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May 20, 2004

Psst! Wanna See True Courage?

You've got to read this compelling first-person account of a battle for survival in Iraq, penned by Trooper Jarob Walsh. The following is just a taste; read the whole thing.

Next he started pulling my ankles to get me out of the truck. I kept yelling at him to get down but he wouldn’t listen, so finally I kicked him in the chest with my left foot, and in the face with my right. As I kicked him in the face, he fell backwards. Before he hit the ground, blood splattered all over his face. I thought he had gotten shot, I thought "d*** he’s dead and now I’m alone." But he fell back on his behind and just sat there. I thought, "that’s weird he’s not dead." I was sure he had been shot in the face, but then his eyes got big and he said, “oh my G** you’ve been shot, I’m going to die I’m going to die.” I looked down and didn’t see any bullet holes. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then I looked at him and said, "Lay the f*** down and do not get up," just to keep him safe." Then I stood up to get out of the truck. My right foot hurt so bad I thought it was broken. I looked down and there was blood all over my foot. Then I realized the blood on his face was from my foot - when I was kicking him I got shot! I found out later that two of my toes had been shattered. Looking down and seeing the injury, I realized how badly it hurt. But there was so much adrenaline pumping through me that I could still stand. I looked back towards the rear of the truck to see if it was on fire. There was about a six foot hole in the tanker trailer, fuel was spewing out everywhere, and a small fire was building inside the trailer and on the tires.

I turned and looked towards the front of the truck, down the bridge. But before I turned my head all the way toward the front, something hit me in the chest. It hit so hard it felt like Sammy Sosa hitting me with a bat. It knocked me off of my feet, back into the truck. As I laid there, I looked down and saw a round (bullet) buried in the vest on my chest smoking. It smelled awful. I pulled it out of my vest and it burnt the hell out of my hand. I pulled myself back up and got out of the truck. I looked down the bridge in front of my truck and saw two little kids on the bridge, about a hundred to a hundred-fifty meters away. They both had AK-47s; one kid was about ten years old and the other was about seven. The seven-year old was holding his weapon upside down by the magazine, and the ten-year old was firing three rounds at a time at me. His first round hit the driver's side windshield on the truck - right next to my head. I turned around to grab my gun, and when I did, he shot me two more times in the back; the rounds went through me and into the cab of the truck.

Did I mention you should read the whole thing? Lest you think this is yet another urban legend -- you cynical bastards! -- you can also read the write up on the local ABC news affiliate's home page. The last few 'grafs are awesome:

Walsh spent two days in a hospital in Iraq, before he was taken to Germany, where he remained hospitalized for a week. He was then shipped back to Washington, D.C., before returning home to Illinois. He said he will fly back to Washington, D.C., later this month for possible surgery on his foot.

What he wants, though, is to return to his unit, which he estimates will be in Iraq another 10 months.

"I left a lot of friends behind," he said. "I'd like to go back to be with them."


Where do we find these brave men?

Posted by Mike Lief at May 20, 2004 11:37 PM | TrackBack

Comments

There are a few problems with his story that make me doubt it.
1. the trucks the fuelers drive are all cabovers no hood for him to get on and fire from.
2. A bradley is not a tank and being in the army he should know that.
3. His story has other problems from people who were there I am in Iraq and work with some of them

Posted by: David Burden at May 22, 2004 04:32 PM

I know this is late in coming but I just found this site. I have a family member who is also in the 724th Trans Co.and was in the April 9th convoy and gravely injured. Each account I read of Walsh's ordeal gets more outrageous. He WAS NOT seriously injured, there were NO people...men, women or children...to be seen during the ambush, only gunfire and RPG's from buildings lining the streets. The streets were empty of all vehicular traffic except for the look out car that sped off when the convoy approached. He is not a hero as he proclaims...he is a coward and a self serving jackass. He is getting all the media attention when there are others, that were NOT found hiding under their trucks, wounded by actual AK-47 fire and will never be whole again, that need to be brought to the attention of the United States. So far, Jarob Walsh is THE one and only star in this media circus and if the media would check their facts they may find that PFC, not Trooper, not SPC, but PFC Walsh is NOT the greatest soldier the US Army could ever have, the greatest son a mother could ever have nor the greatest citizen the United States could ever have.

Posted by: G. Johnson at June 7, 2004 01:43 PM

Well, neither of us were there, so we're relying on the accounts of the participants. Are there any other first-person accounts available about the firefight described by Walsh?

As to my having called Walsh a "trooper," it's no different from calling a marine, "marine," or a sailor, "sailor." It's not intended to convey his rank. I'm not particularly interested if he's a PFC or a CPL, or even a SGT; it's the telling of the tale I find interesting.

Thanks for the comment. I'll be looking for any further info.

Posted by: Mike Lief at June 7, 2004 05:54 PM

Of course, everyone finds fiction interesting and entertaining. Your last sentence, the telling of the TALE says it all. It IS a tale...a very tall one. Why don't you try contacting the 724th Transportation Company for an accurate account of the April 9th ambush.

Posted by: G. Johnson at June 8, 2004 08:48 AM