Anatomy of An IED
10/26/2004
So a little before midnight I found myself rolling north up Highway 1 in the open bed of a tiny unarmored pickup truck overcrowded with six American soldiers in the bed and an Iraqi driver who’s understanding of the word “safety” was shaky at best. The captain had to caution the lead
vehicle to slow down twice, because we were pretty precariously placed back there with all our gear. So in the nature of soldiers everywhere, we were joking about the truck, Iraqi drivers etc., and after riding MSR Tampa (Highway 1, aka IED alley) in this truck Chris :
“If I hear any of those 243 Quartermaster faggots crying about un-armored humvees in person, I’ll punch that motherfucker in the mouth.
We all laughed and ..
BABOOM!!!!!!!!
When I say boom, I mean louder than any boom you’ve ever heard. The ground shook, the air quivered. Reality broke in two and slammed back together again. The driver stood on the brakes. The sound and blast had come from our front. We all looked at each other, frozen for a microsecond and then instinctively, we covered up.
“IED!”
“GET OFF THE TRUCK!”
“SECURITY, PUNCH OUT!”
We “un-assed” the vehicle, three of us grabbing for our radios. We ran for the side of the road and got down and
BOOM!!!!!
“Another fuckin one!”
“Shit!”
“Let’s go!”
“Hunter Xray, Hunter Xray, this is Alpha 6Romeo!” This is me on the radio, calling in to the Battalion HQ. which is after all my primary job.
“A6R, this in Hunter Xray.” After a few tries they answer.
“Hunter Xray, A6R, we have two IED detonations at the intersection of Tampa and Canal, Over!” I say this with a voice edgy with excitement, breathless while running.
“A6R, this is Hunter XRay, we have no report of that at this time.” Comes the reply.
I stop and stare at the handset for a half a second.
“This IS the FUCKING REPORT! It JUST Happened!” I shout.
Fucking Idiot.
I start running again.
“BYRNES!” This is the Captain shouting from about 100 meters away. His voice tells me I’m going to need my aid bag, it’s in the same ruck as the radio.
“ROGER! ENROUTE!” And I’m running up the road towards his voice.
“Byrnes over here, Sgt. Olin’s hit.”
“OK, where? How bad?” “His arm is bleeding!”
“Put him over there, under that tree guys.
Byrnes take care of him, and check out Restifo too.”
“OK Lay him Down. Awright man! You’re gonna be okay! Let me see!”
I cut away his sleeve. His right forearm had a nasty piece of shrapnel about the size of a .30 caliber bullet. I found surprisingly little bleeding, so I slapped a dressing on it. Then I cut away his IBA(armored vest) and clothes looking for other wounds.. Just about then our guys started launching 40 mm grenades into the treeline to try and pin down the enemy triggerman.
Boom. Boom. Boom. For a change I wasn’t part of this effort.
I was focused on Olin. He was in pain and going into shock. I started setting up an IV with some help from Cornall, Restifo, and Seeman.
“Restifo you were hit too? Where?” I remembered to ask.
“Just a scratch.” He pointed to his neck. It was just a scratch.
“OK hold this light for me.
“It really hurts man!” From my patient.
“Ok, you’re gonna be OK!”
BABOOM!!!!!!!
You know in the movies when the medic throws himself across
the wounded soldier? Well that’s what you do! Instinctively. I’m not a medic, but when that third IED went off I knew it was a 155 mm artillery round, and I threw myself over the kid.. After that little wake up, we really started throwing grenades at the woods. Boom. Boom. BaBoom! The mortars even shot a couple of 60 mm rounds out there.
“Can you maybe, like put his IBA back over him?” Sgt Grimble asked.
“Yeah as soon as I get an IV in him,”
“I’m really thirsty. Can I have a drink?” Olin pleaded.
“Yeah just give him a little sip. I’m going to get some fluids in you.”
I got the needle for the IV in Olin’s arm. I popped in the IV tube. I reached for the tape.
“It came out!’”
“Byrnes it came out!”
“Fuck….”
I rummaged through my bag. I had extra needles for this.
“Fuck!”
“Look in my bag!” I checked in Cornall’s bag” I pulled one
out, opened it up, and it fell apart.
“Fuck!” I KNOW, but in combat, you use that word a lot.
I turned back to my bag, and grabbed the needle from the second IV set. I grabbed his arm. Seeman, helping out pinched and patted a vein
to the surface.
“Don’t shake man just shove it in!”
“Shut up!” I slid it in clean despite the adrenaline fueled tremor in my
hand. I popped the tube in and taped it down quick.
“Where’s Funk anyway?” I asked about the company medic?
“He’s treating Abousaid.”
What’s with Abou?”
“It’s just a scratch, I think.”
“OK!”
We got most of a 500 ml bag of Ringer’s Lactate into him in
the next ten minutes, got his feet elevated, checked his vitals and were
treating for shock and talking to him. Then the Cas-Evac unit, with our battalion
medics, showed upin an FLA (a field ambulance on a hummvee body). They adjusted
the dressing and helped splint the arm. I switched him to a second bag
of Ringer’s and slowed the drip. He was still in pain, asking for some pain
relief, but he was holding together. And even though we had to help him up, he
walked into the ambulance on his own power. They took off with him. The Captain
reappeared. The firing had stopped.
So a little before midnight I found myself rolling north up Highway 1 in the open bed of a tiny unarmored pickup truck overcrowded with six American soldiers in the bed and an Iraqi driver who’s understanding of the word “safety” was shaky at best. The captain had to caution the lead
vehicle to slow down twice, because we were pretty precariously placed back there with all our gear. So in the nature of soldiers everywhere, we were joking about the truck, Iraqi drivers etc., and after riding MSR Tampa (Highway 1, aka IED alley) in this truck Chris :
“If I hear any of those 243 Quartermaster faggots crying about un-armored humvees in person, I’ll punch that motherfucker in the mouth.
We all laughed and ..
BABOOM!!!!!!!!
When I say boom, I mean louder than any boom you’ve ever heard. The ground shook, the air quivered. Reality broke in two and slammed back together again. The driver stood on the brakes. The sound and blast had come from our front. We all looked at each other, frozen for a microsecond and then instinctively, we covered up.
“IED!”
“GET OFF THE TRUCK!”
“SECURITY, PUNCH OUT!”
We “un-assed” the vehicle, three of us grabbing for our radios. We ran for the side of the road and got down and
BOOM!!!!!
“Another fuckin one!”
“Shit!”
“Let’s go!”
“Hunter Xray, Hunter Xray, this is Alpha 6Romeo!” This is me on the radio, calling in to the Battalion HQ. which is after all my primary job.
“A6R, this in Hunter Xray.” After a few tries they answer.
“Hunter Xray, A6R, we have two IED detonations at the intersection of Tampa and Canal, Over!” I say this with a voice edgy with excitement, breathless while running.
“A6R, this is Hunter XRay, we have no report of that at this time.” Comes the reply.
I stop and stare at the handset for a half a second.
“This IS the FUCKING REPORT! It JUST Happened!” I shout.
Fucking Idiot.
I start running again.
“BYRNES!” This is the Captain shouting from about 100 meters away. His voice tells me I’m going to need my aid bag, it’s in the same ruck as the radio.
“ROGER! ENROUTE!” And I’m running up the road towards his voice.
“Byrnes over here, Sgt. Olin’s hit.”
“OK, where? How bad?” “His arm is bleeding!”
“Put him over there, under that tree guys.
Byrnes take care of him, and check out Restifo too.”
“OK Lay him Down. Awright man! You’re gonna be okay! Let me see!”
I cut away his sleeve. His right forearm had a nasty piece of shrapnel about the size of a .30 caliber bullet. I found surprisingly little bleeding, so I slapped a dressing on it. Then I cut away his IBA(armored vest) and clothes looking for other wounds.. Just about then our guys started launching 40 mm grenades into the treeline to try and pin down the enemy triggerman.
Boom. Boom. Boom. For a change I wasn’t part of this effort.
I was focused on Olin. He was in pain and going into shock. I started setting up an IV with some help from Cornall, Restifo, and Seeman.
“Restifo you were hit too? Where?” I remembered to ask.
“Just a scratch.” He pointed to his neck. It was just a scratch.
“OK hold this light for me.
“It really hurts man!” From my patient.
“Ok, you’re gonna be OK!”
BABOOM!!!!!!!
You know in the movies when the medic throws himself across
the wounded soldier? Well that’s what you do! Instinctively. I’m not a medic, but when that third IED went off I knew it was a 155 mm artillery round, and I threw myself over the kid.. After that little wake up, we really started throwing grenades at the woods. Boom. Boom. BaBoom! The mortars even shot a couple of 60 mm rounds out there.
“Can you maybe, like put his IBA back over him?” Sgt Grimble asked.
“Yeah as soon as I get an IV in him,”
“I’m really thirsty. Can I have a drink?” Olin pleaded.
“Yeah just give him a little sip. I’m going to get some fluids in you.”
I got the needle for the IV in Olin’s arm. I popped in the IV tube. I reached for the tape.
“It came out!’”
“Byrnes it came out!”
“Fuck….”
I rummaged through my bag. I had extra needles for this.
“Fuck!”
“Look in my bag!” I checked in Cornall’s bag” I pulled one
out, opened it up, and it fell apart.
“Fuck!” I KNOW, but in combat, you use that word a lot.
I turned back to my bag, and grabbed the needle from the second IV set. I grabbed his arm. Seeman, helping out pinched and patted a vein
to the surface.
“Don’t shake man just shove it in!”
“Shut up!” I slid it in clean despite the adrenaline fueled tremor in my
hand. I popped the tube in and taped it down quick.
“Where’s Funk anyway?” I asked about the company medic?
“He’s treating Abousaid.”
What’s with Abou?”
“It’s just a scratch, I think.”
“OK!”
We got most of a 500 ml bag of Ringer’s Lactate into him in
the next ten minutes, got his feet elevated, checked his vitals and were
treating for shock and talking to him. Then the Cas-Evac unit, with our battalion
medics, showed upin an FLA (a field ambulance on a hummvee body). They adjusted
the dressing and helped splint the arm. I switched him to a second bag
of Ringer’s and slowed the drip. He was still in pain, asking for some pain
relief, but he was holding together. And even though we had to help him up, he
walked into the ambulance on his own power. They took off with him. The Captain
reappeared. The firing had stopped.
posted by John Byrnes at 5:03 PM
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