Reader: I just picked up the November '05 issue in the PX. I'm a medic with a cavalry unit based in Baghdad, and we've been over here for about 8 months now. Reading about 'wheeling and wrenching on trucks helps us cope with our projects (mine's a '70 K-5), being halfway across the planet. I've been reading Four Wheeler for years and have learned a lot from your tech articles and been inspired by many of your features, so it pains me a bit to have to offer a bit of criticism regarding the story "Number 1 ... With a Bullet" by Jerry Garrett.
While I appreciated the coverage of what we're doing over here in Iraq, I do feel the need to point out a few major inaccuracies in Mr. Garrett's story. The first and most glaring one, while a bit of a technicality, is inexcusable. Humvees do not have a 2-Hi position. Any Humvee driving around in two-wheel drive is broken. The transfer case in Humvees is full-time, with a Hi-Lock and Low-Lock position in addition to the normal, unlocked 4-Hi. The M1114 is slow, yes, but compared to the older 6.2 non-turbocharged versions, it's a total hot rod.
Soldiers in Iraq carry the weapons they are issued. It's not a matter of "liking" to carry a 9mm pistol-if you are issued an M9, you carry it. TC stands for "Tank Commander"-if you're in a tank. Artillery units do not have tanks. They have self-propelled guns. TC also stands for "Track Commander" if you're commanding a non-tank tracked armored vehicle, or "Truck Commander" if you're in the right front seat of a truck, be it a HMMWV, LMTV, HEMTT, or even the old 211/42-ton and 5-ton trucks.
We have not retreated behind anything. Our FOBs are just the secured areas where we go when it's time to re-arm, refuel, or get some sleep. Maybe the soldiers to whom Mr. Garrett spoke only leave the wire to go on convoys, but we're out there every day pulling all manner of missions.
We had an embedded reporter at one point as well, and he got a lot of things wrong. I'm not sure how they do it, but in the quest for the great Pulitzer-prize-winning article, they lose sight of the basic truths and details of the reality over here, and many bring a lot of preconceptions with them. Mr. Garrett seemed to be more interested in pushing a certain political or philosophical agenda than telling the story of the soldiers with whom he spent his time or discussing the equipment they were using. Despite learning little about the M1114, I did learn that Mr. Garrett doesn't think much of the war in Iraq, nor does he seem to have an especially high opinion of the private security contractors (his "soldiers of fortune") that spend most of their time protecting Iraqi officials and international diplomats.
All of us in Iraq are grateful for your support, and we appreciate the attention given us by publications such as Four Wheeler, but I speak for more than one soldier when I say that we would prefer the attention be a little less biased and a little more accurate. Please take this criticism as it is intended-to point out some errors and inaccuracies that are only glaring in comparison to the rest of your fine magazine. I know that I am not the only soldier who will continue to enjoy Four Wheeler as often as I can find a copy in the PX. Thank you for keeping us in mind.
SPC Adam Smith
FOB Falcon, Iraq
Reader: I read the "Number 1 ... With a Bullet" article today. Good article, and I'm glad that you guys took the opportunity to go "over there" and see what life was really like and how the vehicles protect our troops. Considering that I am about to head over for my second tour, it makes me feel more comfortable that we have the best equipment that money can buy, finally.
What I am concerned about is the last few paragraphs of the article. I believe that the truth about what's happening should get out. I believe that there should be few secrets about what goes on, except ...
In the article, when you mentioned about how "she had third degree burns over 100 percent of her body. She was just laying there in the road burning. We got out a body bag ..." What happens if her parents, husband, or other loved ones read this? Come on, there has got to be some common sense used here. How would you feel if you knew that your daughter was burning on the ground and no one was able to help her? How would you feel knowing that your daughter's last few hours on this earth were spent in the worst possible agony that one could face? What were you thinking when you printed this? Do you have any idea how much it hurts to have a 3rd-degree burn?
I am a registered nurse. My first tour was spent in the 47th Combat Support Hospital at Camp Wolf, Kuwait. I have cared for our sick and wounded. I had about two weeks of post-licensure nursing experience under my belt when I was called. I have had horribly wounded soldiers asking me if they would walk again. I had a young soldier asking me whether or not he would be able to see again, when it was obvious to anyone who saw him that he would not. What would you have told him?
Please, please use some care when printing stories about Iraq. Yes, that aid worker's death was, and still is, public knowledge. What she went through in the moments before her death does not have to be revealed for the sake of her family. Should something like this happen to me, I would just want my family to know that I had died honorably and in the line of duty. Any more than that and it would be too much. Thank you for this consideration of our live, dead, and wounded service members and their families.
1LT(P) Michael Saulibio
U.S. Army
Editor: Douglas McColloch replies: I gave a lot of thought to the passage you mention-and please accept my apologies for any offense it may have caused to our readers-but after much reflection, I decided to let it appear in the magazine as Jerry Garrett wrote it. I knew I was running the risk of being labeled "insensitive"-which wouldn't be the first time, and it certainly won't be the last-but in the end, I thought it better to be considered insensitive and let Jerry report what he saw and heard, than be criticized in hindsight for sanitizing or sugarcoating what is, at its core, an inescapably bloody and gruesome subject.
Regarding the claim of a "political agenda" on Jerry's part, I'd respectfully have to disagree. We have a healthy diversity of political views amongst our staff-ranging from liberal-libertarian to Bush-hugging conservative-and none of us could detect any discernible political bias in his reporting. It's one of the things that most impressed us about the story, and it's another reason why I decided to run it verbatim as delivered.
And as far as the obvious goofs you point out-such as the 2-Hi transfer case and the correct military nomenclatures-we're properly chastised, and happy to stand corrected. Thanks to all for writing.
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