla & CSM Prosser, a band of brothers fulfilling their oaths, led by an officer who is truly a leader.
Deuce four is doing a magnificent job, but there aren’t enough Deuce Fours there for the whole job. I pray they succeed, that their sacrifices won’t be in vain, but I have little hope. Their Commander-in-chief failed us all when he took his eyes off Afghanistan.
Does anyone know the author of the book “Gates of Fire” the one he got his quote from?
“I would be the one. The one to go back and speak. A pain beyond all previous now seized me. Sweet life itself, even the desperately sought chance to tell the tale, suddenly seemed unendurable alongside the pain of having to take leave of these whom I had come so to love.”
Thanks
Mike,
Once again, thank you for what you do. Without people like you this war would only be told one-sided. I am a 3/21 soldier- just under a new guidon (1st Bde 25th ID was reflagged and moved as I’m sure you know). I thank you for picking up that rifle that day. We need more patriots like you. We will be leaving again very soon and I’m sure there are still some old 1/24 guys that you would like to see again. If you’re ever in our AO, you know you’ll be welcome.
This is to Roy F. Wilson:
Dear Sir, Your nation thanks you for your service and as a soldier I try to instill pride and respect for those who marched before us, but you are mistaken. There are many units like 1/24 Infantry out there. I am from 3/21 and have heard the legends of Deuce Four. I have also read and heard of the legends of other units, other soldiers and other heroes.
The sad part is there just aren’t enough Michael Yon’s in this world to tell you about it……….
Incredible, moving pictures. Thank you for the truth.
At last, a reporter who writes TRUE.
IF we’d had reporters like Yon covering Vietnam, I truly believe things would have ended differently. Instead, we had reporters who emphasized bad decisions, and turned our victories into baby-killing and enemy body mutilations.
TRUE stories like “Gates of Fire”. demonstrate how ABC, NBC, CBS, NY Times, et.al. (the liberal, propogandistic, left-wing, yellow-dog media speinmeisters) fabricate and twist their stories to condemn the war and discredit the administration.
Just as they did with Vietnam, (1)Democrats second-guessed & condemn the field commanders; (2)and condemn the war as “lost” - a declaration of surrender.
I held my breath through most of this article, the job your doing over there, the stories your sharing with us are amazing. I know they have made a difference in the way I view the war. Our soldiers make me proud more and more everyday and make me even more grateful for everything they do. I hope you tell them that are those of us care about what they are doing over there and believe that they can succeed. My prayers and thoughts are with all of yall each and everyday. Thank you and God bless you.
Thanks for the glimpse of true valor. It makes me even more proud to call myself an american and more proud of my son Hollis, a Marine serving At Alasad.
[…] One of the best Yon dispatches that I’ve read to date. A real journalist. It’s a long read, but it’s a good one. Iraqi Army and Police officers see many Americans as too soft, especially when it comes to dealing with terrorists. The Iraqis who seethe over the shooting of Kurilla know that the cunning fury of Jihadists is congenite. Three months of air-conditioned reflection will not transform terrorists into citizens. […]
Michael,
Thank you for this excellent story. It strengthens my will to pray for the soldiers and you. As you know we don’t get any of this in the papers or on tv. The reporting by both groups makes me and my family sick.
I pray that you will return safely. You are a warrior yourself to sacrifice for us!
Thank you and God’s speed to end all of this with honor and victory.
Larry Millspaugh
Thanks Michael for your unique perspective of battles our fighting men are encountering. I will think daily of their brave actions and yours also for bringing these stories to light for us to read. God bless and God speed for the surge.
WOW! This is what most americans don’t see.
I applaud Michael Yon for such fine work! You have opened my eyes. It is interesting, the things they “won’t” show you on the six o’clock news. Thanks Michael…
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND TRUTH ABOUT COMBAT. I’M STILL CAPTIVATED BY THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN, THAT ARE KEEPING THIS WORLD SAFE FROM EVIL. AND BEING A VET, I RESPECT THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN THAT KEEP ME FREE. MICHAEL, YOU ARE ALSO A HERO,KEEP THE GOOD PRESS COMING. AND DON’T LET THOSE TROOPS THINK THAT US CONSERVATIVE WILL LET THE LIBS GET IN THE WHITE HOUSE. TELL THEM WE LOVE THEM AND WE’LL NEVER FORGET. ADIOS FOR NOW…..TOM FULLER (DC2 U.S. NAVY 68-72, VIET VET)
Thanks for these stories.
I might be South African but I support the Soldiers in Iraq because they are doing something amazing and I respect them and admire them so much.
Good job to you too Michael Yon.
Anyone who is not awed and humbled by a person like LTC Kurilla has no grip on reality. God speed to him and may he have a complete recovery.
Thank you for telling the whole, true story.
This is the first time to read the reports you have written Michael. I am so proud of the trials and tribulations that our soldiers are going through in IRAQ, the valor and unwavering devotion to duty, and the brotherhood they share. I know as an American that it takes this courage, bravery, and unselfishness to provide what we have today. Please let all of them know that we support and believe in them at all times. I can guarantee this American does!!!
Stay safe, and keep your head down,
~Matthew Wilbanks
[…] and release” - the indispensable Michael Yon has often posted on same, most famously, here, where his freind was shot up pretty badly by just such a releasee], which seems like a fine idea to me. The question is what to do with him and other al Qaeda […]
Michael
I really appreciate the service you are doing for this country to pass on the real stories of the Iraq war. Being here in the U.S. it is starting to become really hard to continue believing in the war with all of the negative news being passed around all the time. It seems the media only wants to report stories that will bring more ratings and not the truth. I attended a fireside of a 3 star general who is a member of my religion that came to speak to us about the war, He said “I’m afraid the American people are to weak to continue with this war”. he then said “if we don’t take care of it now it will only turn around to destroy the lives of our children”. I continue to believe that we are helping so many lives in Iraq even thought the news never reports it. Again Thank you Micheal for the real news. I will continue to spread the word here and do what I can to help while also enjoying the freedom that many are dying for to save. I continue to be strong to defend my freedoms.
Mr Yon,
I’m impressed everytime I read your stories, direct, well written and no BS really. Keep up the good work!
And of course stay alive, and try keep the guys safe if you can!
Joris
The Netherlands
Very good work, Mike, though I would have ducked and then tried to clear the room before doing a blind fire. All in all, taking that into consideration, you did a very good job reporting from Iraq.
Mike:
I live on Social Security and I can only support you with $5.00 monthly, but they are heartfelt and mean a lot more than the dollar amount.
You represent all that is fine and brave in American war journalism and deserve the Pulitzer for your action photos and stories.
I’m not religious, but Godspeed anyway.
Sincerely, Bill Henslee
Awesome reporting. There aren’t many reporters out there that would pick up a gun, let alone actually report the truth on what’s happening over there. Great job!
Michael, It’s late. Once again I have broken a vow to myself that I would start returning to my CHU early. It was yet another of your articles which caused me to be here writing you at nearly 10pm. I am in Mosul on Camp Diamondback going on 15 months. I love your work. Thank you. I am not military. I am a contractor. Yes, one of those guys. I will make my donation in the morning. I am too tired to attempt it now. It was for a good cause that I return to my room so late …..again. Thank you for what you do.
I have not read anything like this on the war from the national press. I have great respect for our soldiers and also you, Mr. Yon. Courage is hard to define, but in your case, I believe you clearly display along with these driven soldiers. There is so much misinformation in the press, that most American’s will never know the real truth. I will persoanlly say a prayer for you and your boys there. Please continue the fight, you are needed.
God Bless you all….
Dear Michael,
Thank you for your work. I may be wrong but I think that the Billions of dollars we are paying for Muslem oil is funding this war. I have been praying for our troops that God will help them see the enemy and be able to deal with them. Your story seems to be an answer to prayer in the way LTC Kurrilla was able to recognize the enemy. A marine friend told me that when hunting not to look directly at the deer because they could feel you looking at them and run away. People do not realize that we are in a religious war. When I was young I read a book “the Barbery Pirates” that discribed how the Muslems took north Africa with a Sword. Either you pleaged alliegance to Alah or you died. After Alah was the moon god during the time of Mohnaid when he wrote the Korahn.
Anyway the important thing is to accept the real God Yahea and his son Jesus Christ. It is important to pray and confess your sins and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and give you eternal life. Thank you Rev
Your a heck of a writer Michael, keep it up. The Gates of Fire, is it a novel or much like what you’ve written above?
[…] Read Gates of Fire : http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/gates-of-fire.htm […]
Michael, what happened to the two soldiers who froze and refused to engage?
Kick your two reluctant monkeys in the butt. The rest of these fine warriors are what it is all about. Great job, and keep up the good work.
[…] Story […]
MICHAEL, I appreciate all you are doing, keep up the great work and God Bless you…. I served just shy of 2 years in Iraq as a Trainer/Advisor to the Iraqi Police and Commandos,in Baghdad, Anbar Province and Mosul. Your reporting is top notch and what the American Public has been needing to hear… while there, I was so upset with the reporting there. I am a Viet Nam Vet and served several tours there also. So your reporting is very Refreshing… thank you and God Bless….
MB
thank you, michael for helping me to understand
and empathize with the courageous work being done by my son, his friends, and the iraqis who align with us
you report things the soldiers can’t say and what the msm won’t report
God bless you and your friends
a soldier’s mom
Michael,thankyou for serving and for your
work in mix.the cowards in the media here
have neither the desire or the balls to report the truth. thank Kurilla for me and all the brave men and women who serve. I thank God for their courage and commitment
and pray for their saftey. Damn the talking
heads who play politics with the very live’s
of those who serve to protect the freedoms many take for granted.Those who perch for
pictures making lofty statements using big
words, remain clueless and ignorant of the
courage and commitment these brave soldiers
bring to the table.Damn those who sadley,
for their own full bellies, pretend we can
leave for war on Monday and be home for church on Sunday!. Those who speak of cost
should check the front lines and see those
who pour it out unselfishly,couagously and with true honor every day. These are the true heros,these are freedom fighters of the America I love. God Bless them all, God
grant them strenght and bring them all home
safe.
Gates of fire, is a fantastic piece and demonstrates superbly the action that all our people are subjected to all too frequently. The images lend so much atmosphere to the tale. Keep them coming!
Michael,
I learned about your mission to cover the lives and actions of our American soldiers in Iraq listening to the Dennis Miller radio program. Gates of Fire is just an unbelievable account of urban warfare. Take care of yourself! Please thank these brave soldiers for me and my family. Another guy and I teach 10th grade PSR at our parish. Do you think the soldiers would like to receive letters from them?
[…] though the ’surge’ has had a positive effect in some areas, there is still fighting going on as Michael Yon informs […]
[…] Read the rest here. […]
Your words and your pictures are both beyond words. I try to keep up with the events of the day and.
After listening to our Congress the past two days in their hearings, and feeling somewhat embarassed to be an American, I am so lucky to have found your site, a place where I can hear the truth. As a normal, average person, I can say that is what we want….we are smart, informed and quite capable of having our own opinions. People like you are so valuable. God Bless You and please tell the troops you are ever with that we love them for loving this country and for giving me the opportunity to do anything I want knowing they are keeping me safe. God Bless Them and their families.
[…] I urge you to visit his web site, starting with this outstanding story: http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/gates-of-fire.htm […]
HOLY SHIT!…I’m speechless, I was with you the whole way. What about the 2 that didn’t Attack damn it.
A pox on all those MoveOn.org types. And Heaven bless our soldiers and sailors. They know more than all the dunderheads in New York and DC put together!
[…] I think we need to hear inspiring stories from the frontlines of the war on terror. Here is a link to one found on Michael Yon’s […]
The only TRUE reporting of the war in existence. I couldn`t stop reading and can`t wait to read more. I just got back from a tour in Iraq(COB Speicher)as a TC for a CLP completing missions from Bagdad to Mosul and a lot of places in between. This is the first real reporting of the war I have seen.
[…] Michael Yon http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/gates-of-fire.htm […]
Holy sweet jesus bro. Way to be!
i would like to thank you for creating this site. here in the US, we often forget our soldiers. it is hard for some people here to comprehend the constant danger that face our men (and women). unless one looks for it, news untainted bias are hard to come by. it seems that missteps by our soldiers are pounced on, reported with zealous fervor, yet one you doesn’t hear often of the heroism, courage & strength of character. thank you for writing this, especially. your frank narrative has touched us more than any self-important rambling by perfectly coiffed celebrity reporters. thank you for introducing these brave men to us.
Dear Sir,
This is my first time here. I am not an American nor am I pro-Iraq war. However I spent some time doing military service and reading what you have written allows me to know what is it like to be on the real ground fighting. It is so so different from training.
And I applaude for the hardwork that the soldiers that had put in. And I’m impressed with the Commander’s resistance to the first dose of morphine. Probably his adrenaline has really driven so much that the morphine doesn’t put him down.
May you be blessed and I look forward in reading more of your entries.
[…] Here is a taste - gripping and so human - so different from CNN […]
Dear Michael,
This astonishing story read like a planned novel. GREAT WORK. I’ve sent it over to a radio talk show host here in Charlotte and hopefully he’ll work it in to help support this work of yours. Reading your reporting makes me proud to be an American in these times of trouble where “my good friend on the other side of the aisle” sucks, just as the late Sgt. Jeffers wrote about. If that letter is new to you, Google it for insight from a 23 year old who gave his life so my family can sleep at night.
May God watch over you and Duece Four,
Steve C
Charlotte NC
[…] And then help arrived in the form of one man: CSM Prosser. […]
[…] And then help arrived in the form of one man: CSM Prosser. […]
Magnificent–both the writing and the men written about.
Absolutely fascinating perspective. An account like this definitely serves to reinforce my respect for the servicemen in Iraq, and I doubt many could argue with that, regardless of their political orientation. Yet I also find myself further disheartened that such fine men, women and resources have been sidetracked into the Iraqi arena. Yes, the Intolerable Tyrant is gone, but at what cost? U.S. Policy makers and civilian “leadership” have put the fine men and women of our armed services in an intractable situation. Destabilizing a sectarian regime (albeit brutal) has created a fundamentalist haven; one from which we can not leave. Colloquially, we broke it, so we bought it. I’d love to know the soldier’s thoughts on what it will take to succeed.
Mr Drumstick, I disagree with your opinion, but I do very much respect your right of free speech.
I’m just a plain Yank civilian who couldn’t go into military because I am blind in one eye. But I would be honoured to give my life to defend Denmark, as my father had Danish blood.
I have friends in Finland too, and if I had nine lives, I would give those too for Finland.
I…do not agree (now that I understand better) with the political errors of judgement that put my troops in harm’s way. It was dishonourable, and alas! I am shamed.
I am grieved for my country’s mistakes.
I am sorry for letting them occur.
But–I will stand with my troops, and with the people oF Denmark, and with the people of Finland.
The artists of Denmark, of the Jyllands-Posten Incident, their lives are under deadly threat! Do you not understand?
Never, NEVER *NEVER* is that to be tolerated!!
There are things worth fighting for!!
And may the brave Iraqi people enjoy the wealth of THEIR oil!
The German Army in WW2 had a very simple policy. The partisans (here read jihadists) were put up against a wall and shot after a quick court martial.
It worked.
I admire you Michael Yon! You are a Gpd-sent journalist. May God bless you richly! Keep up your ood work!
I’m familiar with Ernie Pyle’s WWII exploits & reporting, based on the reports I have read from Mike it is very fitting to compare him to that great war correspondent. Mike does not hold back. He simply reports what he sees through the eyes of an American! This is key; he is reporting to Americans as an American. God we could use more of this. Some of these so called reporters today have been brainwashed into thinking that they must check their citizenship and allegiances in at the border in order to perform “objective” reporting - that’s BS!! Just report what you see and the readers will make up their own opinions. But above all else be an American first. The US Constitution grants a free press, it’s sure as hell not the terrorists. Ernie Pyle was just that way, and I believe that’s why he was loved by the troops and respected by his peers and the leaders of the time!! God Bless you Mike, keep up the great work!!!! PS What happened to that green LT?
Thank you for the insight into a war people at home sometimes forget about. My prayers are with you.
ps…have a laugh with my website
[…] check out his Gates of Fire Dispatch (http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/gates-of-fire.htm). Now THAT is […]
“Sleeking around”, “umbral” ? Steady now, keep your hands in sight, and slowly put the thesaurus down.
Fix your MP3 link. It doesn;t work. I would’ve liked to hear your words in your voice. God bless, and God Speed. Come home safely. Thank you for serving! Something I never got to hear.
This a description of the kind of people we have volunteering to put themselves between us Americans at home and the evil wanting to come here. And come they will if our guys don’t stop them.
I am so grateful to our military and our country for men like these. I pray for them and help where I can.
Any readers of this comment who are military I am out here helping in my own way. I come in contact with you from time to time, but I am here and I support you and all your efforts. I will bere as long as I can breathe to be here for you and do my small part to make your day a little easier.
Reading Michael Yon’s account of the action in Mosul, again left me feeling useless. That I haven’t done enough for these brave MEN who are over in Iraq fighting for Democracy. At 51 I would give up my cushy six figure job and take up a rifle tomorrow, so one of these incredible young MEN won’t have to come home injured or worse. We are losing our best, and the MSM and most of our policical leaders don’t get it. Michael is showing America and the rest of the world what these brave young MEN are made of, protecting innocent life and leaving life and limb on the battlefield for the betterment of a, sometimes, appreciative Iraqi people. Sacrificing for a people that they don’t even know. I still get weepy at the singing of our National Anthem, and am brought to tears reading stories like this. Wishing every minute I could pick up a rifle and save one of these brave MEN like Michael Yon did. Thank You Michael and the checks in the mail.
Mike
California
[…] called “Deuce Four”) in Mosul in 2005. It’s easy to see why. Yon delivers such amazing narratives of the action taking place. You almost feel as though it’s something out of a movie, the way […]
Amazing–the reporting, the photographs, the bravery. . . . and the fact that terrorists are given medical treatment alongside our soldiers. The chaplain is right, that’s what makes Americans different.
[…] lines caused me to shudder, yet the steadfast belief in the mission served is beyond admirable. Michael Yon is another milblog and offers a different perspective; Michael is an unsponsored reporter in […]
Omg, am I glad I found this blog!
What an amazing piece. Yon, you’re the best. Keep it up. I hope you’re still there, though I don’t want you in harm’s way. You are a true man and journalist. Fie on the pansies here in the States who perpetrate their sedition.
As for Andrew Stone: Your criticism is self-serving and indicative of a weakness of character. A boy stands around uselessly in an emergency, a man does what Yon did. He was not reckless in the least, but did what any thinking man would do. So shut up.
I’ve decided to go to war. As I read Gates of Fire I felt useless and ashamed that I am doing so little when heroes are doing so much.
I will do what I can. I will do battle here in the States in the public square. For the enemy within is desperately and traitorously trying to turn this honorable war into another Viet Nam. I will not stand by doing nothing. I will strike back at our enemies who support the enemies of mankind. Join me, please.