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104 SERGEANT JEFFREY LAMBERT FIELD OF FIRE As a platoon sergeant for a forward support company in the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, I am responsible for the welfare of the soldiers under me in Taji, Iraq. My soldiers and I serve as escorts on what is called the route clearance team—Task Force Iron Claw, a team put together to find and remove IEDs from common routes used by our military convoys. We’ve been on over one hundred missions and have either recovered IEDs, blown them out, or had them blow up on us. Our patrol consists of three up-armored Humvees, one Buffalo, and one Husky. The Buffalo is a large V-hulled vehicle. It reminds me of an RV because of the roomy cabin space and comfortable cruise chairs. It can also seat up to eight soldiers, who can move around and have good visibility because of the 360-degree windows. The Buffalo is equipped with a large hydraulic arm with a claw on the end for grabbing and cutting wire. The purpose of the Buffalo is to cut the command wire to an IED and pull it from the ground so it can be removed and detonated by EOD, a highly trained team that removes and destroys ordnance. The Husky, which is designed to find IEDs, is also V-hulled and looks somewhat like a tractor. One soldier operates the vehicle, which is equipped with panels that work like metal detectors. The Husky has the most dangerous job of all. The operator lacks a crewserved weapon system, meaning he is alone in the vehicle. In addition , there is only one way in and out, which is the top hatch. On our patrols, the Husky always takes the lead. It is in front alone, defenseless. Husky drivers must crave the adrenaline rush of the job. No matter how many times their vehicles get destroyed, they ask to go on the next mission. It is June 22, 2007, and we are traveling outside the wire on our patrol with the Husky in the lead, and then the Buffalo, followed by three Humvees. We are traveling to a small bridge with culverts on both sides, the same bridge insurgents tried to detonate with an IED but failed. The detonation cord made a loud popping noise, but the IED did not go off. Insurgents usually use culverts to lay down FIELD OF FIRE 105 command wire to activate an IED. Bridges are perfect to place the IED beneath. We travel toward the bridge, passing open green fields on our left. On our right, tall green foliage and lush vegetation run parallel to the culvert. The Husky stops short of the bridge, and the driver listens for the tone that signals the presence of metal in the ground. After ten minutes, the Husky driver begins to cross the center of the bridge. In an instant, an explosion at the Husky’s position engulfs him in dark smoke. The shock wave rattles the ground and rushes at my chest like a hand pushing me back in my seat. I call over the net to the Husky driver. I want to hear his voice. Know that he’s still alive. No response. I call again. No response. I feel the worst has happened. In a panic, I call to the Buffalo driver over the net. “We got to get him out of there.” “No, wait,” the Buffalo driver responds. He’s right. We always train not to jump out of a vehicle when a situation like this arises. The chance is another IED could go off or we could be shot. The enemy is always watching. I call over the net to our battalion to report the strike. They want to know the damage, injuries, and whether the road is passable. How am I supposed to know? The event just happened! All I want is to get that driver out of the Husky alive. Another minute passes. No response. Damn, I hope he’s not dead. How can I deal with that? Two more minutes pass, and the Husky driver crawls out of the hatch. I receive a call from a staff sergeant with the call sign Cobra Red 2 from Charlie Company. They have the Bradley tanks to take on the enemy. “We’ll be at your location in a minute.” Cobra Red’s platoon is set up a mile back from our location. The gunner in the first Humvee sees...

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