Coming back from a visit to one of our battalions, our lead vehicle comes to a sudden stop. There's a civilian vehicle stopped in the middle of the road ahead. That's a classic sign for an IED attack, so we set up security to check things out, machine gunners scanning the area for any signs of a trigger man or shooters. Mac moves up to get a better look and sees a man on the ground, his dishdasha dark red. Looks like someone has been ambushed, so we roll up quickly to survey the site and see if we can help.

Mac is first on the ground to confirm that the man is wounded, two Iraqi women with him wailing over his injuries. I run up with Q, one of our terps, to check him out until Doc gets there. His dishdasha is absolutely drenched with blood, and my first thought is that there is no way he's going to make it. I begin checking him for injuries; he has obvious wounds in his hands and arms, but I can't find anything on his torso.

Doc hits the ground next to me and confirms what I saw; the man's injuries, though painful, are not life-threatening now that Doc is on the scene. I help Doc treat his wounds, telling our other terp, Tony, to fetch him some water. Q keeps the women away as we work. I tell the man he's going to be all right, and while he doesn't understand the words, his murmured 'thank you mister' tells me he gets the gist of what I'm saying.

Mac commandeers an Iraqi bongo truck. Nobody wants to take the man to the hospital, so he offers them a choice: give the man a ride, or give up their truck and we'll use it. They decide to drive him to the hospital after all. While Doc finishes treating his wounds, I run to the car to see if anyone else is alive.

Four men are slumped in the car. The man in the forward passenger seat is lying in the lap of the driver, his skull open to the sky. Thankfully I don't vomit at the sight. The others are in equally poor shape; none of them have life left in them. I snap some pictures of the ambush scene for the record, holding the camera far from me as I don't want to get any closer look at the interior of the car. Pictures done, I move back to help load the man into the truck and we mount up.

The ride to the hospital is quick, and the Iraqi docs rush out to pull the man out and get him inside so they can treat him. We go inside with him, as Doc wants to make sure they'll treat him properly, and we need to find out what happened, so Tony, Q, and I chat with the two women.

The men in the car were all related. A cousin of theirs drowned in a canal a few days ago, and they were going to pay their respects at his grave site. Three AIF set up an illegal checkpoint on the road they were using, and when they stopped for the checkpoint, they emptied three magazines of AK-47 ammo into the car. It is a miracle our friend survived, but survive he has. His relatives were not so fortunate, and instead of paying their respects, they will now go into the ground not far from their drowned cousin.

Doc is satisfied the man is in good hands. We move back to the trucks and mount up to continue the mission. As I step into the HMMWV, I see a large patch of slowly-drying blood on my sleeve, a souvenir from my attempts to check the man for wounds. I shake my head and sit down; we've got work to do.

READER COMMENTS

That was a terrible experience, but you saved a life. Had you not come along, the man might have bled to death. I am proud of you and your whole team.
Mom

That was a terrible experience, but you saved a life. Had you not come along, the man might have bled to death. I am proud of you and your whole team.
Mom

Andrew: you did good. You're doing good work (even if I am generally opposed to the occupation); you're doing your job.

Please stay safe and return in one piece (both in body and spirit).

- mattt

Hello Major;

Thank you for your service, allow me to ask a question about interpreters. I watched a show last night called Iraq War Diaries. Much of the episode was focused on an interpreter named Mohammed who made repeated negative comments about his unit. The ‘white boys from New Hampshire” comment stuck with me.

The show closed with Mohammed being sworn in as a US Citizen. After his Citizenship ceremony, he spoke of refusing to translate the orders which he did not agree with. His closing line spooked me, he said that he loved being a soldier but he regretted that he was unable to choose the war which he would fight. I took his comments to be based on religion.

Who are these interpreters, are they granted US Citizenship in exchange for service, and are they trustworthy?

How did they distinguish it was AIF doing the illegal checkpoint instead of somebody that wasn't AIF?

God bless you Andrew -and through your integrity, values and effort, all of the people you are helping and saving.

What is 'AIF'?

Rocky Mtn editors: Either run a regular sidebar explaining all the acronyms, or spell them out.

AIF = Anti-Iraqi Forces. Mil term for insurgents.

Who were the victims? Were they sunni? Shia? Some minority? Were they insurgents themselves?

Who were the attackers? Were they sunni? Sadrists? Police? Security forces? SCIRI?

When the illegal checkpoint could have been set up by *anybody* and used to attack anybody they didn't like, what good does it do to call them AIF?

Maybe something about the location gave a clue, but there's nothing about that in Andrew's report. The attackers could have been *anybody*, as likely to be official government forces or unofficial government supporters as people who're against the iraqi government.

AIF fits because they were breaking the law, but when everybody but the iraqi army does it, doesn't the term almost completely lose its meaning?

Tears came to my eyes. Maybe because of the sheer danger to your team; maybe fear, maybe empathy for the dead ...
Please stay safe Major, and say hello to our son-in-law, SFC Will Beaver.
God Bless,
Lynne

Thank you so much for your efforts in this war. Not everyone in the States understand what you are doing there and how you are helping, but this story shows that by helping the Iraqi people you are helping that nation and this nation as well. Thank you for your bravery and courage. You are loved, blessed and truly appreciated.

Sir, thank you for all you do. May God hold you and yours in the palm of his hand.