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For a U.S. Platoon in Iraq, Merciless Missions
Sgt. Patrick Hagood, left, and Sgt. Ernest Daniels examine bomb material.
(By Steve Fainaru -- The Washington Post)
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The soldiers became euphoric as they learned no one had been hurt.
Inside the lead vehicle, Baker and Sgt. Ernest Daniels, of Harlem, N.Y., patted the dashboard, thanking the Humvee for protecting them.
"Good job, baby," Baker said.
"Yeah, baby," Daniels said. "Good job, good job."
Young backed the second Humvee out of the ditch and parked in the middle of the road.
"Thank God, whoever's praying for us," he said as the shooting subsided.
Once bomb experts arrived to inspect the site, the soldiers got out of their Humvees and walked over to the crater.
It stretched about six feet wide and three feet deep. Thousands of pieces of rubble were spread across the road. Next to the new crater was the old one that had been used as a decoy. Inside it was a battery bound with masking tape and attached to a thin copper wire.
Young, Hammer, Hagood and an explosives expert followed the wire across the road, along a wide dirt path. The wire ended abruptly after about 50 yards away, at another path that led back into the orchard.
The soldiers used flashlights at the end of their M-16 assault rifles to search the darkened fields. They scanned the tall grass between the bushy, 20-foot apple trees, warily sweeping their weapons.
"Something's moving right there," Hammer said, pointing his rifle. "I got my laser on it."
The soldiers pointed in unison. Lights and three red dots danced over the grass, which seemed to move.
"It's a rabbit," someone said finally.
The soldiers hiked over gullies and through the scrub before finally turning back to the vehicles.
The Humvees slowly headed back to the base, Baker's vehicle hobbling on a flat tire. Their headlights were dark; to see, the drivers used night vision goggles.
About 20 minutes later, the platoon arrived at Camp Paliwoda. The sign outside the gate displayed the American and Iraqi flags and read: "Partners in Peace, Balad, Iraq."
Once inside, Young began to sing the Army promotional jingle: "Be all you can be."
Two days later, at the onset of a morning patrol, Tickal pulled out his diary. "The sun is starting to rise," he wrote. "Thank you God for another day on this beautiful planet. Yesterday my humvee's windshields were being replaced. Thank goodness for bullet proof glass, huh?"
