MEDAL OF HONOR: Intense Close-Quarters Firefight in Iraq | David Bellavia
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- On the night of Nov. 10, 2004 Staff Sgt. David Bellavia was a squad leader tasked with clearing a block of buildings thought to be housing enemy insurgents. A Bradley Fighting Vehicle was in support of Bellavia’s unit, but due to high walls and tight quarters the Bradley was unable to provide supporting fire. The platoon would have to clear the buildings on their own.
While clearing a house, a squad from Bellavia’s platoon became trapped under intense enemy fire. Recognizing the immediate severity of the situation, and with disregard for his own safety, Bellavia engaged the enemy on his own and single handedly wiped out an entire squad of enemy insurgents.
15 years after his heroic actions David Bellavia would become the first living Iraq War veteran to be awarded the Medal of Honor
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This is nothing, I fought in black ops 1 and 2 back in 2012. Hours of intense sweating, cussing, screaming, crying
@@crispysocksss s in ,,zzz
@@crispysocksss1:44
I could spend hours listening to this warrior! Such wise words!
You can, he has a daily radio talk show in buffalo!
for sure love listening and hearing what they did and what they went threw, incredible strength, adversity and a little luck
DMFD!!!!! The best tuber on the interwebs
I'm countless hours in, Craving more
I love how I follow your channel and I his video comes up on my feed and you responded to it
Nice to hear someone who came back with a positive attitude.
I've actually been surprised over the past 20 years at how many veterans from the military since 9/11 have come back from deployments over there that had positive attitudes about what they'd done over there.
I can honestly say that the majority of them felt like our presence made the residents of Afghanistan and Iraq feel like they were living in a better place.
One must always be careful about taking narratives from the media, doom and gloom always sells best in their business so that's the one they normally push.
I know a lot of vets with a positive outlook on the war than negative ones.
@@Johnzen03
It's been a much bigger ratio of positive attitudes then when those guy's came back from Vietnam, maybe because there was so much protesting going on is why but when those guy's would come back they were quiet and serene, they just didn't want to talk about the place.
He looks a lot better then a few years ago , he looked so drained .
@@dukecraig2402 unfortunately almost all of Iraq and Afghanistan was doom and gloom, a lie sold to the American people to use defense budgets and test new warfare.
A lot of people struggle with looking at any positive side of the corporate death machine. I don’t blame individual soldiers (unless they are the ignorant koolaid brainwashed patriot kind), because one might join for a number of reasons. Helping people simply didn’t really happen.
I was 38 when I went back to the military as a lowly E4 in 03. I really was old enough to be the father of many I served with and was happy to fill that role when needed. I hope this man finds another way to put his decency and wisdom to work for our nation. Men like him are desperately needed right now.
@Tim G They discount your prior service time. So yes I did go back at 38. Also for a time the army accepted first time enlisted personnel up to age 42. Stop talking about things you are completely ignorant about.
@Tim G I was in the Marines first. Many in my unit were older prior service Marines. You are right about the Marines not wanting people back at that age. I went there first. I never served in the Army or said that I did. It was another branch. I served two tours in Iraq in 07 and 08-09.
@Tim G 😂😂😂😂😂😂
@Tim G To be fair, that's less to do with not wanting folks who are "washed up" and more to do with the fact that a number like 38 is welllllllll beyond the extent of marine mathematics. I mean your crayola box only goes up to, what, 24? 36 if you're extra hungry?
@Tim G Did you serve?
"You could be positively changed from a horrible experience". Powerful words.
I love how brutally honest and real Dave is. It's refreshing to see such a poet yet a warrior.
Sooo true, may God bless him, even now!
This fine gentleman has the fine art of mental compartmentalization down pat.
I'm glad you're home David
You have my utmost respect man
One tribe my brother
One tribe
HOOOORAH!!!
Or as we pronounce ooooooooooouuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh!
I remember going thru osut as an infantryman. We couldn't have much reading material. Only one book pertaining to our job. I poured over books searching for the right one to draw inspiration and wisdom from. I came across House to House. Written Ssg Bellavia. It's his detailed account of Fallujah with his combat unit. This man has such a way with his words you can't help but be drawn into what he's telling you. This man is a hero of mine and I believe hes a hero to this nation. Having fought thru his experiences and even going as far as to go back to Fallujah as a civilian and seeing the brutal effects the theater of war dealt thru different eyes. David Bellavia my hats off to you Ssg.
This warrior is quite well spoken. I joined the Marine Corps infantry for the same reasons. I didn't join for college or to learn a trade that transitioned into civilian life. I wanted to be a warrior.
THANK ME FOR MY SERVICE
@@blacktimhoward4322 imagine veterans killing themselves at a rate of twenty two per day. If we killed 22 enemies of america every day we;d have world peace 50 years ago. Maybe USA is the enemy. "This marine" A Panc looks like he couldn't pass a physical fitness test if he tried and was the base commander. Dudes a warrior all right. He fights the urge to eat himself into an early grave with bbq since he's his own worst enemy
@@blacktimhoward4322 imagine a person who has never truly fought for anything his entire uneventful life, whose extent of self proclaimed achievements and victories are most likely limited to internet trolling from the relative safety and anonymity of behind his keyboard or smart phone, one whose blatantly apparent ignorance is only surpassed by his eagerness to demonstrate to the world the byproducts of what happens when sperm and energy collide only to prove wasted; whose calling in life seems to be criticizing others whose virtues and contributions to mankind's history are the exact antithesis of his own meaningless existence.
As Theodore Roosevelt so eloquently put it:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." 😂
@@blacktimhoward4322 Angry Basement Dweller Detected
Warrior bombing kids in a foreign land that pose no threat 😂
I was a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-69. Hard year. Lost a lot of great Marines. It wasn't a constant non-stop kind of fighting, but you were keenly aware that you could be in a firefight at any time. I saw and experienced heartbreaking fights. I saw what I believe to be miracles that couldn't be explained any other way.
One heartbreaking day when the Sun rose, I had 34 Marines in my platoon. When the Sun set, only four of us were still alive and unwounded. The rest had been evacuated.
On day that I believe was a miracle, my platoon was on line during a sweep of very large dry rice paddies. These were rice paddies that were like a thousand yards wide. About more than half way across one of these dry rice paddies, a North Vietnamese small unit opened fire on us with automatic fire. There as no cover. I had to decide to retreat while under heavy automatic fire or to order a frontal assault. I decided a frontal assault would cause the enemy more problems since I thought that the flanks of my platoon might be beyond the flanks of their defensive position.
If you have never been in combat, then you don't know that bullets traveling faster than the speed of sound cause a small sonic boom when it passes close to you. That means when you hear a SNAP by your head, it's a bullet. Now the enemy is trained to target officers and radiomen and so the SNAPS around me and my radioman (Lance Corporal "JJ" Jones) were like a string of firecrackers.
To make a long story short, we took the tree line and the enemy retreated. During the assault, I mentally estimated that I might take heavy casualties and so when we secured the tree line I asked my platoon sergeant to report the casualties while I notified my company commander that we would likely need multiple helicopters to evacuate the wounded and dead.
But when my platoon sergeant reported back, "Sir, we only have one minor wounded and he doesn't want to be evacuated." That was a miracle. There was no way under such heavy automatic fire that the enemy couldn't have killed/wounded most of my platoon.
There is only one other very strange thing that happened. Once the frontal attack began, the strangest thing happened that I can't possibly explain. Everything seemed to slow down like a slow motion video. Things were happening in real time, but I was experiencing them in a slow motion dream-like experience. Everything seemed both unreal and incredibly clear.
It was almost like the movie The Matrix. I couldn't see bullets, but I had a clarity of vision that I'd never had before. I knew I was moving forward in real life, but I was thinking at a very different level. It seemed like I knew everything that had to be done. It was weird. I spent two more years in combat and never had a similar experience.
Vietnam was continuous mental and physical exhaustion.
It was periods of boredom. with periods of terror.
It was C-Rations that tasted terrible and no potable water unless you happened to be at a fixed position with a "Water Buffalo". Otherwise, we filled canteens with whatever water source was available, and rice paddy water was the last resort. In those days, it wasn't possible to deliver potable water to an entire platoon by helicopter and there was no such thing as bottled water. We put three times the amount of water purification tables in our canteens to try to kill whatever was in the water we used, but infections and diarrhea was pretty much the norm.
It was stinking hot in the dry season and miserable in the monsoon season. We'd be in the field for a month or more at a time with no showers, no hot meals, dry shaving to save water, our BO stunk, and our uniforms would sometimes literally rot off during the monsoon. I remember that ammunition was more important than food. I remember how difficult it was to stay awake in a night defensive perimeter. I remember that during the monsoon, I learned to just lay down in the mud and fall asleep. No one bothered trying to use their poncho for cover because the rain was non-stop and mostly horizontal. It was impossible to stay dry for months.
For the first 6 months, we only had out of date French maps for navigation. The major land features were still accurate, but not the villages and roads and other features for navigation.
Later we had Picto-maps made from satellite images, that included clouds. It seemed like when we were in a fight, it always happened to be under one of those clouds. The only other means of navigation was a simple compass. With inaccurate maps, very few terrain features, and a compass, we were lucky to know where we were with a thousand yards or more.
When calling in artillery, I always requested a smoke round as the first adjusting round because I never knew where it would land. I remember one artillery mission I was calling, I was expecting it to impact to my front at about 1,000 yards; but it landed behind me about 500 yards. "Bravo 6, this is Echo 2; from Buick right one thousand five hundred yards and up 500 yards."
Today with GPS, the first artillery round would be on target within just a couple of yards.
As a simple code, we used predetermined grid points on the map and named them for cars, birds, animals, etc. So "Buick" was a grid point known to the artillery unit and me but not to the enemy listening in on our radios. However, once the artillery was on target, the enemy would have a good idea where Buick was.
It is very hard to compare Vietnam to other conflicts.
But I assure you that the fight for Fallujah in Iraq was not as intense as the fight for Hue City in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. How do I know? Because my brother was there as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Marines in that battle. There is a short video of him describing the intensity of the fight. Basically if your head was up for a few seconds, you were dead. My brother saw the movie "Saving Private Ryan" and told me that the fight for Hue City was far more intense than the landing on the beaches.
I hope some day that a movie will be made about the fight for Hue City. It was one of the most intense battles in modern history. The movies about We Were Soldiers, Apocalypse Now, and Saving Private Ryan were like day care centers by comparison.
My brother is not one to exaggerate. And neither am I about my combat experiences.
I believe full metal jacket was based on the battle of Hue city at the end of the film
I´m really impresed by your experience, as of the experience of Mr Bellavia, My impresion is that the Vietnam war was more terrifying. I don´t think I´m brave enough to have been able to survive their.
So you wrote this long comment to downplay this mans experiences in battle?
You and your brother should write books on your experiences in battle in Vietnam. There are a few soldiers who have written books and they are very good,highly detailed stories about what they experienced!
You wrote this fiction to downplay a Medal of Honor recipient?
From a fellow vet thank you for your service..I needed your video after the past two weeks of fubar in Afghanistan
This man and his comrades served with honor and distinction. We salute all of you forever.
Blast from the past. I read his book titled house to house when I was a young private. Fast forward 12 years later and I know what he has seen and felt. I looked up to him though I’ve never met him, and still do. God bless you brother, and good bless America.
A humble and articulate man. Thank you for your service mate.
I separated long ago from Army service & Dave's marvelously graphic depictions had it ALL come rushing back, ESPECIALLY the hightened sense of smell that can be a lifesaver! The stench of humans, unwashed due to combat, and their quarters..., cannot be forgotten! FEH!
Thanks for serving, and a hand salute to you, David, Sir
Agree , All your senses are heightened.
“Disagree but love one another”. Oh what fine words from a fine human being.
Thank you for serving our country.this goes out to all our service men and women.
For those unaware, SSG Bellavia has a talk radio show weekdays 10am-2pm on WBEN buffalo. You can live stream his show from their website. As a former cav scout, right wing, patriot type, he is one of the few voices I trust and enjoy. I hope this helps some like me out there who needs the council of a hero.
You said "right wing", but you meant REICH wing. All of them need to d.i.e. NOW
@@SerenityMae11 You sound well adjusted and sane 👏 just kidding probably 13 and stupid
But you'll never do it yourself, just talk.
@@30AndHatingIt What does that mean?
That’s disappointing to hear. Kinda hoped he’d be the type to be above that kind of idiocy. Well, he’s only human too. Think I’ll keep my respect for him intact and say no thanks.
Your Medal of Honor speech makes me weep in pride every time I listen. You articulate and promote us is such a handsome and spectacular way. I admire you greatly Warfighter. Thank you brother. 1997-2006 US Marine infantryman Sgt.100P.T, Josh
I just finished listening to his book "House To House: An Epic Memoir of War" for the 4th, maybe 5th time. I first read it probably a decade ago. Amazing guy, Amazing story.
This guy is such a bad ass. Most men wish they were 4% of this dude. Much respect.
I dont wish it. My grandfather was a combat vet in WWII. The people he had to kill. He carried his whole life. Waking up in the middle of the night and dealing with PTSD back in the late 1940s and 1950s ... No medical help at that time. Too many guys killing themselves every day from Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
@@michaelrichards669 hear hear
I'm 5.7% of him. But then I'm an overachiever.
I read his book House to House right after it was released. Incredible heroism and bravery from every soldier in that book.
He without a doubt earned ever bit of the CMH!! What an outstanding leader…
What relatable, self aware, down to earth, egoless hero. Much love from Birmingham England sir
I was a squad leader w 3 tours over there. After 15 years I still think about my soldiers and hope they’re all doing good. We had each other’s back. We knew everything about each other. The scariest thing is becoming a civilian
THANK ME FOR MY SERVICE
It don't end when your out bro
@@113charlie7 it never even starts for a modern soldier. modern soldiers kill themselves more than the enemy. 22 per day in fact. bet your life OP struggling like a mf
Very interesting to hear about things on this level. My Father was in WWII he never talked about his experiences. My Brother was in Viet Nam 2 times, he didn't want to talk either. I have strong admiration for Veterans. It is definitely a different type of life experience. God Bless All Vets.
Same goes for my grandpa on WW2. He didn’t talk about any of it until about a year before his death. He had a recurring dream about fighting a tiger and finally killed it.
We finally learned everything he did. Turns out he was a superhero. His buddies called him snakeyes. He always knew where the Japanese were because he could smell them….just like this hero is talking about. He also took out 2 machine gun nests by himself on patrol and carried 2 of his injured buddies out. Just one of the many fetes he pulled off.
Thankfully, times are changing and people are realizing that it is okay to open up to process your thoughts and feelings. Gone are the days where we called shell shocked soldiers "pussies and wimps".
@@Gunjack1440 When you have men like that in your ancestral bloodline, it should call you to be a better, braver, more moral and loving person, which your grandfather apparently was, just like the NCO in this video.
I just got to the part about spidey sense smell. And in my head I’m thinking this is the best interview so far. What a detailed view of what he experienced in first person.
You should read his book. It’s called House to house. It tells it all. Great book.
@@thadburrow3073 there is a documentary done by Michael ware who he mentioned in this video on youtube called "only the dead sees the end of war" and films the bit where he won his medal of honour. Probably the best documentary on the war on terrorism in Iraq.
@Gabriel Alvarado: Never forget that the enemy can smell you too..
Dude makes me want to re-enlist even after serving 34 yrs. Hopefully he’s making it around to football camps to motivate teams to be a family, play as a family. No truer words have been spoken.
Why? Your not fighting for your country and its citizens. Your fighting for politics and if you die, it will be in vein.
Joe Soldier: Form a militia.
I’m gonna attempt to join the marines, wish me luck
Going through hell for freedom
Freedom: No thanks, we have plenty
Is training really that difficult physically? Mentally? I like to think I am pretty mentally strong but physically I could work on and gain more weight
This is what a hero looks like.
“You can be positively changed from a horrible experience. I want to be better for it“ that’s beautiful
Courageous, humble and well spoken warrior! Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve watched his Medal of Honor speech
When he started describing a certain smell or a clean plate, he was talking about a moment of clarity the most powerful moment in a persons life. And he was doing it on a daily basis... Incredible... God Bless you Sir.
Thank you for your service.
Sgt. Bellavia and also to your soldiers, thank you endlessly for your service!!!! May God bless you all for always!!!!! ✝️🇺🇸✝️
Consistently amazed by the stories and perspectives of our Medal of Honor recipients. Mr Bellavia’s story is as real as it gets. Our military men and women are the best example of what real Americans are and should be. Family, partnership, stick-to-itiveness, and honor… sadly such a far cry from the men and women who run this country and whom most idolize.
Yes, but . . . pronouns. And blue hair.
This deserves millions of views and thumbs up. An incredible story told by a great speaker and warrior. Thank you for your service!
You are changed by combat, not defined by it. Thank you for your service sir and glad to see you home in one piece 🫡 🇺🇸
It depends. Sometimes that change is indeed defining. Combat can break you or make you. But you're certainly changed by it.
His story, captured in the book "House to House" and one I read before I went overseas, is legendary. So is the TIME reporters footage. This guy absolutely deserved the honor & recognition that comes with the Medal.
David Bellavia’s MoH recipient speech is outstanding. He’s a brilliant speaker.
Wow, as someone that's 30 that's trying to get into army infantry, seeing your success is inspiring.
True American Hero! God Bless you Brother.
Thank you for your service David
Outstanding.
Thank you very much for your service. God blessed
God bless you and your fellow soldiers, David. Nothing more needs to be said or explained.
Welcome home Staff Sgt. David Bellavia , to you and your troops. A very great presentation.
House to house was an amazing read. Everything in the book drew me in almost as of I was there. Him and his men are heroes in every way
You are a warrior. Thank you for your service.
its people like this that need to be secretary of defense or in elected positions that actually have experience and wisdom.
@@jackmazza5742except he’s not a democrat…
I wouldn't expect This absolute Warrior to come across as humble as he has in this interview.... Salute
I love this man's positivity, his attitude towards life and his soldiers and how he includes them with everything because it's not about himself but his team this is the type of Officer or NCO you want, in or out of war but especially in a combat zone! My dad was 30 when he went to Vietnam as well. He'd been a Drill Sgt then went over with his men. He told me some cool stories about how guys in boot camp how they might hate you, but in combat they all gravitated towards him because they even told him because they knew he would get them home alive. And that's a belief that's important to carry with you is that belief you will make it home. When I was only 10 or 11 he let me come to work with him and I got to talk with some of his trainees and went out on a midnight compass course, ran double time with the troops on their way out to land navigation training until I couldn't stay up then they picked my fanny up and handed me over their heads until I was up in the front then chucked me in the back of the old Deuce and a half then I got to hang out with the NCOs and Officers until the men came in. I always hoped that all of those young men came home they were all heros to me! I had some great times growing up in the Army. This man is a real inspiration for all of us!
Cool story. Thanks for posting it.
A warrior's warrior! What an honor and privilege to hear this man.
Thank your service, and sharing your experience, insight, and perspective.
“If you don’t leave the battlefield traditionally, you’re okay to fight”
I feel like this can be used in all facets of life. If you’re not dead, whether mentally, emotionally, or physically, you can still push, you can still move forward and you can still fight whatever it is that you feel is in your way, whether it’s the trauma of a broken relationship, family or loss of a loved one. If you’re still in the fight, you’re still in the fight.
Might be my new life motto
I found out real quick what combat is in Iraq myself. I was in Iraq from 04 to 05 and that time frame of my life shifted everything in my being. When people tell you be careful what you ask for listen to that and think for a minute
Thank you for your service and unwavering commitment to this great nation Mr. Bellavia.
Read his book House to House. It is an exquisite detailing of his experience. Exceptional!
READ IT IN 2006. very good.
@@ramiram84 My DS read an exerpt from it while we were in combatives training (2008). It hit home and I bought the book at earliest convenience after that.
When I was young about 11 I got into my Dad’s bookshelf, because I was tired of reading books for kids and wanted to see what the grown ups were getting their hands on. I got in big trouble for reading it because of the violence but It was the first realistic description of war I’d ever consumed bit of a shock to find out plot armor doesn’t exist in real life like it does in movies. Even though I couldn’t really comprehend what those men went through, I was VERY determined to emulate their mentality of being one who serves others instead of seeking out opportunities to be served.
@@Mr10johnny10 Servant leadership is the best way forward for the world. Everyone should give more than they consume. If you can't serve in the military, find some other way. 👍
Where can i get one?
When high intelligence meets bravery and both become friends, the resulting union is this man. Much respect warrior.
Idk what it is about this man; but he comes across as deeply sincere while acknowledging what he and his men have been through together. It's a fine line between polished brass, and face in the mud brutal honesty. My eternal thanks to him, and all who serve.
Wow, thank you.
I remember reading House to House before my first deployment as a JTAC in 2011. Opened my eyes for the first time what I was getting myself into and it narrowed my focus. Thank you.
Thank you
Hero! Much respect and thank you for your service!
This dude is the epitome of a warrior. What a badass.
Thank You Brother For Your Time And Sacrifice
I'm very happy to have found your Channel - I've never served, I've spent half my life reading about war and the people that fight those wars.
I understand that titles like 'hero' are not what they seek, titles aren't why they have/will perform the roles that they do.
But, they do it all for people like me. They do it on my behalf, and I take that very seriously, because they ask nothing from me in return.
Many thanks for the spirit and intent behind your content, I'm a very grateful subscriber 👍
Talk about a well-adjusted guy. I'm sure he has demons but wow, this dude is remarkably resilient. And I'm sure that has a lot to do with why his guys love him and why they were able to survive those situations they were put in. A real leader in those situations is worth their weight in gold.
This dude is an absolute American Hero!!!! For everyone that hasn’t yet, check out his books!! They are incredible!
What a man! What a soldier!!!
This is the kind of man our young men should aim to be!!
Guy has a morning show in Buffalo and its one of the only things worth listening to on the radio.
Thank you sir.
Sgt Bell. Thank you for your service from one Ramrod to another. Much love!
I miss the soldiers I served with!! That was my family and we all came from different backgrounds. The best experience of my life
Hell of an interview-one of the best ex serviceman talks i have ever seen. From one of your 26 Million mates from Qld Australia
One of the best channels on all of UA-cam!
Articulate humble great interview.
Honorable American
Salute!
I love you guys so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart
1000 politicians and complainers don’t even measure up to 1/2 of this guy. I’m proud of him, he inspires patriotism and it would be an honor to be near him. I can’t think of one politician or person ranting on the radio or internet that I can say the same for.
Wow. This guy... Wise beyond.
Thank you Sir.
May you and your brothers have a Merry Christmas.
A true soldier. Thank you your service and your thoughts about serving our country.
His book is amazing, as is his ability to tell the story. God Bless him.
In less than 12 minutes - pure kernel of focused energy. God bless!
Thank you for sharing your story, service, sacrifice and courage 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I remember talking with an ex Royal marine commando who fought his way through Caen after the D-Day landings.
The Americans have always castigated the British and Canadians for how bogged down they got.
So take what this guy says about close quarter combat against basically a second division army and then think what my friend Bill went through fighting one of the best trained and motivated armies in the world house to house.
@Jon Norris: Modern histories of the battle for Normandy tend to acknowledge that due to Caen being the center of the Norman road networks and the terrain being more suitable for armor than the bocage further west, that the majority of the very best Panzer divisions were positioned there in the British and Canadian sector. Those elite units were gradually ground to pieces by the efforts of the British and Canadians and for the most part, were unable to be redeployed in strength to oppose operation Cobra, the American breakout at the other end of the front. When it comes to pulling their weight, our allies have nothing to apologize for.
That DMV reference was golden.
This is what I needed to hear to believe in why I choose to serve
We “kill our enemies “ different ! ! ! You got that right brother ! I enlisted decades ago and still keep in contact with three of the guy’s I went through basic with . And you are 💯 % correct, you 💯 % depend on everyone of your guy’s to have your back or take a bullet for you , and in all reality you are closer to them than your actual blood related brother. A lot closer ! After my 4yr enlistment was up and I came home and entered into the work force here in the world 🌎 , man what a total shock , there has been absolutely know one who even comes close to the friendships I had while I was on active duty. And man was the difference night and day , and regardless of just how hard I tried , no matter how devoted I was it wasn’t truly reciprocated ! A what truly truly suck’s for me was that I had plans on being a lifer ! Twenty yrs and out , set for life ! No more doctors bills, surgery payment’s. No more paying for meds , and as we both knows no more dental Bill’s either. But this little thing called divorce pulled the plug on all of my lifelong plan’s ! I enlisted right out of high school and would have been only 38 yrs old when I retired from our military ! Man it haunt’s me to this very day ! My dad did two tours of Vietnam and did his 20 and out and retired as a full bird colonel and is living life to the fullest with zero debt. He recently got cancer about five years ago and I remember opening up his first bill and it was $98,000! TRICARE picked it up the cost and paid 100% of that bill. He’s also been rendered 100% disabled through the military so therefore he pays no taxes on his military pension whatsoever, it’s 100% tax free. Let’s just say as a full bird colonel he is making bank every month and also draws a pension from his civilian job and Social Security as well . I had planned on doing the exact same thing walking in the footsteps of my father but it just didn’t work out that way for me and I regret it every day of my life. But in just those four short yrs I was blessed to add three of the best and closest friendship’s a guy could have ever made ! And here’s the totally insane part to this story , I’ve still been unable living in the world here at home to make the kind of long lasting relationship’s that I did while serving proudly in the United States Army !
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TALK. YOUR TRUTH WILL SAVE LIVES.
He is so wise.
god bless u mr.bellavia! im from upstate n.y! and in the army for 5 yrs no leave! from alaska to europe!!! 80's !!
Much respect to this gentleman and his comrades. They deserve all the happiness life brings from now on.
He should be a motivational speaker or something, guy has your attention the whole time he’s talking. Very interesting listening to his wisdom and experiences. Thanks for your service Sir.🇺🇸
Respect to our veterans mey those who have fallen rest in peace
To a non military individual such as myself, who is interested in all things military, due to being in awe of the heroism and selflessness, it's sometimes difficult to really understand what the organized chaos of a firefight might be like. This is, for myself at least, the best detailed account I've heard to date. I can't attest to its accuracy because as I said I'm not in the military so I don't know if it's a good description based on the fact I have an experienced what he's talking about but the way he tied in other sensory experiences to the events he's describing is very gripping. I can see how young guys might be put at ease in the company of this gent. As others have mentioned he's got a pretty amazing attitude.
The rawness of his words speaks to the anxiety that was Iraq, 04-08, especially during the surge. I still have nightmares.
well spoken sir,a true leader and a brave man.
Thank you .
A true American hero.
our thoughts exactly Mitch
His book and audiobook was great. I’d recommend
I read his book in 2010. It was great. I need to read it again.
Welcome home , at ease soldier , thank you for your sacrifice !
What an amazing human being.