SO MY FOOTS ON THE BRAKE AND I CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE CLUTCH AND YOU RUN AROUND TO SAVE MY LIFE AND PREVENT ME FROM SMACKING INTO THE CAR BEHIND ME AND NOW...WE'RE HERE.

PART 7 OF THIS FANTASTICAL ADVENTURE RIDE OF WHAT IS MY LIFE.

NOT SURE WHERE I LEFT OFF, SOMEWHERE IN LOUISIANA ABOUT TO DEPLOY FOR IRAQ. SO LET'S JUMP TO IRAQ.

KUWAIT, IRAQ, GERMANY, BOMBS, GETTING SHOT AT, AND COMING HOME.

SO WE FLEW INTO GERMANY FROM THE EAST COAST OF THE US, NOT SURE WHICH AIRPORT I FLEW OUT OF, MAYBE KENNEDY? IS THAT AN AIRPORT? ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I FLEW.

ANYWAY, WE FLY OUT OF KENNEDY LETS SAY AND IT WAS EVERY OTHER SEAT.

LIKE EACH SOLDIER HAD A SEAT INBETWEEN HIM AND THE SOLDIER NEXT TO HIM. LOTS OF APPLAUSE AND PICTURES AS WE WENT THROUGH THE AIRPORT. FULL GIDDUP TOO, ACU'S, RIFLES, AND ALL OUR GEAR TRAVELING THROUGH THE SKY.

ONE OF THE THINGS I REMEMBER IS WANTING TO SLEEP THROUGH THE FLIGHT SO I BOUGHT SOME SLEEP AID BEFORE WE LEFT AND TOOK ONE BEFORE I GOT ON THE PLANE.

HAVING NOT FELT ANYTHING I PROCEEDED TO TAKE TWO MORE ON THE PLANE AND I WOKE UP IN GERMANY IN A HAZE.

WEIRDEST HOLDOVER AIRPORT I'VE EVER SEEN, EVERYTHING IS ALL SHINY AND MODERN AND ODD GERMAN VENDING MACHINES ALL OVER THIS PLACE. ALL I REMEMBER IS WANTING TO SLEEP.

I THINK I PASSED OUT ON A YELLOW BENCH FOR LIKE 15 MINUTES BEFORE WE WERE BOARDING TO FLY TO KUWAIT.

KUWAIT WAS AWESOME AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF THAT PLACE.

YOU GET INTRODUCED TO THESE WEIRD MIDDLE EASTERN KNOCK OFF STORES THAT SELL EVERYTHING FROM POWER ADAPTERS TO RIP OFF, “FAMILY MAN” (FAMILY GUY) WHICH WOULD HAVE LIKE 5 FULL SEASONS AND A MISINTERPRETED BACK COVER.

ANYWAY ONE DAY I REMEMBER WE HAD FUCKED UP AS A UNIT AND WE WERE FORCED TO DO PUSHUPS ON EACH OTHERS BACK IN A SQUARE WITH FOUR OF US EACH ONE WITH THEIR FEET ON THE NEXT ONES BACK, AND I REMEMBER BEING THE CHICKEN FUCKER I WAS, I YELL, “C'MON GUYS WE CAN DO THIS!” AND EVERYONE ELSE AT THE SAME TIME WAS LIKE, “SHUT UP JACKSON!!!”

EITHER WAY WE SPENT ABOUT 2 WEEKS IN KUWAIT HEARING OUTGOING ARTILLERY FIRE AND GETTING INFORMED ABOUT OUR TRIP TO IRAQ AND WHAT TO EXPECT.

I REMEMBER BEING BRIEFED THAT WHEN A SUICIDE BOMB OR OTHER IED IS PLANTED AND GOES OFF THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FILM PERSON TO FILM THE EVENT TO GET PROOF OF THE BOMBING. INTERESTING.

THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME WHEN THEY SCREENED ALL THE SOLDIERS AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS BEFORE GOING TO WAR WAS IF YOU WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 18,...AND I REMEMBER I HAD JUST TURNED 18 AND I ALMOST HAD TO ANSWER YES TO THAT QUESTION. SO YOUNG.

FROM KUWAIT WE FLEW THROUGH BIAP (BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) AND THROUGH A FEW DIFFERENT BASES BEFORE LANDING AT FOB LOYALTY.

I GOT TO FLY ON A CHINOOK AND I REMEMBER THE FLARES WENT OFF TO DETER ENEMY FIRE AND IT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYONE EXCEPT THE CHINOOK CREW.

WE LAND AND OF COURSE GET MORTARED OUR FIRST NIGHT THERE, ODDLY ENOUGH WE ALL SLEPT THROUGH MOST OF IT.

THE ARMY GIVES YOU SKIN TIGHT BLACK SPANDEX TO KEEP YOU WARM UNDER YOUR ACU'S,...BUT I GOT THE BRIGHT IDEA ONE OF THE FIRST NIGHTS TO PUT ON MY SPANDEX BY ITSELF AND RUN DOWN THE HALL LIKE A NINJA WARRIOR.

WE WERE IN TIGHT BARRACKS, BUNK BEDS, WITH SHEETS OVER THE OPENINGS LIKE YOU DO IN JAIL, PLAYING MADDEN AND GETTING READY TO MOVE INTO MORE COMFORTABLE LIVING AT THE AID STATION.

ONE DAY A SOLDIER TOLD ME I NEEDED TO MOVE MY STUFF SO HE COULD PUT HIS STUFF THERE AND I SNAPPED AND WANTED TO FIGHT HIM. THESE MEMORIES ARE ALL BUT FLEETING.

NO FIGHT OCCURRED.

FINALLY,...TO THE AID STATION, 4 WHITE LAWN CHAIRS AND AN ER WITH OVERFLOW ROOMS FOR HEAVY DAYS.

BETTER SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS ALTHOUGH STRANGE THINGS WOULD STILL HAPPEN LIKE SOMEONE LEAVING AN ALARM CLOCK TO GO OFF IN A LOCKED ROOM, CAUSING OTHER SOLDIERS TO TRY AND CLIMB OR BREAK INTO THE ROOM THE TURN THE ALARM OFF.

BACK TO THE BOMBINGS...

WE HAD A POOL WITH A SAUNA, IT WAS SADDAM'S POOL AND IT WAS AWESOME TO SWIM IN, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT IT HAD AN ENORMOUS PATCHED BURNT MORTAR HOLE FROM WHERE THEY HAD BOMBED THE POOL WHILE I HOPE NO ONE WAS SWIMMING.

THE MORTARS WERE FREQUENT AND TERRIFYING, WE HAD AN ALARM SYSTEM THAT WOULD SOMETIMES WORK AND SOMETIMES NOT.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOOT INCOMING MORTARS OUT OF THE SKY, BUT SOMETIMES IT WOULD JUST GO OFF AND YOU WOULD SHIT YOUR PANTS FOR NO REASON.

ONCE IT WENT OFF WHILE A MORTAR WAS ACTUALLY COMING IN AND I WENT TO RUN INTO THE AID STATION AND MY BATTLE BUDDY LAGGED BEHIND, AND WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY HE WASN'T RUNNING WITH SHIT IN HIS PANTS HE SAID, “I WANNA SEE WHERE IT LANDS”...BRAVER MAN THAN I.

MISSIONS WERE COOL, I WAS OVER EXCITED MY FIRST MISSION AND ON HIGH ALERT BUT AFTER A FEW MISSIONS OF REALIZING THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO IN A CONVOY OF 100 HUMVEE'S AS A BASIC MEDIC UNLESS SOMETHING HAPPENED CLOSE TO ME.

MOST OF THE TRAUMA I SAW WAS IN THE AID STATION.

ONCE A GUY CAME IN WITH A TINY PIECE OF SHRAPNEL IN HIS BODY AND I WAS SUPER TIRED AND MUST'VE BEEN LOOKING DRONEY BECAUSE MY SGT LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME, “DON'T GET WOOZY FROM THIS SHRAPNEL, THERE'S MUCH WORSE GONNA HAPPEN!!!”

AND BOY HE WASN'T KIDDING.

NEXT SERIOUS INJURY AND DEATH I REMEMBER WAS CAPTAIN SHUMAKER, AND IT WAS A QUADRUPLE AMPUTATION.

MY BATTLE BUDDY WAS ON THE MISSION WITH HIM WHEN AN IED WENT OFF AND THE FRONT OF THE HUMVEE CRUMPLED IN ON CAPTAIN SHUMAKERS LEGS AND BODY AND THERE WAS NO WAY FOR MY BATTLE BUDDY TO GET TO HIS LEGS AND BODY IN TIME TO RENDER MEDICAL TREATMENT.

BY THE TIME THEY GOT HIM OUT OF THE HUMVEE HE WAS BARELY BREATHING AND I REMEMBER MY BB TELLING ME HE PUT HIS HAND NEAR THE CAPTAINS MOUTH TO MAKE SURE HE WAS BREATHING, BUT BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO THE AID STATION IT WAS TOO LATE, AND MY BB HANDED HIM OFF TO US IN TEARS.

WE TRIED TO GET A MAIN LINE ON HIS FEMORAL ARTERY TO NO AVAIL AND HAD TO CALL IT.

I REMEMBER SITTING WITH THE BODY BEFORE WE PUT HIM IN THE MORGUE THINKING...

“RIGHT NOW THIS SOLDIER'S FAMILY IS PRAYING HE COMES HOME, AND HE'S NOT COMING HOME.”

RIP SGT SHUMAKER.

ANOTHER SERIOUS INJURY I REMEMBER WAS OF A GUY THAT HAD LOST BOTH LEGS FROM THE KNEE CAP DOWN, TOURNIQUETS ON EACH LEG, AND HE COMES IN SCREAMING, “GO COWBOYS!!!” AS LOUD AS HE CAN.

BLOOD, SO MUCH BLOOD. MOP BUCKETS OF THE STUFF.

WE FOUND THE CURE FOR AIDS, OR RATHER, A TABLET ADDED TO MOP BUCKETS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV AND AIDS IN BLOOD.

THE NIGHT OF THE RAPE I AM WOKEN UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO DRAW BLOOD.

APPARENTLY A NEW COMPANY HAD COME TO TOWN AND BROUGHT ALCOHOL IN, AND OF COURSE A GIRL GOT RAPED.

THEY FOUND HER FACE DOWN IN THE DIRT WITH NOTHING BUT HER UNDERWEAR ON.

RAPE KITS, I HAD NO IDEA RAPE KITS EXISTED, BUT THEY DO. ITS A KIT WHERE, TO PLACE BRA HERE, PLACE UNDERWEAR HERE, AND THE WHOLE KITS LOOKS LIKE ITS FROM THE 1980'S AND NONE OF THIS IS EVER GOING TO BE LOOKED AT BY ANYONE.

ME DRAWING BLOOD FROM EVERY IDIOT IN THAT COMPANY WAS MORE OF A TORTURE FOR THE COMPANY MALES THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

I FEEL VINDICATION FOR THE WOMAN WHO GOT RAPED.

AND FOR THE GUY WHO SHOT HIMSELF IN THE LATRINE BEFORE A MISSION. APPARENTLY HIS GIRL STATE SIDE HAD CHEATED ON HIM. YOU COULD STILL SEE THE BULLET HOLE IN THE LATRINES AFTER THEY CLEANED UP HIS BODY.

SOME GUY WAS ON A ROOF SHOOTING AT MY CONVOY ONE NIGHT AND I REMEMBER THE GUNNER'S SHOOTING BACK AND TRYING TO SEE WITH MY NIGHT VISION WHERE THIS ASSHOLE WAS. LUCKILY NO ONE GOT HURT.

MY GIRLFRIEND STATE SIDE WAS IN MEDIC TRAINING AT 232, AND GOT A MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA SO I WAS ON THE PHONES WITH HER FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR WHICH LANDED ME AN ARTICLE 15 IN WHICH I LOST ALL PRIVILEGES AS A MEDIC AND WAS FORCED TO COUNT HYPODERMICS AND Q TIPS IN THE SUPPLY ROOM.

ALONG WITH BUFFING DOWN THOSE SWEET LITTLE 4 WHITE LAWN CHAIRS IN THE AID STATION WITH WATER, BLEACH AND A BANDANA.

I WOULD WORK FROM 6 IN THE MORNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT, GET OFF AND STILL CALL MY GIRLFRIEND TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS OKAY.

THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS UNTIL MY ARTICLE 15 LAPSED.

I THINK THAT’S ABOUT ENOUGH FOR THIS BLOG, ITS GETTING KINDA HEAVY FOR ME, AND I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE ANYTHING OUT.

I THINK I'M GONNA DO A PODCAST ABOUT THIS ALL NOW, IDK MAYBE, WE'LL SEE.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 8.

-NAJ

‘I don't know how they can't see that he's just got a broken heart. It's so broken, his poor heart.’