Roadside bomb changed lives of the survivors, some still in Iraq
Updated 1/1/2007 11:55 PM...
"When we roll out, I usually think to myself, 'So is today we get hit with another IED?'" says Lt. Charles Bies.
LIVES SHATTERED IN AN INSTANT
On March 6, a Humvee with five U.S. Army soldiers aboard was blown up by an improvised explosive device in Tal Afar, Iraq.
The explosion
• Driver's seat: Pfc. Ricky Salas Jr. died instantly. ( His parents are sad because no WMD found ) Died for nothing!!
• Front passenger seat: 1st Lt. Charles Bies was pinned inside the vehicle and suffered fractures in his cheekbone and eye socket. He died later.
• In gun turret: Spc. Nicholas Helfferich was thrown 25 feet and woke up to find his pelvis and ribs broken and spine injured.
• Rear seat: Spc. Jose Morales saw a blinding flash, then noticed something lying on his chest. It was his left foot. He lost his left leg and suffered a broken arm. Now he knows war is not worth it.
2007-01-02 07:02:21 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Its sad to you because you haven't been there before...and you haven't seen the OTHER side of the war where kids are playing in the streets. Girls and boys are in the class room learning together...and people are voting for the first times. You only see what people and news casts want you to hear and see.
Yes it is sad because these men, among 3000 others have lost their lives to a cause...a cause that many Americans no longer believe in, but it doesn't mean that they died in vain. Each and every day we fight for them, and each and every day we grow an inch closer to our goal. There are sacrifices for war, and these men and women, and many more to come this coming year will suffer those consequences, but please remember that for every life lost in Iraq and in the Middle East of our armed forces, we save millions of peoples here back home. And that is a risk that all military personall are accounted for.
I came home from Iraq this past May, and I was bitter and angry at the rest of the war. I suffered from my own wounds because of this war. I lost both of my legs because of this damn war...but I had the courage, and I had the people around me who cared enough to know that I needed them. I wanted to end my life all the time. I'm not afraid nor embarrassed to admit that. There were times where I wish I would have died in that desert, but now...I have a girlfriend who wouldn't care if i had no limbs let alone only two. There are sacrifices we all take for the benefit of those we love..and those who we don't yet know.
2007-01-02 07:09:27 · answer #1 · answered by Jason M 3 · 9⤊ 1⤋
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.
Well, I like how you said this:
(Driver's seat: Pfc. Ricky Salas Jr. died instantly. ( His parents are sad because no WMD found ) Died for nothing!!
You talk to them?? Or you just add that. Let me explain something to you real quick!!!!!!!!
That FLAG, you know the RED, WHITE, AND BLUE ONE. At every Federal, State, and millions of private buildings. The ONE that flew over the rubble of 9/11 is the same FLAG flying proudly on the shoulder patches of all American Soldiers. Who made you the spatter of freedom???
The FLAG is more than colors. It is the blood, sweat, and tears of all soldiers in all wars. Soldiers DIE! that is what happens.
But, you can sit in your cushioned computer chair. I do not mind. I have been to IRAQ and Afghanistan. I would go back to in a heartbeat.
No WMDS is BS....We have found them they did exist. Saddam had them. Just look it up "Saddam WMDs" and see for your self. Stay away from the MEDIA!!!
2007-01-02 07:19:55 · answer #2 · answered by devilduck74 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I truly feel sorry for you. You have no idea what worth, sacrifice and courage is all about . If there was a question here, i am not sure what it is. If you have such strong convictions, do something about it instead of trashing someone Else's convictions. You throw names around like you know them. I don't know the men you are talking about but I have many of my own that I know, respect and honor every day. They stood up and made a stand on something that they believed in and came in the Military knowing what they faced. You have faced nothing, contribute nothing and in the broad spectrum of things ARE NOTHING. Please continue to enjoy the freedoms you have at the expense of others.
2007-01-02 08:04:47 · answer #3 · answered by NOFEAR 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The United Statesian Army is all volunteer, they knew that soldiers have a high risk of dieing in war when they enlisted. Although a personal tragedy for the people involved it is a fact of life for the rest, they chose that way of life, with all the benefits and risks associated.
They have the benefit of being the best trained, best equipped and by far the best treated after their tour of duty. The US military is fighting a foe that is attacking it with sticks and stones, no spacecraft spying on the enemy, no transonic Aurora, no active armor, no health care the enemy has nothing that even remotely compares with what our military has.
If it was an even keeled fight I would be more inclined to suffer the loses, but as it is, the loses are just a matter of fact. Keep in mind that I am not for the enemy, I am keenly aware that what they are doing is horrendous but they are fighting a force that is superior by a matter of several orders of magnitude, one is in the stone age the other has technology that for the most part is incomprehensible to most.
2007-01-02 07:06:29 · answer #4 · answered by r1b1c* 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
A soldier who is wounded or dies in combat never does so for nothing. Soldiers do not fight for the reasons that politicians go to war for. They obey orders, fight for their unit and die for their buddies. They are the wall that gives you and the politicians the ability to say stupid things. They know that. That is why they suffer and die so you can call them pawns and fools. They protect your right to speak but they will never listen to your babble or speak to you as an equal.
2007-01-02 07:56:47 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Comments like these make it sad for our military because you're using a tragedy to claim the war is wrong - but NOT the decision to go to war. I saw your profile - you're a vet and a DOD civilian for more years after that. So you of all people should know that while tragic, our military is fighting a war that provides you with the freedom to:
A). work for yourself B). post opinionated questions on Yahoo, and C). anything else you want to do in pursuit of life liberty and happiness.....
You're Welcome!
2007-01-02 07:17:33 · answer #6 · answered by Drop Zone 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Seems like you are trying very hard to disturb our calm. A regular Johnny Appleseed of doubt here. Deaths occur in times of war. If I for one second thought you honestly were concerned and not trying to subvert our efforts, I might take this question seriously. Of course it makes us sad when our brave military volunteers are injured or killed.
2007-01-02 07:13:50 · answer #7 · answered by Rich B 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
WAR IS HELL. THE FASTER THEY REALIZE THAT THEY ARE MORTAL AND WILL NOT LIVE FOREVER THE EASIER THE JOB BECOMES. DEATH IS A PART OF WAR BOOTH SIDES TAKE HORRIFYING LOSES.
WAR IS HELL WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER MILITARY IF THEY DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT THEN WHY DID THEY JOIN. DID THEY THINK IT WAS A FREE RIDE ? SOLDIERS DON'T DECIDE WHERE OR WHAT TO FIGHT. THEIR JOB IS TO FIGHT WHO THEY ARE TOLD TO FIGHT. A WARRIORS JOB IS TO DO NOT QUESTION. A SOLDIERS FOLLOWS HIS COMMANDERS ORDERS RIGHT OR WRONG. IF THEY DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT WHY DID THEY JOIN THE MILITARY ? NOTHING IS FOR FREE THEY SIGNED UP VOLUNTARILY AND THEY WERE CALLED UPON TO DO THE DUTY THEY SIGNED UP FOR. WAR IS HELL.
2007-01-02 07:11:17 · answer #8 · answered by strike_eagle29 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋