“Operation Inherent Resolve isn’t as glamorous or cool as OIF or OEF but it’s all I got to experience. Depending on where you were with OIR you got to experience some kind of real world events.

Our unit was deployed to the TQ airbase in Iraq in 2016 and mainly stood post. Many long monotonous hours spent standing post looking at piles of trash left over from OIF and chain smoking. Every once in a while you would get lucky and help treat some causalities the Iraqis brought in. This was the first time I ever saw someone die.

The poor guy was an Iraqi solder in his early 20s at most; my age. Sniper apperently got him in the head and he was barely hanging on. We had go turn him away because we didn’t have the capability to help him at our base and told them to take the guy to Baghdad.

Unfortunately for him, or maybe fortunately at that point, his labored autonomous breathing suddenly stopped. That day made me realize my own mortality and to be thankful for an otherwise boring deployment.”
– Anonymous, Marine Corps, 2/7 in 2016
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This interview was conducted by Battles and Beers (TM) and the Marine who submitted his story requested to remain anonymous. We will respect his wishes.

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