Take A Stand, Minnetonka version
Submitted by The Big E on August 28, 2007 - 9:41pm.
I met Iraq War Veteran Brandon Day for coffee last Friday. I was going to put up a post about him and his experience. I scrapped my effort as Brandon is very eloquent and I'd have done him a disservice. You'll see why. I couldn't make it out to Minnetonka for the Jim Ramstad version of Take A Stand Day, so I missed a very powerful speech. I hope to get a video of it soon. In the meantime, here it is:
About a week ago, myself and two other Iraq vets started a local chapter of IVAW, Iraq Veterans Against the War. Our mission is crucial in this struggle against the war, because the voices of those who have been in this war must be heard. If any of you know of a soldier or a vet who might want to speak to me, or if you can help us with a donation, please see me before you leave tonight.
With that said, I will tell you my story.
Six years ago I was a very different person than I am today. Military service wasn?t even a thought in my mind. One thing was the same though, I had a fierce love for America. On September 11th, something in me changed. I knew we would retaliate, and that America would need strong men. I decided my life was a small price to pay to defend the country I love. I knew I wouldn?t like the army before I signed up, but that didn?t matter. The recruiters loved me. They didn?t have to do anything but give me a pen and show me where to sign.
I ended up doing two tours in Iraq. I learned quite a bit in my time over seas, and that?s what I?m here to talk about, the things that I learned. This isn?t going to be easy for you, and its not going to be easy for me.
I learned what it was like to live in constant fear of dying in an explosion. Every time a soldier leaves the base they are waiting for an anonymous roadside bomb to take away their limbs, their eyes, their ability to function or their lives. It gets to the point that it is almost a relief when one goes off, at least you get to think about something else when you are dealing with the fall-out.
I learned to be extremely wary of the Iraqi soldiers and police officers. They had outposts all over the city, but some how they never saw or heard anything when we were attacked. At some point the decision was made to station Iraqi army regulars on our base. For some reason the mortar attacks we endured every few days became more accurate and many of the raids that we went on with them were exercises in futility because the targets seemed to know that American soldiers were on the way before we ever left the wire.
I learned what cruel irony was when a female soldier we?d never worked with before got added to a routine patrol with us. The truck that she was in got hit by an anti-tank rocket, and an anti-tank rocket is a nasty thing. It has an explosive to penetrate armor, and a secondary explosive that detonates inside the vehicle. If it hadn?t been for her last minute addition to the patrol that Christmas Eve, her seat would have been empty and her tiny body wouldn?t have been there to catch that secondary explosion, and four of my brothers might have been taken instead. The irony of the situation was that when she got out of the army, she was going to become a nun. Because of that fact, her sacrifice has been the only one that I have found any meaning in.
A month later I learned how versatile a body bag can be. A very powerful IED exploded beneath one of our trucks on the edge of town. I was patrolling another part of the city at the time, and it took us about 90 seconds to get. When we arrived the Humvee was up on it?s side and you could see right through it. The gunner was pinned beneath the roof, which was about ten meters away from the truck. Somehow one of our medics managed to keep him alive for about two more hours, and I can only imagine that it was the image of his three children that he was about to leave behind that allowed him to make it as long as he did. Another soldier that died that day was in so many pieces that carrying his remains away without a body bag would have been less than convenient, to say the least. Four of our brothers left us that day.
I learned that there is truth to the saying that bad things come in threes a month after that when another one of our trucks was struck by an IED. This time the truck caught fire after the blast. The fire caused the hundreds of extra rounds in the trunk to begin cooking off, preventing any attempt at a rescue. I just hope that it was the explosion that killed them and not the fire. Four of our brothers left us that day as well.
With one final twist of the knife that was stuck so deeply into our chests already, I learned how bitterly cruel this game of war can be. Through what I can only imagine was a mixture of confusion, exhaustion and miscommunication, our last casualty stepped out of a helicopter hovering 120 feet above the ground and plunged through the night to his death, leaving us to wonder how it could have happened, and why.
I learned how to cope with the torment of suicidal thoughts, and that I?m not alone in that. A handful of guys from my unit confessed to me that they are plagued with the same thoughts. If that?s not bad enough, a few developed a nasty little habit known as cutting. If you?re unfamiliar with the term I?ll outline it for you. When someone experiences severe emotional trauma or is put in a position where they must numb themselves from life they may seek to feel something else. Sitting alone in a room with a knife, they cut themselves, and they feel something else.
These are some of the lessons that the men and women who fight on your behalf are learning every single day. These are the burdens that we carry for the rest of our lives. I won?t speak to the legitimacy of this war tonight, but I ask that as you contemplate it you remember that there are nearly four thousand dead American soldiers, seven times as many wounded and no one comes home undamaged. For those of you who want to do something but are hesitant for whatever reason, I implore you to get active on behalf of the men and women who risk everything for us. Your voice does matter, and NOW is the time to a stand.
Congressman Ramstad, I ask you to justify your continued support of President Bush?s policies in Iraq. When a person decides that they will risk their life for their country, they cross a bridge that few do, and they gain a wisdom that few have. I have crossed that sacred bridge, and Congressman Ramstad I tell you that this war is not worth the blood that it costs to fuel it. The next time you are faced with a vote concerning the war, side with America, and side with the troops that live and die defending her. Bring the troops home, and give us the care that we need and deserve.
http://www.mnblue.com/brendan_day_story
