I’ve been thinking about that IED all day.

I’ve been considering myself lucky. I’ve been considering us all lucky. Someone could have died. My pucker factor has definitely gone up. I was starting to get a little complacent. That was until yesterday. Taking fire didn’t bother me as much as that IED did. At least I know what to aim at when being fired upon. With an IED it’s totally different.

Until yesterday I haven’t seen any combat. I was starting to wonder if I would ever see anything. Now I’m beginning to wish that things were the way they were before. There were no worries and no problems. It was kind of like being an American, living in a free country. The sound of combat, gunfire is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It was crazy. I still think about that soldier that was in the street telling me where the insurgents were. I wish we could’ve helped him at the time but it was mission first. I felt like we were disserting him, leaving him there to fight off the gunmen himself. I knew it was mission first, and I definitely wanted to get the mission accomplished. If we had the chance, I would’ve liked to go back and help him out, but it wasn’t our mission. He probably thought we were cowards. I had just wished that T-Rex or the SL would have spotted the insurgents so I could go ahead and open up with the .50cal.

The sound of the IED was loud. I definitely knew what it was when we got hit. Someone thought it was a grenade but I thought it was too loud to be a grenade. It had to be some sort of high explosive. I think I might have jinxed myself. Earlier in the day I had told Sergeant P. that I’m on that road all the time and I have yet to see anything happen on it. I guess I was asking for it.

These people live in a crazy world over here. I guess you could say that most of the action happens in the city, but I’ve seen it out in the country as well. It makes me proud to be an American, to live the way we do. Americans go on day to day without a care in the world. We live in a world of relative peace and happiness, without violence. This place is totally different. Granted, I’m sure that there are lots of Iraqis that would like to live in peace and go on with their daily lives. Then there are others, idealists, who oppose all that we do. That’s all fine with me. We can’t please everyone. But if they want to fire at me than they are risking their lives.

I respect all that the Iraqi Police and Army are doing everyday. They are fighting this battle, as well they should. They are out there day by day, risking their lives. Insurgents attack them constantly but their resolve is strong. I really honor what they stand and fight for. I think their children and their children’s’ children should too. If they want to see a free and stable country then they have to protect it. It is up to the people of Iraq to fight for what they want. I believe what they want is to live in peace and happiness but not all of them wish for a free Iraq.