Soldier's Diary/The Last 24 Hours In Iraq

Dan_J-spec_fj62 · 06-28-07, 09:13 AM

Hey PacToy!

You've been quiet for about 8 days now everything going O.K.??

Hawk & Heavy good to hear your stories too... you guys are doing a heck of a job.

be safe!

Dan

HeavyLift · 06-28-07, 06:22 PM

Icehouse...

Hawkdriver, I know what you mean with the vis...crappy but then you have a night like tonight where its almost a full moon and you can see everything and everyone can see you. haha

We are staying at BIAP probably permanent.

Gotta jet...

landcrusher909 · 06-28-07, 06:33 PM

HeavyLift we have been putting packages together for Randy and Hawk please send us your information so we can get something off to you just pm me Thanks for your service

HawkDriver · 06-28-07, 11:51 PM

Sweet dude, we hear Icehouse all the time. Wish we had 'hollywood' callsigns.

See ya around

PacToy · 07-01-07, 04:03 PM

070701

Sorry for the lack of posting to the thread. The last few days have been very exciting and demanding in regards to our activities. In other words I’m trying to say it was a busy couple of days without saying it was busy.

3 days ago I/we were waiting for our patrol departure time by going over some admin stuff like cleaning our weapons, SWA huts and COP. Just about a minute or so after I sat down to relax we got the word that our current patrol had just captured an AQ-I HVI. So from that point it was go, go, go. We had to get the vics ready, suit up in our combat gear and roll out to assist in securing this insurgent’s happiness. With the vics and up guns on the scene we secured the area against possible retaliatory attacks and helped inventory and document the bad guy.

Now that we had in the bad guy in our custody we have a strict time line to follow. We had to get the bad guy to higher in a certain amount of time. This puts us as a small team in a big logistical push to meet the time line.

Not a whole lot there with a story but I’m just starting to type.

So now that we hooked the bad guy up, got him to higher, then convoyed through the Iraqi desert on a lonely road back to our COP we thought we might have a little bit of down time to recover.

Nope!

2 days ago and a day after delivering the bad guy up the food chain we got word that a truck load of explosives was going to come through our area. It was go, go, go all over again. So we head out with our vics and our super secret special x-ray van. Set of a snap VCP and start our search of vehicles. It was high noon and the temperature was 130+ degrees. We were in all our gear and loaded to bear all the while directing traffic and climbing on trucks. The heat was really taking a toll on us but we had to keep searching. It all seemed like the line of trucks kept getting longer and longer. It was the trucks just kept lining up. This went on to the wee hours of the morning until we could see the last 15 or so trucks. I thought to myself that finally we were going to be able to get some rest soon.

Nope!

Yesterday morning at about 0100 while seeing an end in sight of vehicle inspections my lt pulls me aside and tell me we got new info. He said that me, himself, the capt and a couple of other Marines were going out on a night raid to capture another AQ-I HVI. I thought cool we are going to get another bad guy this morning. Hey wait! Whoa, whoa, whoa, that means we are taking him to higher this morning, right lt? Yep, we’ll get the rest of the team to ready the vics for the convoy while we are out and when we get back we will pack our gear.

Long story short, we captured the AQ-I HVI, got a COUPLE hours of sleep and headed up the road to drop the bad guy off.

Today we had time to rest for the first time in 3+ days. We did accomplish some big wins. Scored 2 AQ-I HVIs and missed on the truck load of explosives which could have been a false tip anyway.

**Edit** As I tried to type and reply to this thread we got a call of an IED in our AO. So myself and a few other Marines headed out to investigate. Sure enough we found and IED and it was meant for us. Kind of a calling card if you will. The IED was disarmed and nobody hurt. Should make for interesting times to come***

1st pic) 4 days ago a couple of our secret squirrel guys went home. They wanted a team photo. So we oblidged them as they did well for us.

2nd pic) Heading home after dropping off the 1st bad guy to higher.

PacToy · 07-01-07, 04:13 PM

1st pic) A Marine checking vehicles at our VCP.

2nd pic) Marines and a couple of contractors searching vehicles and passports.

3rd pic) Heading home after dropping off the 2nd bad guy.

Some days it seems like we are like the energizer bunny around here.

PacToy · 07-01-07, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HawkDriver

Randy, how you doin out west there buddy?

Hawk, everything is going the same. Can't say it is all quiet on the western front yet. We are keeping a lid on the bad guys though. A few days ago I thought that maybe you did a fly over. A couple of blackhawks did a fly over and seeing that type of whirly bird around these parts is unusual. I thought maybe it was you to coming out to say hi. Glad to hear that you are still alive and kicking. Keep up the good fight, bro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan_J-spec_fj62

Hey PacToy!

You've been quiet for about 8 days now everything going O.K.??

Hawk & Heavy good to hear your stories too... you guys are doing a heck of a job.

be safe!

Dan

Hey Dan,

Yeppers, still here! I'm all safe and sound for the time being. Thanks for sending the PMs. Can't wait to get back to Okinawa and have a beer on your dime. Take care of that little family of yours, alrighty!

cajun65 · 07-02-07, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PacToy

04-19-07

Today's down time.

1st pic) A Marine on our satellite phone calling his family. He is however making good use of our HMMWV though as I never thought to use the rhino as a lounge chair.

2nd pic) Marines as always playing bones or cards.

3rd pic) Steaks on the grill. For this public report I have no idea how or where the steaks came from. This is a special event for us to say to say the least. Our Cajun Lt did a fine job of preparing and cooking said steaks. Beer would have really topped the day off.

A Cajun LT? Where abouts is he from?

G8RMANJAX · 07-03-07, 07:17 AM

Hey Brotherman!!!!

Just wanted to let you know that I have hitched a ride on this little thread train that you guys got goin. Now I can keep tabs on my favorite Iwakki Golf Hackie.

I hope you got my emails from last nite, the girls say to tell you high and they miss you. We are so excited to be able to keep in contact with you.

We are very proud of you and all you HEROS over there!!!

I am at work so I will catch you later Pards. Watch your 6 and keep your head down... expecially when you are firing those high powered golf balls at the guard tower. Oh yea...when golfing don't forget to breath...bweavin vewwyy impotant helps in aiming.

Love ya Bro.
ME

SHavis · 07-03-07, 04:22 PM

Been following this thread for a while now. Great read, great stories, great pix!

I thought I'd pass on a story I heard from a retired Army Dr. that was playing in the sand until last year. Maybe PacToy can tell me the validity of this....

This Dr. dropped medical supplies all over Iraq. Most of the time, he said, it was just a flyover drop to a GPS coordinate, but when there were narcotics (Morphine) he had to get a signature. This required him to get out of the bird and wait. This is where he said it got "interesting".

He said "those guys really good". Miles & miles of flat desert; nothing out there. They land at the coordinate and there's nothing. They just stand around waiting. Then, suddenly, they are surrounded by 10 armed Marines. He said it scared the crap out of him every time. After the second time he played it cool, but, he said it still was freaky how they appeared out of nowhere 10 feet away.

He thinks they did it on purpose for the reaction and got a chuckle out of it.

My thoughts: You guys are just really really good at what you do.

Thanks for being there and stay safe!

Scott

G8RMANJAX · 07-04-07, 05:08 AM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY.

Thank you men and women of the Armed Services for protecting what we are celebrating today.

Randy's oldest brother....
Mike

toylndcrusr · 07-04-07, 09:54 PM

God bless you guys.

DevilDogCruiser · 07-06-07, 12:33 PM

Hey PacToy I was just wondering if you happened to be on a MiTT or PiTT team?

brownbear · 07-06-07, 06:41 PM

Hey Randy, I notice a lot of your pictures are behind that mobile gun. What is it? Mounted on Hummer? Is that your station/duty?

Stay safe guys!

landcrusher909 · 07-07-07, 12:30 PM

Randy, Hawk and everyone else we have been hearing some crazy stuff on tv out thoughts and prayers are with you all. Things here are going fine the family is well and Will is getting his cruiser ready for paint. I have been working alot but its that time of year. i am sure you are all very busy. stay safe and get home so we can plan some road trips to your neck of the woods and do some 4 wheeling. Thank you all for you service Rob,Wendy and Will

PacToy · 07-07-07, 03:05 PM

070707

Sorry this is a couple of days late but here is how we celebrated 4th of July.

Started off the morning in a routine fashion and was hoping for an easy day to relax and do our best to enjoy the holiday. However, about 1330 we got word of an IED in one of the local buildings in our AO. This would happen to be one of the many buildings that I had led a squad of Marines into the night before on an area shake down mission. I could only think that someone was expecting a return visit of Marines.

All in all it turned out to be a rouse by the bad guys to see how we were learning of the local activities. No IED to be found this time.

After everybody got back we started to unwind and begin our 4th of July celebration. Started off slow but came along pretty good towards the end of the night. It was a good time for us all and we made a lot of fun out of what little we had. It will definitely be one of the more memorable 4th of July celebrations for me.

Seeing how my family is keeping up with this thread, let me give a shout out to my mom, my sister, my brothers and my little niece Mikayla. Hey y'all I'm still alive and kickin.

1st pic) Me and a few of my officers unwind watching the festivities begin.

2nd & 3rd pics) Boxing was one of the more enjoyable events of the celebrations. Either you already had a matched made or you got called out. This event lasted into the night.

PacToy · 07-07-07, 03:07 PM

1st pic) 4th of July chow. All you can eat after everybody has been served. Some kind of beef, wierd hot dogs, low grade hamburger patties, shrimp and crab legs were on the menu. Oh, yeah, veggies to but who cares about veggies when there is low grade meat portions to be had.

2nd pic) Our little chow hall. I have no idea where the decorations came from but here is a pic of them.

3rd pic) Today. After our early morning raid into the AO we had time to sit around with our sister teams from other AOs.

PacToy · 07-07-07, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevilDogCruiser

Hey PacToy I was just wondering if you happened to be on a MiTT or PiTT team?

Yeah, something like that. We are out of Pendleton. Are you coming to relieve us? Where are you coming from? East or West coast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownbear

Hey Randy, I notice a lot of your pictures are behind that mobile gun. What is it? Mounted on Hummer? Is that your station/duty?
Stay safe guys!

I prefer being up in the turret and my team likes having me there. If you are going to get into a fight the turret gunners are going to make or break the fight. Not a whole lot of fighting you can do from inside one these up-armored HMMWVs unless you dismount but even then the turret gunner is still in the fight. So I'm always there. I get pics as I can and a lot of pics are from the turret outside the wire when the coast is clear.

The HMMWVs (vics) are M1114s and the up-guns in the pics are either a M240B or the mighty M2 .50 cal BMG.

Here is a pic our Lt took of me in the turret at our Vehicle Control Point (VCP). What you see here is the M1114 HMMWV with the lasted up-armor kit and the M2 BMG mounted in the turret. When the M2 lights off in full auto the whole 14,000lb vic will lean hard in the opposite direction of your fire. Pretty impressive.

brownbear · 07-07-07, 08:06 PM

Hey Randy,

cool picture in your turret. Thanks for sharing that. keep yur head down eh?

I can imagine if I was walking about checking IDs I would want your cover in that turret.

50 cal ought to blast quite hard.

Keep safe guys, and I love reading your days adventures to the family. Truely a great representation of what life is really like over there.

yooper · 07-12-07, 10:44 AM

Ma Deuce is hawt.