I was an MP deployed to the Diyala Province from ‘07 - ‘09. So many emotions come flooding back from this video. What an awesome, incredible, terrifying, sad moment of my life. It forever changed me, but I wouldn’t give that time up to save my life.
I honestly didn't realize 2007 was the height of the Iraq war. An old buddy was a driver in the army at this time in Iraq. It would be crazy to see him in this but highly unlikely. Javier Delgado is his name
I remember the first time out of the wire in Iraq. During the “surge.” We were an Artillery platoon attached to the Cav. That was February 2008. The second of the four different jobs we had over there. First was QRF (Quick reaction force) for Camp Taji, second attached to the Cav(doing there bitch missions they didn’t want is how I saw it), third was at the front gate to Camp Taji, where I got a couple EOF’s (escalation of force) where I had 200 meters to stop speeding cars from running our front gate that are potential VBIED (vehicle born improvised explosive device) with a long ass list of steps I had to do before the “warning” Smoke M203 round was even fired. Then a trace round from my M4 for another “warning” before I was able to use deadly force. With my M4 or 240 belt feed mounted machine gun. They even put the Ma deuce 50 cal up there for a quick second until they realize they need a sturdier stand to mount it on. Then my favorite was this vehicle barrier they decided to put up to where I had to press a button to lower and raise it for US and allied convoys to come in with some Iraqi Army sporadically coming through our gate. Camp Taji was split into US and Coalition forces and Iraqi Army. The Airfield being the divider. The problem well one problem while at the front gate was the damn vehicle barrier would stop working. I’m guessing because of the dust storms we’d frequently have jamming up the thing. I’d call up on the radio to the CP (command post) to the gate and tell them the situation and alls they would say is keep trying. Most times the convoys would have to back out and some of these convoys are not short either and go through the outbound side. One day this convoy had a Casualty, someone wounded and were urgently wanting to come in and of course with the high stress that comes with that shit show of a situation I was getting the shit end of the stick with all blame being forced onto me. They don’t have a way to contact me dir ectly through radio so they have to radio the CP for the CP to radio me. And vice versa. They also used their loud speaker on the Stryker to communicate with me which I had a bull horn for the steps of rules of engagement they had at the time so I could tell Iraqis in butchard Iraqi language that I’ll shoot them if they try to pass my position. We ended up getting intel that the Iraqi Army were bring through our gate suspicious people that might have some connections that weren’t compatible with US and allied forces. So they had me start checking their ID’s. The problem was they had to turn in their ID’s to get their Ak rife for the day. So no one expect the higher ups had fucking ID’s. Real shit show that was. Ironically I saw more action at the front gate then the whole time outside the wire patrolling. I was the 50 cal gunner to the front vehicle to our convoy. Not even one warning shot was fired out there. Just being in the right place at the right time dodging getting blown to pieces driving down the road. One example was when we were pulling security for the engineers to level the sides of the road on a route that had a lot of issues with people setting up IEDs and EFPs to blow us up because the sides of the road had a lot of clutter to emplace these bombs with not being able to tell they’re there. The route was not short so the mission went on for two weeks or so. We be place on that mission to pull Security for a couple days then be placed on a different mission then go back to pulling security for the engineers. This off and on thing happening three times or so and on one of the days we weren’t there some MP’s took over security for the engineers and their front vehicle which I’m in in my convoy got hit with a EFP and killed to two soldiers in the back sets of the humvee and blew off both legs to the gunner. Shit like that happened pretty often. We’d be just in a area, literally drove right passed where they drove and they gotten blown up a few hours later even minutes later in a one case. Then finally we get to do our real job Artillery. Which we had the day shift, which in Iraq at that time means a lot of sitting around “training & cleaning shit” If I remember correctly we had like four or five HE (High explosive) fire missions one I now for certain was for a show of force right outside of Sater city, a hot spot during that time. We also took over on one Illumination mission when we came on shift one morning. I think the night shit was throwing us a bone due to most of the fire missions being at night for illumination for the forces out patrolling. So back to the first time out of the wire. I’d say my favorite out of everything we did over there. Patrolling is more of a risk but way more interesting then sitting up in a tower or on a fire base all shift. Longer days while that time but it was worth it to me being interested in going new places. We didn’t have our own vehicles yet, it be a week or so before we get our Humvees then about 2 month later the MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) which was more promising than a Humvee will every be if your vehicle gets blown up. So we were in one of the Cav’s Strykers. The only view to the outside while riding around in it was through a little screen in Black and white thermals, in front of the TC I believe. When the back door came down when we had our first stop and my first short foot patrol was outside a little market in a village I don’t remember the name of. We walked through the market and through part of the other side of the village from where we got out of the vehicles. Then the vehicles were going to meet us on the other side to pick us up. I remember when we got to the other side I looked back behind and saw soldiers some MP’s that were handing out some type of pamphlet’s to the people of the village. These MP’s were in country for longer than us and definitely were being too comfortable walking all clump together in a big gaggle fuck which is a no no when it comes to the way we were trained due to it being easier to kill/wound more of us all together like that. Think of having a shotgun, fish and a barrel to contain those fish. Easy Peezy Japaneasy… That didn’t last to long because we got three pop shots shot at us and everyone scatter for cover. Then we ending up bounding back to the vehicles and left onto the next mission. The cool thing looking back and being in the Army at the time I was in, I signed up to be a cannon crew member a 13 Bravo but was trained in a lot of other things that have nothing to do with Artillery. I believe that if it was any other time I don’t think I would get to experience those things. The mission dictates the training and the mission is constantly fluid. I was in 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment assigned to the 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield barracks Hawaii. From September 2006 to September 2009. The Calvary company we were attached to in Iraq was 2-14 Cav also from 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th ID out of Schofield barracks, Hawaii. My deployment with them was October 2007 to March 2009. I thank God a lot that I didn’t have to kill anyone. I went there wanting to and left thankful I didn’t have too. Cool side note I think is we were the first in the Army to get the M777 howitzer and operate it in Combat on that deployment. Also a cool last in our history of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment was that we shot the final shot of WWI a 95-pound shell, was fired at 10:59:59 AM on 11 November by a 155mm Schneider howitzer. Well I hope you enjoyed this short glimpse into my Army past. Thanks for reading. Have a fantastic day.
I was at Camp Taji from March 2007-February 2008. I was a psyoper attached to 1-7 Cav. We had difficult times, devastating times, happy times and hopeful times. For better or worse, I wouldn't trade my time in the Taji area for anything. What a life-defining experience with my brothers and sisters.
The locals are happy your leaving, is what i'de put the peace down too.. you seem to think telling the enemy exactly how long you plan to stay for is a good idea?
By that point in the war the locals were familiar with the rotation schedule of the units. They knew we were over our scheduled redeployment and saw our replacements riding around with us. New faces and new patches, so they knew we were leaving.
It looks like Egypt there, little greenery to make the air we breath. Its my amateur hypothesis to the cortisol levels raising globally. Also, living with my bestfriend in a duplex for two years made me familiar with his habits, for one he would pound on my door at all times a day, which was pretty funny, but he’d also stay up til the AM bumpin cause schedules varied. Though he wasnt a drill instructor so I dk what that is like personally.
Lol I was born in Dora Baghdad I remember all that I was like 7 years old it was crazy back then but I left Iraq in 2008 went to America California with my family
When the kids yell at the light mihali, its the same mechanics we deregulate in the US. Its like the regulator is in front of their own regulation concept
I’d appreciate embedded reporting with Iraqi families experiencing occupation by foreign forces. Heart felt stories from the families who have been injured, attacked, raided, threatened (from both US forces and ‘insurgents’), starved, ... That would provide some balanced reporting.
stewee2011 in Dora, at this time, the daily practice was to injure or kill children and women in order to reduce the American forces at the outpost by half. There had been a great deal of murder in the neighborhood for some time.
Ryan Smith Yes, and I’d like to see and hear reporters spending time with these families. I want to know how they are coping. I want to know about them. They don’t get the same attention. They are still there. Where’s the reporting on their lives over the past 5-10-15 years? The old lady shot in the shoulder? The man in the thigh? Where’s their voice?
While in the Army I got interviewed by a civilian reporter from Stars and Stripes while working at the front gate to Camp Taji back in 2008 while deployed to Iraq. Needless to say he didn’t have to interview me from what he put in the paper. He cherry picked what I said to fit a certain narrative that seemed to already be established by someone in an office somewhere and sent his minion out to get the story. Or at least that’s how I’ve played it over in my head. It wasn’t truthful to what was happening on the ground. Now it wasn’t a outrageous twist to the truth but it still wasn’t 100% truthful more 60% truthful. Hearts and minds of the people of Iraq, more like hearts and minds of the people back home paying for the war. That’s how you play the psychological game of hearts and minds to win wars…
Most Iraqis supported the US invasion and were against a withdrawal of US troops believing that it would have a negative effect. And they were right and the No war people were wrong.
@@helzer.patrick4920sure, very much doubt that. Report on it accurately. Show the opinions of the people there. Not just embedded reporting of the foreign occupying forces.
I was an MP deployed to the Diyala Province from ‘07 - ‘09. So many emotions come flooding back from this video. What an awesome, incredible, terrifying, sad moment of my life. It forever changed me, but I wouldn’t give that time up to save my life.
Thank you, this was a honest view, incredible courage and integrity. Also BBC on the ground, amazing journalism and courage.
I honestly didn't realize 2007 was the height of the Iraq war. An old buddy was a driver in the army at this time in Iraq. It would be crazy to see him in this but highly unlikely. Javier Delgado is his name
I remember the first time out of the wire in Iraq. During the “surge.” We were an Artillery platoon attached to the Cav. That was February 2008. The second of the four different jobs we had over there. First was QRF (Quick reaction force) for Camp Taji, second attached to the Cav(doing there bitch missions they didn’t want is how I saw it), third was at the front gate to Camp Taji, where I got a couple EOF’s (escalation of force) where I had 200 meters to stop speeding cars from running our front gate that are potential VBIED (vehicle born improvised explosive device) with a long ass list of steps I had to do before the “warning” Smoke M203 round was even fired. Then a trace round from my M4 for another “warning” before I was able to use deadly force. With my M4 or 240 belt feed mounted machine gun. They even put the Ma deuce 50 cal up there for a quick second until they realize they need a sturdier stand to mount it on. Then my favorite was this vehicle barrier they decided to put up to where I had to press a button to lower and raise it for US and allied convoys to come in with some Iraqi Army sporadically coming through our gate. Camp Taji was split into US and Coalition forces and Iraqi Army. The Airfield being the divider. The problem well one problem while at the front gate was the damn vehicle barrier would stop working. I’m guessing because of the dust storms we’d frequently have jamming up the thing. I’d call up on the radio to the CP (command post) to the gate and tell them the situation and alls they would say is keep trying. Most times the convoys would have to back out and some of these convoys are not short either and go through the outbound side. One day this convoy had a Casualty, someone wounded and were urgently wanting to come in and of course with the high stress that comes with that shit show of a situation I was getting the shit end of the stick with all blame being forced onto me. They don’t have a way to contact me dir ectly through radio so they have to radio the CP for the CP to radio me. And vice versa. They also used their loud speaker on the Stryker to communicate with me which I had a bull horn for the steps of rules of engagement they had at the time so I could tell Iraqis in butchard Iraqi language that I’ll shoot them if they try to pass my position. We ended up getting intel that the Iraqi Army were bring through our gate suspicious people that might have some connections that weren’t compatible with US and allied forces. So they had me start checking their ID’s. The problem was they had to turn in their ID’s to get their Ak rife for the day. So no one expect the higher ups had fucking ID’s. Real shit show that was. Ironically I saw more action at the front gate then the whole time outside the wire patrolling. I was the 50 cal gunner to the front vehicle to our convoy. Not even one warning shot was fired out there. Just being in the right place at the right time dodging getting blown to pieces driving down the road. One example was when we were pulling security for the engineers to level the sides of the road on a route that had a lot of issues with people setting up IEDs and EFPs to blow us up because the sides of the road had a lot of clutter to emplace these bombs with not being able to tell they’re there. The route was not short so the mission went on for two weeks or so. We be place on that mission to pull Security for a couple days then be placed on a different mission then go back to pulling security for the engineers. This off and on thing happening three times or so and on one of the days we weren’t there some MP’s took over security for the engineers and their front vehicle which I’m in in my convoy got hit with a EFP and killed to two soldiers in the back sets of the humvee and blew off both legs to the gunner. Shit like that happened pretty often. We’d be just in a area, literally drove right passed where they drove and they gotten blown up a few hours later even minutes later in a one case.
Then finally we get to do our real job Artillery. Which we had the day shift, which in Iraq at that time means a lot of sitting around “training & cleaning shit” If I remember correctly we had like four or five HE (High explosive) fire missions one I now for certain was for a show of force right outside of Sater city, a hot spot during that time. We also took over on one Illumination mission when we came on shift one morning. I think the night shit was throwing us a bone due to most of the fire missions being at night for illumination for the forces out patrolling. So back to the first time out of the wire. I’d say my favorite out of everything we did over there. Patrolling is more of a risk but way more interesting then sitting up in a tower or on a fire base all shift. Longer days while that time but it was worth it to me being interested in going new places. We didn’t have our own vehicles yet, it be a week or so before we get our Humvees then about 2 month later the MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) which was more promising than a Humvee will every be if your vehicle gets blown up. So we were in one of the Cav’s Strykers. The only view to the outside while riding around in it was through a little screen in Black and white thermals, in front of the TC I believe. When the back door came down when we had our first stop and my first short foot patrol was outside a little market in a village I don’t remember the name of. We walked through the market and through part of the other side of the village from where we got out of the vehicles. Then the vehicles were going to meet us on the other side to pick us up. I remember when we got to the other side I looked back behind and saw soldiers some MP’s that were handing out some type of pamphlet’s to the people of the village. These MP’s were in country for longer than us and definitely were being too comfortable walking all clump together in a big gaggle fuck which is a no no when it comes to the way we were trained due to it being easier to kill/wound more of us all together like that. Think of having a shotgun, fish and a barrel to contain those fish. Easy Peezy Japaneasy… That didn’t last to long because we got three pop shots shot at us and everyone scatter for cover. Then we ending up bounding back to the vehicles and left onto the next mission. The cool thing looking back and being in the Army at the time I was in, I signed up to be a cannon crew member a 13 Bravo but was trained in a lot of other things that have nothing to do with Artillery. I believe that if it was any other time I don’t think I would get to experience those things. The mission dictates the training and the mission is constantly fluid. I was in 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment assigned to the 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield barracks Hawaii. From September 2006 to September 2009. The Calvary company we were attached to in Iraq was 2-14 Cav also from 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th ID out of Schofield barracks, Hawaii. My deployment with them was October 2007 to March 2009. I thank God a lot that I didn’t have to kill anyone. I went there wanting to and left thankful I didn’t have too.
Cool side note I think is we were the first in the Army to get the M777 howitzer and operate it in Combat on that deployment.
Also a cool last in our history of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment was that we shot the final shot of WWI a 95-pound shell, was fired at 10:59:59 AM on 11 November by a 155mm Schneider howitzer. Well I hope you enjoyed this short glimpse into my Army past. Thanks for reading. Have a fantastic day.
I was at Camp Taji from December 2007 to February 2009. 64th BSB 3BCT 4th ID. What a small world. I am glad you made it back.
@@andreadavis6858 im iraqian girl and i also want to rememer my childhood in the war time now im granda😂
FUCK AMERICA , FUCK NATO !
@@andreadavis6858 because of you i became M.A student in English Language
I was at Camp Taji from March 2007-February 2008. I was a psyoper attached to 1-7 Cav. We had difficult times, devastating times, happy times and hopeful times. For better or worse, I wouldn't trade my time in the Taji area for anything. What a life-defining experience with my brothers and sisters.
11:48 thank you amerca
Thank you to all of our Iraqi brothers and sisters who supported us.
The dude at 23:27 needs to get some help when he returns stateside
Ok, we are right here.
saw a bunch of blind folded iraqi men, walked into the wrong room.
I'm glad for these kinds of Video.......X-AirBorne, Ret..................
I love you guys keep dooming this amazing job Godbless Us and protect us
الرحمة لشهداؤنا الابرار
جميل جدا
Yehup. How they know how to protect the mechanics or in some instances me through the light
The locals are happy your leaving, is what i'de put the peace down too.. you seem to think telling the enemy exactly how long you plan to stay for is a good idea?
You are in a comment section of a UA-cam video you don’t need to worry about this shit no one is going to see it
By that point in the war the locals were familiar with the rotation schedule of the units. They knew we were over our scheduled redeployment and saw our replacements riding around with us. New faces and new patches, so they knew we were leaving.
It looks like Egypt there, little greenery to make the air we breath. Its my amateur hypothesis to the cortisol levels raising globally. Also, living with my bestfriend in a duplex for two years made me familiar with his habits, for one he would pound on my door at all times a day, which was pretty funny, but he’d also stay up til the AM bumpin cause schedules varied. Though he wasnt a drill instructor so I dk what that is like personally.
What the hell is going on with the audio
FAAAAR too long to send them. A year and a half is ridiculous
Dividing walls it reminds me of how Northern Ireland is. Peace walls keeping different religions and idiotic behaviour apart.
I was an intel POG attached to 2/12 ( I didn’t do anything cool) they were some brave guys though.
Similar concept to parts of northern Ireland
Trust no one
Lol I was born in Dora Baghdad I remember all that I was like 7 years old it was crazy back then but I left Iraq in 2008 went to America California with my family
After what happened on 911 and more
Good
منطفة الدوره
Gator never been about playing no shit
When the kids yell at the light mihali, its the same mechanics we deregulate in the US. Its like the regulator is in front of their own regulation concept
جميل جدا
This world needs peace..."Yeshua (Jesus Christ) is the way"
Comp Bucca irad v comp keeper irad
I am from Baghdad looking for an opportunity to work with US companies
Publish a mediocre book on amazon, theres a good chance Jared will offer you a job in the white house
7:20
It was a short mission as I had to get my iroqi status wh8ch is a seceret
I’d appreciate embedded reporting with Iraqi families experiencing occupation by foreign forces. Heart felt stories from the families who have been injured, attacked, raided, threatened (from both US forces and ‘insurgents’), starved, ... That would provide some balanced reporting.
stewee2011 in Dora, at this time, the daily practice was to injure or kill children and women in order to reduce the American forces at the outpost by half.
There had been a great deal of murder in the neighborhood for some time.
Ryan Smith Yes, and I’d like to see and hear reporters spending time with these families. I want to know how they are coping. I want to know about them. They don’t get the same attention. They are still there. Where’s the reporting on their lives over the past 5-10-15 years? The old lady shot in the shoulder? The man in the thigh? Where’s their voice?
While in the Army I got interviewed by a civilian reporter from Stars and Stripes while working at the front gate to Camp Taji back in 2008 while deployed to Iraq.
Needless to say he didn’t have to interview me from what he put in the paper. He cherry picked what I said to fit a certain narrative that seemed to already be established by someone in an office somewhere and sent his minion out to get the story. Or at least that’s how I’ve played it over in my head. It wasn’t truthful to what was happening on the ground. Now it wasn’t a outrageous twist to the truth but it still wasn’t 100% truthful more 60% truthful. Hearts and minds of the people of Iraq, more like hearts and minds of the people back home paying for the war. That’s how you play the psychological game of hearts and minds to win wars…
Most Iraqis supported the US invasion and were against a withdrawal of US troops believing that it would have a negative effect. And they were right and the No war people were wrong.
@@helzer.patrick4920sure, very much doubt that. Report on it accurately. Show the opinions of the people there. Not just embedded reporting of the foreign occupying forces.
Im too geriatric to play flash dance in the special shower to get my body well.
بغداد
You destroyed IRAQ , shame on you
Go u.s a
Iraq wasn't already a mess? Tell me about your infrastructure prior to the invasion.
Take it up with Bush.
@@seanb1060 Why did you flee Fallujah?😉
@@ranickhaan .Why did you flee Fallujah? 😉
اللهم انصر جيش الإمام المهدي عج والسيد القائد المجاهد مقتدى الصدر
Sorry I have nothing nice to say about the mulisn s