RickawayJE's blog: "From me."

Feb 20 2008 worst day in my army career. 
This day, in 2008, i was in Iraq. It was the absolute worst day of my two tours over there, no contest. I have never sat down and wrote down everything that had happened but I feel it is time for me to now. All this is to the best of my recollection and since its been 2 years i might be fuzzy on some points, but i dont think that i'll be too far off. 

It was a bright sunny day in Mosul, Iraq. Gold Platoon Alpha section was scheduled for OP(Observation Position/post) on Rte Santa Fe on the west side of the city. The patrol consisted of two tanks, the Lieutenant's, Gold 1, with him and I honestly dont remember whom else on it and mine, Gold 2 which had Sgt Mackey as the commander, Sgt Dryburgh as the gunner, Lucas as the driver and me as the loader. 

We arrived on station around 1230 and were talking. Sgt Mackey was a replacement commander in that my normal tank commander, Ssg Gibson was filling in for the platoon sergeant of Green or 4th platoon while their normal on was on leave. Sgt Mackey was sent to us to take Ssg Gibson's spot for the interim. 

We were all sitting there, my tank facing the west towards a mosque maybe... 100 yards down the road give or take, and the LT's was caddy-corner to ours facing east to a blown out bridge. While we were sitting we had our hatches closed, mine was shut and Sgt Mackey's was closed over(the TC's hatch had springs to where it would just hover kind of open if you let it but it would be closed over.) Dryburgh was scanning the road with the optics on the main gun while Sgt Mackey did the same with his Thermal optics on his independant display. We were all talking about the army, our experiences, where we wanted to go. He (Sgt Mackey) was talking about his family and wasn't sure if he'd reenlist or not, when there was an explosion and the cabin filled with smoke. I Didnt know what had happened, I threw open my hatch to let the air clear and got back down. Thats when I looked at Sgt Mackey and he turned to me and said "I'm hit" and then he slumped over the breach of the main gun. Myself and dryburgh got him sitting up, Lucas had turned teh tank on. I told him to flip it while i got on the radio and Reported to the LT what had happened. He told us to follow him back to the CSH(Combat Support hospital) on FOB Diamond back, normally about a 20 minute drive. 

Lucas flipped the tank around and took off after the LTs, i was holding Sgt Mackey's hand and standing up to direct Lucas while Dryburgh worked to stabilize him. I gave him all the medical equipment we had in the turret of the tank which quickly ran out. Dryburgh said he needed our aid kits from our gear, which was all in teh bussle rack on the back end of the turret of the tank. Lucas had us going at 40+ miles an hour on busy, congested, roads and to my knowledge he didn't hit anyone. I disconnected my communications' cord to my helmet, climbed out of the turret holding on for dear life and started grabbing our first aid kits offa our gear, all four of them and tossed them down into the turret to dryburgh. then i climbed back in and Sgt mackey pantomined that he was choking on his body armour, so i pulled the cable which would make the front and back halves of the armor fall apart. I got back up when i made sure dryburgh had all of the kits in his reach and proceeded to use my 9mm pistol to fire shots into the back of vehicles that had gotten between me and the LT's tank, he was 70+ yards ahead of us and traffic was merging back. I only shot into trunks that i know of, though i dont remember for sure, that part is fuzzy. Sgt mackey was holding onto my leg and my pistol belt and holster which i kept on my right thigh. I'll never forget when he went into shock, the way he held onto me and my hand and arm...

we eventually made it to the hospital, taking that 20 minute usual drive and shortening it to about 7 minutes... everyone was amazed that we got there that quick. we pulled up right to the front door and medics and the Lieutinant jumped up on the tank to help me pull and and dryburgh push him out. the put him on a stretcher and rushed him to surgery. they were amazed that he was still coherent not to mention alive when he got there, which is a testament to his will and dryburgh's medical know-how. when me and dryburgh walked into the CSH, we were so covered in blood, grim and grit that medics rushed to us, thinking we were walking wounded... we didnt know how bad we looked till we went to the latrine and saw our faces... it was like a horror movie. I'll never forget how long it took to wash my face remotely clean of the dust and dirt and blood... 

then all three of us just sat around in shock... i eventually wandered aimlessly around, of course i didnt have my cover(hat) on cause i had left it in the tank and it really wasnt just a priority to grab it. Sgt Major Leandre came up to me and started fussing at me for walking around out side without my hat on going on about how"... we've had a tragedy but have to keep our military bearing so get your ass back in your tank and get your cover trooper" to which i crawled up on my tank, looked in... it was a sea of red... i got back down and told him no, wasn't getting it.... one of my buddies (Moore) got it for me so i wouldnt get in trouble. 

In the end after several hours in surgery and after putting over 70 units of blood into him, Sgt Mackey died... according to people that were in there, in the end he was mainly concerned with his crew, us, that we were ok... and he barely knew us... thats what kinda man he was... 

It had eventually come out that it was an RPG gunner, shooting down on top of our tank, from on top of that Mosque... it was a newer type RPG that had a steel core penetrator in it so when it exploded, that was designed to pierce armor. when it hit, it hit right on a weld here the armor was weakest, went through, and went through Sgt Mackey's upper right chest. The damage was too severe to repair. It was his time to go I am convinced based on the shot and weapon used... but it still is hard. If i left anything out i am sorry, I am not telling this to make me look good, this is for me, so I never forget. I dont believe i left anything out but this was only one perspective...