A day in the life of an American Soldier. The personal passages of everything from family life to war.

Uncommon Valor


American Soldier says,

I wanted to post about something that many people lack. Not that they don’t want to have it but that their fight or flight reaction steers them away from things like danger.

You don’t know you have it until you are actually faced with a dangerous situation. I’ll give you two examples and you will see and also read what that trait is all about.

Proctor served with 1st Battalion,1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Division as a trainer in the Anbar Province of Iraq. He was in almost constant danger patrolling the most violent areas of the 5 Kilo District of Tammim, often with only one other coalition force member present. ”Proctor spent several days at Observation Post 293, one of the most isolated areas in Ramadi.

The post had been a target for insurgents in the area and routinely came under attack. Proctor was on duty when the post came under one of the fiercest attacks since its establishment. At approximately1415 hours the post began receiving indirect fire. Proctor was in a relatively safe location at the time, inside the cement barracks.

Cognizant of the hazards outside the barracks and without any official order to leave the safety of the building, Proctor quickly donned his protective equipment, went to assess the situation and render aid to those on security who were under attack. The severity of the attack was a diversion by the enemy in its attempt to destroy the observation post with a vehicular suicide bomb.

A large dump truck penetrated the west gate during the complex attack and continued moving toward the center of the observation post. Proctor immediately and aggressively stood his ground in the compound, firing more than 25 rounds from his M16 into the cab of the truck.

“He did not waver; he did not flinch, engaging the vehicle head-on as it was moving toward him and the remaining Soldiers in the building, ”said the narrative. He killed the driver of the dump truck before it could move further into the compound. The bomb detonated and Proctor was mortally wounded in the explosion. “Sgt. Joseph Proctor saved countless lives that fateful day by stopping the driver before he could reach his objective.

And a visual of the aforementioned trait. A Russian Fireman rescues a baby from a burning car. The parents were dead but this child survived.


VA Mortgage Center


American Soldier says,

Call it a plug, call it what you will. We all know that getting a decent mortgage is tough these days. For people who are just getting out of the military especially. You are coming off a long term of the same salary for one and two you just aren’t use to the civilian way of doing things. The people at VA Mortgage Center have some great offers and programs for vets.

Veterans’ Affairs


American Soldier says,

This documentary looks very promising. I encourage anyone who is interested in helping veterans to visit this site and become informed or see where you can help. The reality is that more than 120 veterans between 20-24 are killing themselves weekly. Over 200,000 men and women who once wore the uniform are sleeping under bridges and streets at night. I could go on and on but I think this documentary is covering it all.

Ask yourself this before you click off the site, what are you truly doing to support veterans other than a yellow ribbon on your car? Now click away.

www.vadocumentary.com

News - Bhutto - Tigers oh my!


American Soldier says,

Maybe I am so thick headed or skinned that I don’t give a rats ass about the happenings in Pakistan. I really don’t care that Bhutto was assassinated or even how to be honest nor do I give a rats ass about this stupid Tiger!

Feedback - Thoughts


American Soldier says,

I appreciate the emails and comments here. I was getting a little worried at first but it worked itself out. The feedback has given me some things to decided overall. I am not sure what direction I will move with disclosing my other project. I think some people deserve to know first hand. I will think about how I will go about informing people. Think of it as being part of the exclusive inner circle if I tell you directly.

So thank you and I will be posting my overall decision soon.