Forward Movement Magazine SUMMER ISSUE 2016 | Page 8

“ THE GRENADE
POPPED...
ONLY A PUFF OF
WHITE SMOKE.
I REMEMBER
THE EXPLOSIVE
ORDINANCE
DISPOSAL TECH
TELLING ME
THAT I SHOUD
BE DEAD...
BUT I’M
STILL HERE. ”
WHAT WAS YOUR UNIT LIKE?
It was like a blended family.

DID YOU GET ALONG WITH
YOUR FELLOW SOLDIERS?
Infantry Marines are some of the funniest guys
on the planet. They’ll find a way to make you
laugh on your worst days. Your brothers, so
of course you won’t always get along, however, we always respected each other and
fight for your brothers…and fight hard.

ARE YOU STILL FRIENDS WITH THEM?

Yes. Some of them I talk to almost every day.
Others, not as often, but I think of them. And

others not at all, because they are gone,
but I think of them also.

ARE THERE ANY EXPERIENCES OR
MEMORIES THAT STICK OUT THE
MOST?
That’s a tough one… There are a lot of
moments that I replay in my mind. A lot of
moments stick out to me. One particular
incident; we went out on a mission in our
Humvees. At one point during the mission,
we were searching one specific area, looking for the enemy; On this day I was in the
rear truck. We set out orange traffic cones
as a mode of traffic deflection, and the Iraqi
citizens recognized what this meant.
I went to set the cone out, as I was doing
so, a vehicle approached with 4 military
aged males inside. The vehicle came
screeching to a halt, almost striking me.
Immediately I recognized this was a bad
situation. It happened so fast; I was telling
them to stop, the driver turned the car
off. I saw the driver hand the passenger
something. After I saw this, I radioed my

-8-

fellow Marines for backup, as I was alone
on the street. Simultaneously all occupants
of the vehicle, opened their doors; 3 of
them opened fire with 9mm pistols, in
my direction. The fourth individual threw,
what I know now to be a hand grenade at
my feet. While still on my radio, I had my
weapon raised and began to open fire. The
day didn’t end well for them. The grenade
popped, rather than explode… Only a puff
of white smoke. I remember the Explosive
Ordinance Disposal or EOD tech telling me
That I should be dead. And he was right.
But I’m still here.

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR A CAREER
AFTER SERVICE IN THE MILITARY?
I had more odd jobs than I can count, but
eventually found my love for fitness and
training.

HOW DID YOUR SERVICE AND PAST
EXPERIENCES AFFECT YOUR LIFE?
I would say it affects me every day, in about
every way.