The Wrath Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 I thought we could use a thread for people to post stories regarding the war that they find inspiring. I have two...one is kind of funny, the other nearly makes me tear up whenever I think about it. First the funny one: I don't have the link anymore, but I read this a few weeks ago and saw the picture of it. Some Iraqis wished to speak with a US soldier, so he went out towards them. On the way there, he walked right over an IED, which detontated in between his legs. It blew him several feet in the air but, amazingly, only managed to cut up his legs and blow his pants off. The soldier then got to his feet, looked straight at the terrorists who had tricked him, and flipped them off, as if to say "Yeah, f*ckers, you got me this time, but I'll be back!" The part that makes me laugh is that there was actually a picture of the soldier standing there in his underwear, flipping off the terrorists. Not heroic in the classic sense, but I still find it oddly inspiring. Now the one that nearly makes me tear up: An Italian security guard named Fabrizzio Quattrocchi was kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq in April 2004. He was executed on April 14th. When he realized he was about to die, he tried to yank off his blindfold and yelled "Adesso vi faccio vedere come muore un Italiano!" or, "Now I will show you how an Italian dies!" He was then shot in the back of the neck. Defiant to the bitter end. He is regarded by much of Italy as a national hero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praxus Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Here is the picture you were speaking of... http://www.omaha.com/imglib/mainsite/pub_0...aaburghardt.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 That would be the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 I don't know if this is a "heroic act" or not but this guy I used to work with was in Afganistan right after the war started there and did his whole duty without any damage done to himself until.... He was marching back to his transport plain at the end of his tour to come home when he past a few Afgani (sp) kids playing with a ball. As he's marching past the ball rolls out away from the kids and towards him. So being a decent guy (and following the advice of his superiors that he is supposed to be nice to the natives) he breaks rank picks up the ball and takes it back to the nine year-old girl who was playing with it. That's when she proceeds to pull out a pistol and shoot him in the arm. So what's heroic there? I think that it is that he didn't kill the little terrorist in training right off the bat. Normally of course that would be the absolute WRONG thing to do, but with a young girl MAYBE there's a chance that she realized what her elders said about us is wrong and she will one day become a force for good in her country. Who knows? I suppose the chances are just as great that she will become a suicide bomber one day, but still I think it was a bit heroic NOT to have blown the nine year-olds head off at the time. I think I might have, and I really don't know what to think about that..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 So, what did he do? I wouldn't imagine he just walked away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 He did, and was nearly dishonorably discharged for not shooting her because he put is fellow troops in danger. She ran off, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Seems like he would have at least taken the gun away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Then again I said he had JUST BEEN SHOT. I said this wasn't really a "hero" story but I thought it was at least somewhat interesting story because its so surreal. Anyways, sorry for jackin' your thread here Moose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eternal Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 He did, and was nearly dishonorably discharged for not shooting her because he put is fellow troops in danger. She ran off, I think. Anyone watched "Rules of Engagement"? There was a scene with kids shooting at the marines. Squad leader's order comes to mind: "Blast the motherf....s!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 (edited) Anyone watched "Rules of Engagement"? There was a scene with kids shooting at the marines. Squad leader's order comes to mind: "Blast the motherf....s!" Does it make me evil that I absolutely love watching that crowd get mowed down? And it's "waste," not blast. I've probably seen that movie a thousand times. Then again I said he had JUST BEEN SHOT. I said this wasn't really a "hero" story but I thought it was at least somewhat interesting story because its so surreal. Anyways, sorry for jackin' your thread here Moose. It is an interesting story and it's at least as heroic as the first story I posted, so there's no need to apologize. But if he couldn't take her gun because he'd just been shot, then why did he almost get discharged for not shooting her? Seems like that "I just got shot" thing would work there as well. Edited April 23, 2006 by Moose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Yeah, he could never quite explain that to me either, to my satisfaction. He probably left out that he cried like a bit..... or something. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Styles2112 Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 I'm really a fan of this story. It gives me a (VERY) slim hope for the Iraqi people yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starblade Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 (edited) He did, and was nearly dishonorably discharged for not shooting her because he put is fellow troops in danger. She ran off, I think. How is that heroic? I read your earlier post, and I can hardly call what he did heroic. Edited April 27, 2006 by Starblade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 (edited) You didn't read very hard because I said that I don't think that it is very heroic just an interesting story. In such an instance how would a hero act here? I don't know. In fact the first thing I wrote was doubting that this story was "heroic" in nature... lol Edited April 27, 2006 by EC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Not exactly heroism in the classic sense, but it shows some good ole fashioned grit. I was in Afghanistan with my engineer battalion from April 2004 through April 2005. One of the many little odd jobs we had was "Hadji Guard", Hadji being a slang term for the locals. About 20 of our troops were detailed to escort locals who were driving dump trucks and cement trucks for our various projects on post. It was one of the most boring jobs imaginable and involved a lot of waiting around doing nothing. Because of this, our "best and brightest" weren't assigned to this. And, sitting around bored, soldiers will fidget. People fidgeting with loaded weapons is a recipe for disaster. So it was with Specialist P____. Standing there, his M16 muzzle on the top of his boot, smoking a cigarette, he accidentally touched the trigger on the rifle in which he had accidentally put a round in the chamber. In the loud noise of the cement plant where this was occuring, no one noticed the sharp report of the M16 firing a single round into his foot. His eyes briefly widened and in a calm voice he said: "Could one of you guys give me a ride to sick call"? When asked why, he said "I just shot myself in the foot". When a couple of guys grabbed him to help him towards the HMMWV a few yards off, he pulled away and said "Hold on, let me finish my cigarette", calmly and slowly finished as the ground under him turned red. Then, having finished, he stamped out the burning butt with his good foot and said "ok, let's go". P____ showed not the slightest hint of pain nor cried out at all, even when the battalion surgeon was probing the wound for broken bones (fortunately, it missed them all and made a clean hole). He also manfully endured the absolute storm of abuse, jokes, bathroom graffiti and the like that followed from everyone, the Colonel on down, for his perceived intellectual deficiencies. Because of his courage under fire, both self-inflicted from his rifle, and verbal from everyone else, I think Specialist P___ is a true American hero! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Styles2112 Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 P____ showed not the slightest hint of pain nor cried out at all, even when the battalion surgeon was probing the wound for broken bones (fortunately, it missed them all and made a clean hole). He also manfully endured the absolute storm of abuse, jokes, bathroom graffiti and the like that followed from everyone, the Colonel on down, for his perceived intellectual deficiencies. Because of his courage under fire, both self-inflicted from his rifle, and verbal from everyone else, I think Specialist P___ is a true American hero! Okay... be honest....Specialist P___ was you, wasn't he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Nope. I was SFC L_________. I sympathized with SPC P's plight, but giggled all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdwill Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I thought we could use a thread for people to post stories regarding the war that they find inspiring. I have two...one is kind of funny, the other nearly makes me tear up whenever I think about it. First the funny one: I don't have the link anymore, but I read this a few weeks ago and saw the picture of it. Some Iraqis wished to speak with a US soldier, so he went out towards them. On the way there, he walked right over an IED, which detontated in between his legs. It blew him several feet in the air but, amazingly, only managed to cut up his legs and blow his pants off. The soldier then got to his feet, looked straight at the terrorists who had tricked him, and flipped them off, as if to say "Yeah, f*ckers, you got me this time, but I'll be back!" The part that makes me laugh is that there was actually a picture of the soldier standing there in his underwear, flipping off the terrorists. Not heroic in the classic sense, but I still find it oddly inspiring. I would find this inspiring and consider it heroic except it's missing the part where the soldier swings around his AR-15 and begins firing, is then backed up by his buddies doing the same, and then are all conveniently out-classed by the AC-130 gun ship who is giving the terrorists a real "fuck you". But I guess we have become too terrified of terrorism to do anything more than hand gestures that they probably don't understand anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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