Firstly, I was never a sailor, but I do know a few, mostly Australians though, and I do enjoy a good cup of coffee.

Circa March 2003

I was with the 3/187 Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans) 101st ABN DIV, and had just entered Baghdad. We had just spent the night atop of some roofs and were getting ready to assault the Secretariat. I was an assistant gunner to a 240B machine gun team. That morning we made our way off the roof and into our assaulting positions. As we were moving I could see an A10 flying overhead laying down fire on the building we were about to assault, that was when I fell in love with the A10 Warthog.

I digress, as we continued moving through the buildings, Humvees from D Company, equipped with 50cal machine guns, pulled up and started laying fire, and that's when squads started moving through the open area to get to the Secretariat.

When it came to be our turn to run across, I only had a second to look up to see the 50cal gunner holding down the trigger before someone yelled "GO GO GO!" and there I was following my gunner into the fray. Not halfway through, though, I rolled my ankle, and trying not to fall, I reached up to grab some type of pipe and I saw the 50cal rounds impacting the building exploding the concrete and all I could think about was that "I am in Full Metal Jacket."

Because what I saw was one of the last scenes from that film, when Adam Baldwins character is running to a building to kill the sniper and the other soldiers are laying down suppressive fire and all you see is the concrete exploding off the building and that is what I saw. No matter how long I live.....that is just one of the memories I will take with me..

After that assault, the support elements arrived, and we got to enjoy a hot breakfast, but the coffee was cold.
The picture attached is from Bagram, Afghanistan summer of 2002 - I'm the one on the far right, hands behind my back.

- Ernest T.