Iraq War veterans refuse to be defined by a war they didn’t lose

READ OF THE DAY

Iraq War veterans refuse to be defined by a war they didn’t lose
By Sarah Sicard
Mar 17, 02:30 PM
A U.S. explosives ordnance disposal officer and his Iraqi counterpart discuss tactics and techniques at Camp Habbiniyah, May 7, 2006 while developing an EOD company in the Iraqi Army's 1st Division. (Cpl. Daniel J. Redding/Marine Corps)

On Sept. 4, 2006, Patrick Murray’s Humvee rolled over a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq, while he was serving with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines.

That morning began with an explosion and ended with one.

A rumbling sound startled him awake near sunrise. He’d come to learn that was the sound of a Humvee from his platoon striking an improvised explosive device. The blast claimed the lives of two Marines and a Navy Corpsman and wounded another Marine.

The day’s mission concerned finding those who did it and recovering those lost.

“We spent the next few hours chasing down some of the folks that were responsible for it and pulling security so that the Mortuary Affairs unit could come and retrieve the Humvee and as much of their remains as they could to make sure that our friends got back,” he said.

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG Michael Noll Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Cpl Vic Burk SGT Charlie Lee] Sgt (Join to see) PV2 Larry Sellnow SPC Gary C. SPC (Join to see) Amn Dale Preisach SGT Ruben Lozada CPT Richard Trione SFC Ralph E Kelley 1SG Patrick Burke SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell PO2 Marco Monsalve Lt Col Charlie Brown MSG (Join to see) Maj Kim Patterson SPC Robert Coventry