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Commentary: Under attack, responsibility trumps fear
Posted 11/27/2009 Updated 11/27/2009
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Commentary by Airman 1st Class Monique Orella
732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron
11/27/2009 - BAGHDAD, Iraq -- I am 21 years old, I come from Georgia and I have been in the Air Force Security Forces career field for almost two years. Currently, I am deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, on a yearlong tour performing the police transition team mission in Baghdad. I am part of an SF detachment that is training the Iraqi police to fight insurgency and to provide law enforcement and police services to the people of Iraq.
My responsibility is to provide rear security to my convoy as we patrol the streets of the Rasheed and Taji districts of Baghdad. As the squad's main rear M-240B machine gunner, I control traffic ensuring vehicles maintain a safe distance from the convoy. I also identify any threats, which include vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, snipers, heat grenades and suicide bombers. I have performed 21 combat missions, covering 96 square miles containing 2.4 million residents.
On a patrol Sept. 15, 2009, as the rear security vehicle gunner, my convoy was struck with an explosively formed projectile, known as an EFP. I maintained 360-degree security while up-channeling the composition of approaching traffic and used hand and arm signals to halt upcoming vehicles approaching our cordon.
The actions of my team facilitated the casualty evacuation of two critically wounded Airmen in less than 10 minutes. Half of my team stayed behind to secure the site for blast analysis investigation by explosive ordnance disposal. The security provided ensured the blast area was not tampered with, which allowed EOD to determine the construction material used to build the device and to identify the insurgent group responsible.
During this incident, I saw two of my SF brothers wounded in action. I was upset and a little scared at the same time. I was angry at the insurgents who hit our convoy. I heard my friends screaming in the Humvee, and I wanted to get out and help them, but I knew I had a responsibility to provide security. I relied on the 62 days of training I received at Fort Bliss and the many hours of battle drills that prepared me and my squad for this type of situation. We remembered we were a team and each member of the squad performed their responsibility in sync with each other, which was to save the lives of our team members.
I am proud to be in the United States Air Force serving my country. The police transition team has been a rewarding experience for me. Because of our actions, the security in Iraq has greatly improved from a couple years ago. |
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