“So it’s probably mid-July 2004 near FOB Kalsu in Iraq. Blue Platoon was making our rounds outside the wire when we took up an overwatch position on an overpass for an approaching convoy on route Tampa.

Not long after punching out scouts and setting overwatch we began taking indirect fire. My pig (LAV25) was JUST missed by two mortars that landed within feet of it and blew out all but one of our 8 tires. Me and two other Marines ended up under the overpass with some motivators from bravo 2/1 or maybe 2/5 while the rest of my crew gave chase to a suspected pick up leaving us at the bridge.

We saw a white man dress flailing in the breeze and all (maybe) 8 of us opened up on it. Some Staff Sgt ordered a cease fire after about a mag and sent a fire team to get BDA. (Battle Damage Assessment) When they returned an hour later, the man dress was well over 700 yards away and was actually a scarecrow…

Me and my other two Marines caught a ride home with Gunny who was helping to recover my pig after playing LAPD and getting stuck in a ditch with all 8 tires now flat.

There wasn’t a bullet hole one, in the man dress either.”
– Lance Corporal Chris Kirkpatrick, Alpha Co, 1st LAR. Iraq 2004
————-
This interview was conducted by Battles and Beers.

As we always say here at Battles and Beers (TM) Every soldier has a story, and every story deserves to be told.