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    Wear it as Intended 0 Military Ops & Training
    USACRC Editor

    Wear it as Intended

    In March 2003, my unit began its mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We fought continuously, ending up at Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad. We spent a few months in Baghdad when my unit received orders to deploy to Fallujah....
    Recognize, Retreat, Report 0 Off-Duty
    USACRC Editor

    Recognize, Retreat, Report

    In the wake of two recent incidents involving the discovery and detonation of live grenades, the Army’s Three Rs Explosives Safety Program is increasing its efforts to raise awareness about the dangers associated with munitions.

    Throw Professional Courtesy Out the Window 0 Aviation
    USACRC Editor

    Throw Professional Courtesy Out the Window

    Professional courtesy can be defined as the courtesy given to senior-ranking officers or more experienced Soldiers. Unfortunately, it can also become a danger to a flight crew when inexperienced Soldiers are reluctant to announce hazards or lack...
    It's a Gas! 0 Home & Family
    USACRC Editor

    It's a Gas!

    Since this was a weekday, I was hoping for an easy shift. Little did I know that wouldn’t be the case. At some point, rumors began circulating that a battalion-level room inspection was scheduled for the next morning. I watched the camera...

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    Self-discipline Saves Lives

    Self-discipline Saves Lives

    CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 3 LAEL SMITH
    14th Brigade Engineer Battalion
    Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

     

    Combat offers a unique learning environment in which training can be your best friend or worst enemy. It’s here where Soldiers must learn to adapt from established training, technical and procedural protocols and execute real-world decisions on the fly. This ability to adapt allows Soldiers to make life-or-death decisions to overcome the enemy on the battlefield. When the wheels touch down on any given undisclosed runway during deployment, it’s usually self-discipline that allows us to return home safely.

    As a young Soldier, I was always trained to execute, without question, any orders from my superiors. This discipline alone defined and ensured my — and many other Soldiers’ — survival at the two-way live-fire range. I remember my platoon sergeant being especially hard on Bradley crews to be disciplined and vigilant before, during and after combat operations.

    The older Bradley Fighting Vehicles didn’t offer air conditioning or any other relief from heat. That was something I learned in the great state of Texas. Despite the heat, we were always instructed to keep our hatches down to remain combat effective. It was nothing short of a personal sauna for the crewmembers. While in Iraq, however, I realized the significance of my platoon sergeant’s stern warnings.

    While on patrol, my Bradley was targeted and hit by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The violent explosion went off less than five meters from us. I remember a white car cutting in front of our vehicle and then seeing black, then red and white from the explosion. The shockwave whipped my head back and then forward into the steering yoke.

    When I woke up, my crew was screaming in my headset for me to drive forward. I couldn't see anything, and the smoke, powder and gas vapors were burning my eyes and nasal passages. I instinctively pushed on the gas and moved forward. I remember the sensation of the Bradley rocking forward and falling as we drove in and out of the crater left behind from the car bomb. I was later evacuated to a local forward operating base for medical treatment.

    After I returned to the compound, I discovered the only reason I survived the explosion was the fact that I had my hatch closed. The driver’s periscopes, where my face would have been exposed, were destroyed. Although I’d suffered a concussion, had I not been trained to keep my hatch closed, regardless of my personal comfort, I would have been killed. This engraved discipline saved my life and encouraged me to enforce high levels of self-discipline in the Soldiers I come into contact with today.

     

    • 22 March 2020
    • Author: USACRC Editor
    • Number of views: 703
    • Comments: 0
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