The Tale of Camp Caldwell - For those of you still sending me PMs - General

[quote] Well, I've been debating on and off making this thread for a long time and I figured with everyone making threads and questions still arising I'd go ahead and do it. For starters, my name is Joshua Dumont, I served 7 years in the US Army National Guard under the 386th Combat Engineer Battalion. I retired in late 2005 due to injury. For the longest time I was basically just a weekend warrior and to tell the truth, I just did the job because it got me through college and it was a pretty easy gig. I never expected to be send to Iraq but in 2004 we were told we would have to go to Iraq, location unspecified, for a 6 month deployment in support of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. It was kind of a shock, but I really just kind of accepted it and just started preparing mentally for it as I was a Sargent at the time and I would have to lead people so I didn't want to end up being the fuckup. I hoped that we would just get sent to somewhere away from the action. It didn't happen. In late 2004 we were put on a plane and flew to North Carolina then to Germany, then to Iraq where we landed somewhere in the Anbar province I think it was. Once we got there we were told that we would be at a place called Camp Caldwell which was by the town of Kirkush, which from what I learned wasn't even really a town until the US showed up. Here's where it is. Kinda surprised there was a map with it marked on the internet. [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/KirKush.jpg[/IMG] Caldwell was kind of interesting due to a couple things. First off, like 99.9999% of Iraq, Caldwell was hell, and we referred to it normally as Cald[B]hell[/B] rather than Caldwell. The place was basically a giant field, about 100 acres in size, full of barracks, landing areas for the 404th Air Support Battalion who was also stationed there, and PODs. The actual living conditions where not that bad. We got 3 meals a day that were cooked and we had all the water we wanted, and even though the use of satellite phones was strictly prohibited, you could spend some money for this stuff called chunet or something like that which was internet you could use in one of the 5 or so rooms that have it. It was descent and cost like $50 a month, but we had some contact with the outside world and it was pretty nice, though the command would sometimes just randomly shut it down for "security" reasons. We just figured there was no way that the insurgents or whatever the fuck was around us knew how to hack the internet and command was just trying to get some extra bandwith for their porn downloads. Anyway, we really didn't do much for the first couple months but pull tanks and HMMWVs out of the sewers and stuff (Got a picture or two under this), go recover vehicles that had been hit with roadside bombs and things like that, and fix stuff. Occasionally we would get attacked, be it mortars or rockets or whatever they could throw into the place. You just ran to the closest low place or piece of cover you could and jumped behind it. For the most part, your biggest fear was spiders in your boots. [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/SD50927.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/113386.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/109.jpg[/IMG] (Not sure what happened to the quality on this one) [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/0_21_072607_yon4.jpg[/IMG] About 3 months into the deployment, we had to go on our first offensive action where we assisted the 4th Infantry Division in clearing an area. There wasn't too much fighting though we did engage them a few times, mainly would move forward, take a couple rounds from a building or something, and wait for a Bradley or Abrams to blast the place. Pretty straightforward. As the deployment progressed, we went of more recovery jobs and more offense. We did lose a couple people to roadsides, but never to gunfire or their attacks on the camp. I'd be typing for a month if I told everything that happened so I'll jump ahead a couple months to late 2005. Our deployment was supposed to be 6 months, and it was pushed to 8 months. About 1/2 or 1 month from our supposed time to leave, we had to go to a OP and fix their generator. We only took one HMMWV, we loaded the back with the tools we'd need and 4 of us loaded up and headed that way. It was only about 6 miles to the location, but about 2 miles out it happened. There wasn't any kind of warning, just a flash of black smoke and fire, then everything just went black. I woke up to this thumping feeling that was someone beating on the window and just this crazy red fuzziness of everything. I couldn't see anything out of my right eye and my left one was full of dirt and blood making everything a blur. Both my eardrums were gone and I literally couldn't hear anything. I couldn't feel my right leg at all below the knee and my left leg hurt like crazy, hell, everything hurt. I won't bother with more detail about it, but I soon passed back out after a minute or so. I woke up again in a field hospital and that's where I learned that two of my close friends, the driver Robert Portman, and the gunner Matthew Brady, were killed in the blast and my best friend, John Coble, in the back was in serious condition and was missing his right arm from right above the elbow. I personally had about 30 different breaks and fractures throughout my body, my right eye had taken a piece of shrapnel and was permanently blinded, I had a collapsed lung and a concussion, and my right leg was messed up really bad and was possibly going to be amputated. Luckily, I got flown back to a hospital and they saved my leg. After that I was allowed to retire due to inability to carry on my service and I came back home. I've fully recovered since then and the only real lasting effects of the attack was my right eye and I still limp a bit, but it doesn't bother me any. Anyway, that's my story, and it might clear up some of the questions people keep sending me. If you have any questions that are within reason I will answer them. Essayons.[/quote] GUNFOX EDIT: I've restored the original post to immortalize this lie. Don't change it again, faggot.

Woodland MOP suits in the desert. That actually happened?

[QUOTE=Lankist;13846287]Woodland MOP suits in the desert. That actually happened?[/QUOTE] A lot didn't wear the desert camo. It's kind of pointless most of the time as we never really got attacked. I guess it wasn't the smartest thing to do but we didn't do it a lot and those were actually more comfortable than the other ones we had as they were a bit lighter. For the most part we were not combat units so it wasn't a major priority. Of course I can't remember that picture so I'm wondering if that was actually in Iraq. Half my pictures were taken by my and the other half are friend's so I'm not sure if that's from us or from something that happened back home. I know the other ones are though.

Brave men. Thanks for your service.

Wow, that must have been a shit day for you. Good news that they saved you leg. I don't know what to say, but your story is pretty interesting. You were very lucky not to die when you were bombed. Was your concussion really bad?

Woah, that was an interesting story. Too bad about your eye, but at least you made it out of that without losing a limb.

I just got rid of a couple pictures. Just to ensure no bs about those not being mine comes up or something.

Shit, that sucks man. At least you made it with your leg still on. [img]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/113386.jpg[/img] Also how did they manage this? Were they trying to ford the river?

[img]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/SD50927.jpg[/img] Oh, Jesus fucking Christ! I would rather face down an entire angry battalion of enemy soldiers with rifles than deal with the fear of the possibility of one of those scary motherfuckers being in my boot. Goddamn. So, both of your eardrums were gone? I thought that you went deaf if that happened?

Who else was in the vehicle? Was it just the four of you?

[QUOTE=cyanide101;13846473]Wow, that must have been a shit day for you. Good news that they saved you leg. I don't know what to say, but your story is pretty interesting. You were very lucky not to die when you were bombed. Was your concussion really bad?[/QUOTE] No, it wasn't too bad, just enough to knock me out for an hour or two.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;13846499]Who else was in the vehicle? Was it just the four of you?[/QUOTE] Just the four of us. And that spider is a small one by the way. Sorry for the double post. [QUOTE=Bean-O;13846489]Shit, that sucks man. At least you made it with your leg still on. [img]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh190/shadowsoulja99/Random/113386.jpg[/img] Also how did they manage this? Were they trying to ford the river?[/QUOTE] That's a sewer and I really have no idea how they managed it.

That's not a spider.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;13846499]Who else was in the vehicle? Was it just the four of you?[/QUOTE] Yeah.

[QUOTE=Doctor FP;13846518]That's not a spider.[/QUOTE] Whatever it is, it creeps me the fuck out.

[QUOTE=Doctor FP;13846518]That's not a spider.[/QUOTE] I know, but we called them spiders and it looks like a spider, and it acts like a spider so in my opinion: It's a spider.

[QUOTE=Linelor;13846516]Just the four of us.[/QUOTE] So it wasn't a convoy or anything?

do you wear an eyepatch

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;13846575]So it wasn't a convoy or anything?[/QUOTE] Why do they need a convoy to fix a generator?

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;13846575]So it wasn't a convoy or anything?[/QUOTE] Read the OP, I told what we were doing. [QUOTE=ImBill;13846580]do you wear an eyepatch[/QUOTE] No, I just have a bit of a lazy eye.

I thought those things usually traveled in convoys, I guess I was wrong then.

[QUOTE=Linelor;13846611]Read the OP, I told what we were doing. No, I just have a bit of a lazy eye.[/QUOTE] is your depth perception totally gone or can you still guess at distances with relative accuracy?

Did you go back and go all badass and super saiyan and stab every bad guy's right eye with a spork and then shove a grenade up their ass? That's what I would've done.

You should at least wear a badass eye patch. [img]http://www.freewebs.com/metalgear_fox/big%20boss%20salute.JPG[/img] You didn't answer about your ears. I guess they weren't permanently damaged?

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;13846642]I thought those things usually traveled in convoys, I guess I was wrong then.[/QUOTE] Generally we would. It's standard procedure to travel in at least pairs, but we just had to go do a 10 minute job and the road is patrolled all day and we did it later in the day. We just got really unlucky.

[QUOTE=ImBill;13846667]is your depth perception totally gone or can you still guess at distances with relative accuracy?[/QUOTE] I did lose my depth perception, but I've found ways around it so I can still shoot and everything fine. And my ears weren't permanently damaged.

Well, I'm sorry to hear about all this shit, dude, especially your friends. You're fuckin' lucky, well not to have been attacked but to have survived, and you have bigger balls than I and a lot of other people do. Glad you came home.. well relatively safe.

thanks for sharing your story was a good read

[QUOTE=nono345;13846772]thanks for sharing your story was a good read[/QUOTE] Without a doubt.

Wow dude, sorry for your loss :/ Really fascinating story, I'm glad you are here to tell it to us now. [B]Respect.[/B]