Soldiers recall bombing in Iraq’s ‘Devil’s Den’

[unhappycamper]

Soldiers recall bombing in Iraq’s ‘Devil’s Den’
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, June 17, 2007

LANDSTUHL, Germany — Thousands of miles from their small patrol base in Iraq, 1st Sgt. Rick Haddad and Spc. Justin Donnelly reunited Thursday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

Donnelly eased out of his wheelchair to shake hands with his first sergeant, who was resting in a hospital bed. Then they delved into their story.

The soldiers with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, were wounded June 8 in a suicide car bomb attack on their southern Kirkuk outpost. The suicide bomber drove a blue truck — with what is believed to have been a 2,000-pound bomb hidden under animal hides — into a gate at Patrol Base Bushmaster. Eighteen soldiers were wounded in the attack and one — Staff Sgt. Tyler E. Pickett — was killed.

Haddad described what Donnelly looked like after the blast.

"You were covered in so much blood," Haddad said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55594



uhc comment: The battle of Devil's Den occurred on July 2, 1863 in Gettysburg --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Den

[GDAEx2]

1. Here's to the soldiers of the "Triple Deuce", 2/22 INF

:toast:

Regulars, by God!

<>

A storied regimental history available here:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/tenants/division/1BCT/2-22INF/2-22%2520History.htm&h=750&w=563&sz=38&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=L9hH9BzC0xWm-M:&tbnh=141&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3D2/22%2Binf%2Breg%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4RNWN_enUS271US271

(btw, I was part of the somalia deployment in '93)

[unhappycamper]

2. Welcome home, Brother.

I made Tet of 68 and the invasion of Cambodia in 70.

[GDAEx2]

3. Thanks Camper,

and thank you for your sacrifice.

:pals: