Constant Combat

Blasts, Brotherhood, and Bench Warming - Hector Fernandez (Part 1 of 2)

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The map is fuzzy, the feelings are not. We sit down with Hector Fernandez to map a foggy but powerful memory of Ramadi 2004, from April 6–7 to sniper evacs and two IED blasts a week apart. The dates blur after traumatic brain injury, but the brotherhood, the field-learned tactics and the bond of 2/4 remain sharp.

• unit placement in Weapons Company 2/4 and Rainmaker 81s
• the pivot from SASO to urban combat on 6–7 April
• breaching with donut charges and stubborn doors
• highback patrols and the sniper evacuation in Sophia
• VBIED near checkpoints 295–296
• chasing triggermen during curfew
• two IED strikes, blackout, TBI and medical stops
• loss of Savage at Nova and Gypsum and aftermath
• counter‑IED training with an Australian instructor at Junction City
• why this deployment forged a lifelong bond stronger than later tours

If you like what you've heard, this is a multi part episode. Make sure you listen to the rest of the story.


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If you are a member of Weapons Company or someone with a story about Weapons Company 2/4 in 2004, please come tell some stories with us - 20 mins or 20 hours! Help paint the canvas of an archival story for others to know what it was like. Contact us @ RamadiPodcast@gmail.com, or via the podcast website above.

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SPEAKER_02:

All right, man. Well, tell everybody who you are and what rank you were and everything, what platoon you were with in 2004.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, so Hector Luis Fernandez. Uh I am uh I was a uh corporal at the time, and I was with uh weapons company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. I did a stint with uh it was I5 platoon, uh infantry fast attack vehicle platoon, uh cat platoon, and then uh ended up with uh 81s for the uh Ramadi deployment.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, and you were with Rainmaker, right? Of the two 81s platoons? Yeah, Rainmaker, not Sledgehammer.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, Rainmaker.

SPEAKER_04:

Did you do the whole time with them, or did you get pulled over during the shakeup?

SPEAKER_00:

No, so um you're talking about during the deployment?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah, about halfway through, or maybe not halfway, but at one point we redistributed.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it was the entire time, but I can't recall 100%. But I want to say it was like the entire time because I got fapped out when we got back from Oki. And then I feel that if my memory serves me right, I um got pulled into uh 81s uh right away.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay. Yeah. I was in Sledgehammer and I also had a weird they kept sending me to schools, and so I wasn't really training with people, and then like it was just like kind of chaotic, and so I sometimes have a hard time remembering who was where.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, because I I don't think I got back. I I got back, I think like right November time frame, like around the ball, yeah, uh or so, uh roughly around there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And so when you when we did finally deploy, did you drive up from Kuwait with everybody else or riding the seven tons or whatever? And yes, who who were you with? Do you remember?

SPEAKER_00:

I can't recall who I was with, um, but I do remember uh driving up, and we I don't I I think I was part of I think I was uh A driver for one of the uh uh highbacks. Okay, I could be wrong, but I think yeah, I think that's what I did. I think I was an A driver for one of the highbacks uh on the drive up.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, all right. And who was in your truck when you got up to Ramadi or what team were you with when you're in Ramadi initially? I mean, you may have changed a couple of times. I know a lot of people did.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, and I it's not uh that's all right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's all right, man.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not grilling it. I was just curious. Um yeah, I don't remember I don't remember, but yeah, like yeah, I just don't remember um a lot. All right, there's there's a lot of stuff that shifted around early on, and as uh when we met last year, uh and everybody's talking, I'm like, oh yeah, that did happen. I'm like, oh yeah, because like part of the deployment was like a big blur.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00:

Um it's weird how that works. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, man. Well, let's start wherever you want to start, rather than me asking you stuff you don't remember.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I mean I kind of wrote down the the you know, went down the questions exactly in the exact same number that you uh that you send them to me. So you want to do that, then I'm yeah, absolutely. I'm I'm gonna go.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, let's do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So do you have a I think the first one on there is uh a funny or a wild one.

SPEAKER_00:

Um yeah, a time that I'll never forget. Yeah, sure. Yeah, um, I think that was the one. Um and I'm I I feel like most Marines will not, and it was the whole April 6th through 7th, right? Um Yeah, I think that was uh me being I feel like I was probably 21, uh give or take, or somewhere around there, uh a corporal, you know, um, and it kind of tested every ounce of who we were as a team, as a company, as a platoon individuals, um, you know, from the city, you know, erupting, uh going from you know, the the SASO operations, right? Routine patrols to an all-out war, you know, within within minutes. Um, so I think uh one of the few things that sticks with me is in just the chaos, but how tight we kind of came together. Um, and how it didn't matter what company you were with, it was all a unity, right? Like everybody was in unison. It wasn't like, oh, I'm with weapons, I'm with golf, I'm with blah blah. It was like that kind of brotherhood um that brought everybody together.

SPEAKER_02:

It is funny how fast that stuff dissolves because when we were back in garrison, right? Everybody's like, oh, oh, you're just a line company guy, I'm a weapons company, or you're 81s and I'm cat platoon. There's always shit talking. Yep, yeah. The second bullets start flying, you're like, I'm a marine, you're a marine, we are now the best of friends.

SPEAKER_00:

It's not gonna change. Yeah, they like forgot this uh because you know, I don't I don't think that I did 10 deployments total right throughout my career, and this one is like the epitome of them, right? Uh it just carries a lot of weight.

SPEAKER_02:

It's funny, that was gonna be my question. So you you you were in for 20, 22 years? How long were you?

SPEAKER_00:

22.

SPEAKER_02:

22, a little bit over 22.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

I thought that's what you said at the reunion that you were 22. Again, my prized possession is that I now have a Sergeant Major Fernandez coin. Like I was there when you were just a Lance Corporal.

SPEAKER_01:

A boot, yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's amazing. Um, yeah, to go all the way to Sergeant Major and do 10 deployments, and then for this to be like something that sticks with you, uh, it means something, man. It means this was uh at least something different. And so it please carry on with what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, no, that it was. I mean, like uh think like um you know, just being there with other, you know, people from different, you know, uh walks of life and to become one. Uh yes, I was in multiple combat deployments throughout my time, you know, in and the uh you know 22 years uh of of service, but this one kind of marked everything, and not just because I got injured, not because I lost people, because I lost right uh other fellow brothers uh and sisters throughout my other deployments. But this one I think was like the yeah, like the pinnacle of them uh to where it bonded me because I'm bonded to you guys uh for life. And I feel that even though I did multiple combat deployments with other units, I don't feel the bond as tight with them. Like it I don't even know how to how to explain it.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. Do you think some of that has to do with, you know, there's you know, as I've gotten older doing other things, there's that the first time you do anything is a little extra special. Um then there's also something to be said about when I mean it was the first, not only was the first time for us, but it was in a lot of ways, this is the first for the uh Marine Corps too. I mean, like we we we've talked about this in other in other spaces, uh, but like we talk about a complete pivot of the entire uh military structure uh for 800 different reasons, right? Um, but then there's also something to be said about uh we were junior, right? Like although we were all NCOs, there was as you move up in the ranks, you start uh the the sausage making becomes a little bit more evident. And you're like, I you know, it's at least at that level, there was uh a little maybe there was still a little bit of shine to that we actually know what we're doing. And as you move up in the ranks, you're kind of like, oh my god, I can't believe we made it out of here. You know. So what do you I mean that I I'm throwing that over the wall to you? What do you like?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um I mean, for like the first few deployments, uh even uh like after I left you guys and um went to Etson Range after that, but that's right, I just couldn't bear uh stay there for three years that I was supposed to. And I remember uh going to the first sergeant and um saying, I need to deploy, like I can't be here, like this is not good.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, and it was you and Latham that went to Edson Range together. Yeah, I thought that was what he said.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so yeah, I didn't make the the three years that I was supposed to stay there. I just had the itch, and I was like, who's deploying? I was like, first on, I as long as you don't send me the 20 palms, I don't care where you sent me. Um and I ended up uh being in Hawaii with uh 3.3. Um so I did uh five years with them uh out in three in Hawaii, and they had just gotten back from Hadithha in 2006, um, and I was gearing up to deploy right away. Um there were literally it was like turn and burn uh for them. So uh when I first got there, I was like I was a salt dog, right? Because I had you know the multiple deployment, the the you know, ribbons and everything, right? Now I'm like I you know, they're buy one, get one, right? You got the BOGO deal at the uh at the PX, you know. Um so but it's just peculiar how like yes, I forge a bond with those Marines, and I still talk to all of them to you know to the day. Uh I've promoted many of them, uh, a couple of them uh executed my retirement three years ago. Uh and I just feel the bond being tighter with you guys. And yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, and remind me, when did you get to 2-4? Did you get there in 01? Uh oh one, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I got there uh August. Uh yeah, July, August. Okay. Uh time from 01.

SPEAKER_02:

I feel like he was there one week before we were. Like I yeah, I'm yeah, we're pretty sure.

SPEAKER_04:

I th I had thoughts, so I just needed to but yeah, and another one thing that we've said a couple of times is there's a there's an extra yes, Ramadi was the catalyst for the bonding, but a lot of our there's a there's a group of us that went through that went through the uh noble eagle, all of uh Lieutenant Colonel Schleffer's uh you know uh command.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah and and you enlisted in peacetime, which is it's vastly different. 9-11 hadn't happened at the time that you signed the papers and stepped on the yellow footprints. That's just a very different mindset, and then you watched the war switch get turned on and you did the the full thing, the full run-up.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's uh yeah, it was uh because I remember um I remember when I was in uh SOI going through uh ITB, and I was a Lance Corporal at the time going through there, and everybody thought for whatever reason that I was a reservist because I was a Lance. Nobody knew that I had graduated as honor grad, and that's why I was the Lance Corporal. Yeah, um so when I got there, it was like, oh yeah, man, like yeah, don't mess with Fernandez, he's a reservist, like he's been in for however much long. And I'm like, I have no idea. Like, I don't even know left over right, man. Like I'm still trying to, I'm still trying to figure out left seat, right seat, right here, you know, like like like come on. Um and one of the things that another guy that was there uh had told me, he's like, Hey man, you want to become an O351. And I was like, what what is that? Like what what are you talking about, man? He's like, Yeah, and then you want to go to weapons company, bro, because you don't want to walk, you want to be in in vehicles. And I was like, All right, whatever you say, man. And I remember when we got dropped off at the Chow Hall uh in 2-4, and uh, because remember, Regiment was right up there up top, so but I remember the OD coming down and being Gunning Rosado, the Chow Hall uh champ. Yeah, um, and he's like, Yeah, like who's going where? Blah blah blah. And he had, he said, You're going to, and I can't remember what company he said I was going, and then he like fucked up and like forgot. And he's like, What did I say you were going? And I was like, Weapons company governor sergeant, and that's how I ended up that's awesome. That's how I ended up in weapons company because originally not meant to be in weapons company, but I remember in the back of my mind, whatever that last corporal told me at SOI, he's like, dude, you want to be in a weapons company, and I was like, My moment to shine, see if my bullshit gets called or not.

SPEAKER_03:

That is awesome. Awesome memory. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04:

So, did you ever get to use your uh your uh 51 skills over uh in Ramadi?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but not for the javelin like most of the guys did. Um, it was more for the demo piece. Okay. What did you do with demo? Yeah, I was gonna say donut charges, if I'm not mistaken, like we did uh donut charges to uh for breaching help for breaching and stuff like that for the doors, yeah. Like those were uh a few uh of the moments that I remember doing that. Nice, nice. Um but the rest of the time it was just regular 0311. You made it. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04:

Um so yeah were you ever a vehicle commander over there, or were you just were you just dismount?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I shouldn't say just um so I was uh dismount because in my vehicle I I did uh did uh VCs uh quite a few times as a vehicle commander. Um but most times uh Lieutenant Dobbs was in my vehicle.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh you were in the highback with with Dobb and Savage and all that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was there that day, yeah. Um, because it was uh it was Luna um in my vehicle, uh Cheeseburger, Regalsberger. Yeah, yeah. Um he was in my vehicle as a driver. Uh I can put faces and I'm trying to remember names.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. Well, I I have a picture here that I'm looking at, and it's a picture of you from a million years ago. And the people that I see in this picture may not have all been in that truck, but you have Regelsberger, I see Mater, I see Dahl, uh Garcia, Savage, uh Cefuentes, Hutchison, Seafool, yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Seafool was in my vehicle, yeah. Uh Doc would have been in your vehicle too, right? Contreras. Doc was in my vehicle.

SPEAKER_02:

He's not in this picture, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, I know Savage for a fact. Yeah, I'm trying to remember everybody else. I just I can see the faces, I just can't recall their names.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's all right, man.

SPEAKER_00:

Worries been a lot of years, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So do you have any uh bug hunt memories? Quarternoff kicking down some of those doors. You brought up breaching.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um, and I and I feel that that's probably when it was used, but a lot of the times uh I feel that we were the inner and then we ended up going right behind to clear houses because I remember a lot of the uh clearing houses for some of the bug hunts. Um, because I have a picture of me with you know detainees and stuff like that. Um that you know uh were that I know or I could at least guess were from one of those bug hunts.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, my platoon did a lot of the outer cordon stuff, so I I don't know a ton. I mean, I kicked down a few doors, but mostly it was in the middle of you know, gunfights or whatever and necessary to clear the area. As far as the actual like coordinated cordon and searches, I did all outer cordon. So I would love to hear a couple stories from kicking down doors if you got them.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, um uh I remember going into, I mean, I don't like per detail, right? But just uh broad of what I do remember. Um, it was uh I remember kicking down a door and not opening, so I had to shoot uh the lock of the door to try and get in. So I remember kicking the door, kicking the door, and nothing was happening to that damn thing. And we're like, hey, so how do we uh we're like hey, I just might as well, and we just started kind of like shooting at the lock mechanism and and stuff like that to try and hope for something. Um so we were able to go into that house. Uh and that was uh, I feel that that was when Zorkawi when we were doing the the big hunts. Okay, right. If I'm not mistaken, I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_02:

No, that's all right. That was pretty that was pretty late in the deployment. That was uh Operation Traveler specifically in August, technically first through the third. Like the third was the the big one when we found that we're driver.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I do remember some of those, uh some of those. But yeah, like I said, like I don't know, after uh being blown up, like my mind is all like mumble jumbled with either not remembering things. Um that's I mean, that's a common symptom of traumatic brain injury, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Tbi, yes. Yeah, is that even when you do have the memories, you can't place them in time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So well, let me refresh your memory a little bit and see if it sparks some some uh maybe you'll remember. You started out talking about the sixth, and what I remember and what my notes say about the sixth early morning on the sixth, map one went out and they did uh like a coordinate search, and then about midday, golf got heavily ambushed. It was down the south side of the city on Easy Street, and the first ones out the gate were map three, the second ones out the gate were you guys with Rainmaker. Do you remember all do you remember any of that stuff?

SPEAKER_00:

I remember a little bit, not a lot, to be honest with you. Because I remember uh at one point, and I could be wrong, but at one point we were going down street. Uh, don't recall the name. Yeah, uh, but I remember driving down and because it wasn't Michigan. We had turned off of Michigan at some point, and we were driving through the back streets um and having to get off to pursue people uh and in the in the in the fact, like so, but where or time frame, yeah, not uh not a layer.

SPEAKER_02:

If you were in the back of a high back, it was probably disorienting as hell anyway, because you really weren't watching where they were turning. You were probably looking and making sure nobody was shooting at the back. Nobody was, yes. Yeah, so and then so later that day, this is and again, this is my notes and what I kind of remember. Um, you guys reinforced initially with Matt 3, but then the army showed up, golf company got their stuff together, and then you guys took a detour and started moving to the north of the city, and you showed up where we were, uh up in north in the Sophia district. I don't know if you remember that at all. That was where the snipers were pinned down, uh way up north.

SPEAKER_00:

And then I remember bits and pieces, but I recall the entire shebang. Like I remember when you're saying it. I I I'm like, uh yep, I know it happened, um, but I just don't recall.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, because we ended up using your high back specifically, and your driver, who was Regalsperger at the time, to evac those snipers. And it was uh my truck and your truck, and we kicked you out. That's what that's why I remember this is my Fernandez memory. Okay. I remember kicking you out and be like, hey man, we got no room for you. These guys can't move, like they all had to, they were all wounded, so they all had to lay down and we were like strapping them in and like, hey, we're gonna drive like hell. Uh you know, good luck. If you can aim your rifle out the back, good for you. But if not, we're driving 60 miles an hour, we're getting out of here. And we wiggled down the back roads and went down Nova mostly, uh, and and got them to Junction City. That was what I remember. I remember kicking you out, and you'd be like, I want to go.

SPEAKER_00:

And we're like, You can't, yeah, like well, you can't, yeah. Yeah, no, yeah, that's funny because I don't recall that. Yeah, I mean, it's a good thing, like you're talking about it, so it's like what do you remember?

SPEAKER_02:

Obviously, this the sixth, the seventh, and the tenth were the three big days, but there was a whole bunch of stuff that happened in between as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, so I mean, just like patrolling. I remember I remember at one point we were uh patrolling, and we had a uh we were down, and I'm uh I could be wrong, but I think we were down in Michigan. Um and the streets were empty. Um, and we were going towards checkpoint 295. Okay. Um, and through one of the side streets, I remember them being somebody with what it looked like a uh, you know, uh an RPG or something. And I remember us like just driving like a bat out of hell, uh to try and just shooting on the blind and just to kind of keep moving and uh and not be out of that area. Um I remember at some point we ended up in a government center. Um just don't recall if that was during that time frame or not. Sure. Um another time where uh BV ID went off on our way back, uh, that it blew up in between our vehicles.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you remember where that do you remember where that was? Because uh we've uh there's everybody has a couple VB ID stories.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm yes, but I and and I could be wrong, but I want to say it was between checkpoint 295 and 296. It was like that main street because I remember us at some point throughout the deployment, don't recall, um everybody shooting at the hotel, that building, uh the big building by the uh government center. Um so I remember that, but I I think I feel that it was between checkpoint 295 and 296, okay. Uh where the VB ID was.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Interesting. And so when the VB ID went off, was it between your vehicle and somebody else's?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was between uh our vehicle and uh the vehicle in front, which I I could be wrong, but I feel that it was dolls, yeah. Uh that was in front of us. I could be wrong, um, but that's what I think it was. And I remember like it just blew up. We stopped, they pushed forward. Um, and then like not knowing what to do, like dumbasses, we freaking dismounted.

SPEAKER_04:

Like, yeah. We were still creating the tactics at that point, my friend. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So it was like ID went off. Let's just dismount. Um, so I remember this. Yeah. I remember that piece. Um, and then we didn't see anything, didn't find anything, and then we just like everybody was good, nobody got hurt, and then uh us pushing uh through uh going back to base.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's interesting you mentioned that because that's you think you're I mean you were talking about a lot of what we did, despite being in vehicles, we weren't doing vehicular combat in the traditional sense. We were still mostly like mounted. I don't know. You I guess we can't say we were cavalry because we weren't even operating as cavalry.

SPEAKER_04:

We were just mounted word would be dragoon, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go. Yeah, mounted mounted dismounts. Dismounted, yeah, mounted dismounts. And uh, you know, you get you get taught in infantry school, like you push through the kill zone, get off the X. Yes, yes, and but then when a VB IED goes off, I I think every single person has an IED or a VB IED story where an explosive goes off and you get out and you start looking around because you're waiting because about half the time there was small arms fire right afterwards, so driving through might be driving you to the next IED. Yes. So yeah, it's a it's a weird thing, and it's not it's not a natural response to get out in the middle of an explosive either.

SPEAKER_00:

It is not uh yeah, it just the thing was like I mean, obviously the adrenaline and like like all I don't want to say common sense, but like yeah, all sense kind of goes out the window, and you're like, all right, who just tried to kill me and what is going on?

SPEAKER_04:

Like, you know, yeah, it's a crazy combo of like that that anger and you know, like confusion and uh yeah a little bit of relief because you're not dead, because yes, yeah, and I don't know about you. I mean, you just said that you didn't you don't remember any injuries on that one, but there was a couple of ours that popped off that I don't know how the fuck it didn't hit anybody, and we were able to go grab a guy, the number of guys that would pop up and like try and watch it go off and out in the middle of the field, and you see a guy standing there, it's like that motherfucker's gonna trigger man and go chase him down real quick.

SPEAKER_00:

You probably did it, yeah, through the through the groves and stuff like that. Yeah, you ever chase any of them down? Um, I remember just during and I don't know what uh what time frame, but I do remember uh when we had the curfews. Remember in the beginning. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like during the curfews, I remember uh getting off and like chasing people, uh and then being lost because I would get off and then my minions would like follow me like I was doing the right thing and I didn't even know what I was doing, but I was just running after people, and then everybody is like, What are we doing? And I was like, I don't know, we're just running. So we ran uh down alleys and trying to communicate with the PRRs, like, hey, I don't know where I'm at. I'm lost. Uh, can you guys guide us back to like you know, Rock, Michigan? Because like, yeah, like we're lost. Uh, so that happened, that happened quite a few times. I remember like they just saw me get off and they're like, Oh, there's Copra Fernandez. That's I guess we gotta follow him. So they would just follow and trace. Like I was just leading them into something, I don't know what. Um, but I do remember a couple of times doing that um at night, and it was mainly during the uh the curfews. During the curfew time, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Did you catch any of them?

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, no, no, we never did. Uh at least that I recall, we never did. Um never uh got to yeah. They were too sneaky and uh well, I mean, yeah, they knew where they were going.

SPEAKER_02:

You had no idea where you were going.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, and you uh they were also probably not carrying 70 pounds of gear, you know. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, that is true. That is very, very true.

SPEAKER_02:

You did mention that you got wounded. I'm curious about that story.

SPEAKER_00:

So a little bit that I do recall, it was May was that with Savage? So yes, both times uh were with Savage. I remember I can't rem recall which time was when Regelsberger um got his face wounded. Yeah, and I remember somebody else on, and I feel like it was the first deployment or the first time that we got wounded, um that one of the guys in the back lost his eye, and I just can't recall who it was. Um and he got sent home.

SPEAKER_02:

The only person that I yeah, the only person I remember that lost an eye was Warth. And that was a sledgehammer, and that was a different platoon, but that was very early.

SPEAKER_00:

But I um No, then then I could yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a couple of different guys who who had wounds to the face, so I yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So that could be not wrong.

SPEAKER_02:

Did Hurley get wounded in the face in your face? I forgot about Hurley. Yes, he did. I don't think he lost an eye. I could be peppered or something like that yet.

SPEAKER_04:

Holmes Holmes got fucked up good in the face. He got his thumb, he got his thumb hit hard and got

unknown:

Tony.

SPEAKER_02:

His face was bleeding. Yep. He had a lot of a lot of people. I mean, I got hit in the face. A lot of people got hit in the face.

SPEAKER_00:

So I feel like they've been.

SPEAKER_04:

If they take an x-ray, I found this out years later. But if you take an x-ray of the right side of my face, I still have glasses.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So I like I I do remember like we were driving, but it wasn't it was on one of the back streets. Um we were doing night patrols because we were with MVGs on, so everything was off. There were blackouts. Um and we were driving when the when the that first time that the IED went off. Uh it wasn't a big IED, obviously, but it was substantial to where like it shook the vehicle and it kind of like lifted it. Um I remember going unconscious, and then I don't remember much after that, to be honest.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. Um we got lucky with several of those early ones because they were burying them too deep.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so that's how I feel.

SPEAKER_02:

But but that second one, well, with I'm gonna keep you on the first one real quick.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

You went unconscious. What do you do you remember anything when you woke up, or did they evacuate, or what happened?

SPEAKER_00:

So see, yeah. So what I what I the little bit that I do remember was, and I could be wrong, but I feel like Layton and G Garcia like helped me help move me to like a different vehicle to get me back uh to to base. Okay. Um, and I remember going being at the BAS and and stuff like that for a little bit. Um so when you say BAS, did you go did you go to the hurricane point?

SPEAKER_02:

To HP, yeah. Just just the just the regular Corman.

SPEAKER_04:

Corman. Was that by any chance? Do you know if that was the one that was outside of Snake Pit? And it could have been, yeah. You guys got hit by a pretty big one outside of Snake Pit.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I think I think that's the one I remember too that blew down the power lines and everything else.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Um, so that one, and then I just remember being sent back. Uh and that's like I don't remember walking, but I remember walking, like getting pulled off the vehicle, uh, the back. Yeah. Um, I just don't remember where everybody else got sent.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, your your brain got punched. So you were literally punch drunk, like you know, yes. It's the same. Like fighters that get knocked out in the ring don't remember walking out of the ring, but they often walk out of the ring.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So um, but I remember that one like being big, but not as big as the one the uh the second one where I like that you're saying that it lifted a Hum V, which is a 8,000, 9,000 pound vehicle, and it knocked you unconscious, but it's not that big. No, just want to recognize how ridiculous that is what you're saying. Yes, it sounds, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

When you say it, it doesn't sound ridiculous, but when you repeat it back to me, it does.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, just a little. That's all right.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, it's also and also the the the reality of what Ramadi was in two in 04. It's like, oh yeah, it really wasn't. You know, it was a 155, it was just buried too deep. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And so the what was the second one?

SPEAKER_00:

The second one did you get you got two purple hearts? Two purple hearts, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, okay.

unknown:

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00:

So the second one was, and I could be wrong, but it was, I think we we were doing we were like either setting up a general delivering a generator or something for like a school and coming back on route Nova. Um, I could be wrong if it was Route Nova or one of those uh like side streets.

SPEAKER_02:

My guess is that this was May 12th when Savage was got killed. Yes, that was May 12th, yes. Because it was like you were literally at the intersection of Nova and Gypsum.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so um, and I remember and I could be wrong, but I remember like that I feel like it could have just been the shake and of the explosion, but I feel like the the Hum B went to the to like a ditch or it went to either sideways or something. I just don't remember. It went down a ditch, right? Okay. Um, so I do remember like but but I don't remember I just remember waking up and like maybe seeing either G there, Garcia, someone Garcia there. Yeah, um because I feel like he was on the vehicle behind um mine. Um remember that, and then I just remember yeah, just you know, seeing um savage you know blood and all that stuff uh everywhere. Uh we had benches in the back, and I remember that being just yeah, like non-existent um after we fell down a ditch.

SPEAKER_02:

So again, kind of the same question. Did you get evacued and or what what happened after that since you were unconscious again?

SPEAKER_00:

So I wasn't conscious, um, and I don't recall if I got evacued or not that time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I know the first one I did, but I don't recall if the second one um I did or I or not. Uh, but I do remember like, and I could be making shit up in my mind. Um, because I I could I like I can see Savage like on top of me or somebody on top of me at some point, maybe like when it shook us uh down the the ditch. Um, but I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_02:

Um so now did you have any medical did anybody examine you or anything after any of this?

SPEAKER_00:

So I I I mean I got sent to I don't know if we all went to the to we went, we didn't go to Blue at some point. Maybe I did go to Blue Diamond to get checked up.

SPEAKER_02:

It probably would have been camp, uh would have been Junction City, is what we called it, or Camper Montre.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because that was where the main medical was. Blue Diamond had a small BAS type thing, but they didn't have any advanced medical equipment. The only any kind of equipment or people that were well trained were over at Junction City.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so it may have been there um where we got taken to um for that second one. Because I like that's what I'm saying. Like I feel that second one, just because the vehicle got thrown towards the ditch, I felt that it was bigger than the other one. Um, but that's because of that, right? Like it doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Sure. Um, so yeah, but I I feel like I I I I got taken to it'll probably Junction City, um, got examined, and then I remember after that being told that I wasn't going out for a while, yeah uh just because they had happened about a week apart. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's a pretty good point that you were unconscious twice in two weeks. Yeah. Uh how long did they keep you back?

SPEAKER_00:

Um I don't recall the exact time frame, however, I do remember uh First Mart Mac at the time uh sending me throughout that time frame, uh and it was like an inside joke. Uh but he sent they sent me to a um to an explosives course, uh, and I feel like it was in Junction City, and they were like, hey, since you like to find IEDs, um like we're gonna send you uh to a course to properly know how to locate them, uh, type of thing. So I did a one-week course uh with some Australian or yeah, I think it was an Aussie. Uh and uh uh it was an Aussie officer because I still have the certificate. It's in my OMPF. Um, an Aussie officer and a Marine Corps task sergeant uh for about a week on how to locate close with and destroy IDs.

SPEAKER_04:

That's awesome. I didn't know I uh wait tell tell talk a little bit more about that. So it was that a an a formal class, or did they just send it send you over there and it was just you?

SPEAKER_00:

No, so it was a formal class. I don't know, I don't recall the amount of people that were in the class, but it was a good size. At least 30 people that were in the class. Um, I don't recall who else went from us, but I remember me being in the class. Um, and they used to teach you, okay, hey, this is what you're looking for, this is what you know they're built, they're making the IEDs with, this is what you want to be careful of, uh, you know, like kind of like yeah, like ID 101 essentially. Um so I can so I became like a trainer, right? Like to go come back and teach uh other people uh on.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think anybody from my platoon went to that. I don't know about anybody else's platoon thing.

SPEAKER_04:

It's a did you did they did you have to go over there every day or did they did you just get sent over there for a week?

SPEAKER_00:

I just got sent over there and stayed over there the entire time. Um good taking showers, huh? Probably I probably was.

SPEAKER_04:

I'm not going to left going to the M MWR tent playing some video games. I probably was, most likely.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm gonna compliment the Marine Corps for one second and say, I'm real fucking glad that when you got your bell rung and you were knocked out twice in two weeks, that they had the foresight to be like, this motherfucker is gonna be retarded if we don't send him somewhere else, which is good. They should have given you a break. That's absolutely the right thing to do. But I'd like to also point out how fucked up it is that literally a dude died right in front of you and they sent you to a course on IEDs. That's some fucking fucked up shit, man.

SPEAKER_04:

Marine Corps is nothing but balance, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, and take care of it and kick you in the nuts at the same time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I remember like that's the only reason why I was like, why do I like I think it was like years later when they're like, Um, hey, make sure your OMPF is tight and you need all your certificates. And I'm literally looking through all my stuff and I found that and I was like, when the hell did I go to this? And then I had to like kind of rethink it. I'm like, oh yeah, that's right. I did, like after I got you know hit the second time, and they were like, Hey, since you can't seem to find IEDs, we're gonna send you to know how to locate them. So for Sergeant Mac was hilarious that way, too.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, he was. I could I could tell I I I his his voice telling you that you're doing that is totally playing in my head. Yeah, yeah. Hey there, devil dog.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, I did that. Um it was like a yeah, about a week course. Um and I but and and then the only reason why I remember it was an Aussie and a Stasmar just because I got their certificates. Um, so I kind of kept seeing, but like I don't recall the entire course, I just recall bits and pieces because your bell was wrong.

SPEAKER_04:

I I can't imagine why. In modern medical practice, you're not supposed to be thinking that hard after during your time.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, two plus two is not equal four. Come on now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I'd like to point out that amazingly your eggs are not scrambled. You have three master's degrees. So that's uh that's fucking amazing.

SPEAKER_04:

If you like what you've heard, this is a multi part episode. Make sure you listen to the rest of the story.