American Valor Quarterly Issue 6 - Spring/Summer 2009 | Page 41

I told them to get me out of there, so they picked me up by my legs until I again yelled to put me down. We went through this, back and forth, until they eventually just dragged me down the stairs and out of the house. There was still gunfire going on all around. The corpsmen began to cut my trousers away and took off my gear. I was lying on my back, and was able to reach back and grab the hand of one of my Marines, one of my team leaders. I looked back at him and asked, “How does it look?” I knew it had to have been pretty bad. “Pretty bad,” he confirmed to me. I started asking specific questions. The Marines were not alone in the fight for Fallujah. In addition to Iraqi Army units, they were joined by two U.S. Army heavy battalion-sized units - 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry “How’s my neck?” I asked. He looked at me and, Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (Mechanized). with some of the sick humor that the Marines are One of the Army’s most decorated heroes from the Second Battle of Fallujah is former Staff Sergeant David Bellavia (pictured above, center). Bellavia was awarded the Silver Star and is recommended for the Medal of Honor for single-handedly clearing a house of insurgent fighters during the early days of the battle. He has gone on to become a strong advocate for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, co-founding the organization Vets for Freedom, and has written of his experiences in the book House to House: An Epic Memoir of War. known for, joked that it was so bad, they would have to put a tourniquet on it. I knew he was kidding, and was able to laugh a bit. I next asked him about my groin, since I knew I had been hit there as well. Bellavia is pictured with students attending the American Veterans Center’s annual con- “I just want to know one thing,” I said. “Do I ference. For his service both in and out of uniform, he will be honored with the Center’s still have everything down there?” Just as fast as everything turned to slow motion, it all became real again. I found myself laying on my hands and knees. I knew that I had been hit from the blast. I lost sense of where I was, and could barely hear what was going on around me. I tried to yell to the Marines to let them know I was hit, but all I could hear was gunfire. They had gotten themselves back up the staircase and went to finish clearing the room with the insurgents. He responded with another joke – no, it was gone as well. “Hand me a 9mm pistol then!” I joked back. Right about that time, I was picked up and whisked away to an amphibious assault vehicle that was waiting for MEDEVAC. They loaded me into the vehicle with about half a dozen other Marines that had been injured with shrapnel. I remember telling I finally was able to motion to one of them – all I could hear was the corpsman to stop giving me morphine because I wanted to myself whispering, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” feel some pain. I felt like if I didn’t feel any pain I would just go ahead and slip away without looking back. He looked at me and must have thought that I just fell over into the room, and said, “No, you’re good. You’re good to go!” I grabbed the cross that was on my dog tags and just held on. The American Veterans Center photo At this point, I was able to take off my neck protector, and blood started shooting up from my neck – I was kneeling in a pool of my own blood. “What do you mean I’m good?” I said. “Can’t you see I’m bleeding to death?” hatch was open on top of the vehicle so I was able to look out at the sky, and remember saying a little prayer along the lines of, “Lord, if this is it, if this is the way I’m supposed to go, then I’m ready.” I knew it would be hard on my family to accept my passing away like that, but I knew they would be proud of me because I was proud of being a Marine. I realized that they had to accomplish the mission, so I just let I heard chatter coming over the radio that said I was the first they myself lay down and waited for someone to get me out of there. would be taking out of the vehicle. That really made it clear to me I loosened my flak jacket and tried to hang on. just how bad I was hurt. When we finally made it to Camp Fallujah – which felt like an eternity – they pulled me out a