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Was there ever a time in the military when, even for a moment, you were truly scared? You may have overcome it, but in that moment you felt real fear. Yet you are here to tell the tale so you did something right! Willing to share about that moment?
Resiliency
Courage
Fear
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 17
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Somalia, 1992... flying along in brand new UH60, all is well, the pilots are enjoying the ride as I was in the jump seat just behind their console... When all of the sudden, all of these lights on the dash start flashing... "Master Caution" etc... They start scrambling, flipping switches.... and then call in the ICOM to hold on, and then on the radio we are going down... Hard landing, but those dudes knew how to do it... Climb to Glory!
I have been in plenty of ground combat scenarios, and at least there, I feel like I get a vote... Flying, as a non-aviator... passenger... is very helpless feeling... and I have done it a lot...
SFC Mark Merino you can probably relate.
I have been in plenty of ground combat scenarios, and at least there, I feel like I get a vote... Flying, as a non-aviator... passenger... is very helpless feeling... and I have done it a lot...
SFC Mark Merino you can probably relate.
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MSG Thomas Currie
I have to agree -- looking back there were certainly ground combat situations where I should have been scared, but I was always too damn busy staying alive to worry about getting killed.
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This will be a long one so here it goes....
On August 24, 2013 my platoon was conducting route clearance in Afghanistan. We were about 3km outside the wire when the biggest explosion I have ever seen went off three vehicles in front of mine. Upon the dust settling and calling IED on the radio I called our dismount teams back to the vehicle that was hit. After sending up the initial report I asked my PL for a sitrep and he responded that it didn't look good. He told me that the gunner had been ejected and that the driver wasn't moving. Upon hearing this I sent up a sitrep to the TOC I got a call on the platoon net that we had two Heros (code word for KIA). After the MEDEVAC took the two Heros out and after spending hours recovering the destroyed vehicle we went back to the FOB. Once we arrived I was approached by my 1SG and he told me that not everyone in the platoon knew that two Soldiers had just died. I instantly teared up and confronted my guys.
After this event my chain of command made the call to fly us to our home FOB to get some R&R time to get our heads back on straight and fly back up to get our vehicles three days later and clear the roads back. Well, Mr. Taliban had other plans as they attacked our FOB with a 3,000lb VBIED and about 100 fighters, needless to say all the Taliban died in their effort.
A day after the FOB attack we flew back to the FOB where our vehicles were and started prepping for our long journey back. As we were clearing very deliberately we found some copper wire, a cache with some IEDs, and a recoiless rifle. Upon our confidence being boosted we continued clearing. About 10kms from our battle space a buffalo that we were escorting was struck by a VBIED. The VBIED destroyed the buffalo (not an easy feat) and severely injured the six Soldiers inside (all of the Soldiers survived). 24 hours after we departed the FOB we arrived at our home FOB.
After this week of hell I was scared out of my mind. I told my PL, who was scared out his mind as well, I don't know how much more I or the guys could take. We took this opportunity to tell the guys how afraid we were of losing anymore guys and that they needed to let us know how they felt. They responded with the same feeling.
I have never been so scared in my life as Inwas during that week and the following weeks after that hellish week. How me and my guys held it together is beyond me.
Sorry for the long post.....
On August 24, 2013 my platoon was conducting route clearance in Afghanistan. We were about 3km outside the wire when the biggest explosion I have ever seen went off three vehicles in front of mine. Upon the dust settling and calling IED on the radio I called our dismount teams back to the vehicle that was hit. After sending up the initial report I asked my PL for a sitrep and he responded that it didn't look good. He told me that the gunner had been ejected and that the driver wasn't moving. Upon hearing this I sent up a sitrep to the TOC I got a call on the platoon net that we had two Heros (code word for KIA). After the MEDEVAC took the two Heros out and after spending hours recovering the destroyed vehicle we went back to the FOB. Once we arrived I was approached by my 1SG and he told me that not everyone in the platoon knew that two Soldiers had just died. I instantly teared up and confronted my guys.
After this event my chain of command made the call to fly us to our home FOB to get some R&R time to get our heads back on straight and fly back up to get our vehicles three days later and clear the roads back. Well, Mr. Taliban had other plans as they attacked our FOB with a 3,000lb VBIED and about 100 fighters, needless to say all the Taliban died in their effort.
A day after the FOB attack we flew back to the FOB where our vehicles were and started prepping for our long journey back. As we were clearing very deliberately we found some copper wire, a cache with some IEDs, and a recoiless rifle. Upon our confidence being boosted we continued clearing. About 10kms from our battle space a buffalo that we were escorting was struck by a VBIED. The VBIED destroyed the buffalo (not an easy feat) and severely injured the six Soldiers inside (all of the Soldiers survived). 24 hours after we departed the FOB we arrived at our home FOB.
After this week of hell I was scared out of my mind. I told my PL, who was scared out his mind as well, I don't know how much more I or the guys could take. We took this opportunity to tell the guys how afraid we were of losing anymore guys and that they needed to let us know how they felt. They responded with the same feeling.
I have never been so scared in my life as Inwas during that week and the following weeks after that hellish week. How me and my guys held it together is beyond me.
Sorry for the long post.....
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CH (MAJ) William Beaver
My brother, I thank you for sharing. You went through the fires of hell. I salute you .
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CPL Jay Freeman
Hold tight a loss of any type is not easy it's worse when it's one of your own. Just take solace that there was nothing you could have done differently to change what had happened. And most of all it is not anyone's fault other the the taliban
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I met my son after my first deployment. He was 6 months old. I was shaking...could barely talk. Thought if I held him I would break him. Little did I know at 6 months he was like a grown man...lol...I can say I have never been more scared and happy at the same time. It was a weird feeling.
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SSG (Join to see)
My wife and I were not married at the time so emergency leave was not in the cards... I called my house and my then fiance's cell and got nothing. Called the hospital and was directed to the phone in Jess' room. I heard my son being born...I did have that so I was good.
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My fifth jump in Airborne School, I was scared. Not for me, but for the fellow student who was falling through my corner vent! He was actually hanging from my corner vent by his canopy. The further he slipped through, the faster he slipped through. I was afraid that he would fall through before we could land, and that he wouldn't have time to deploy his reserve.
We had already had one student die; he landed on another student's canopy and got tangled in his cords trying to get off. Of course, this was prominent in my mind.
We followed our training and the Black Hat's instructions from the ground, and we both landed uninjured.
We had already had one student die; he landed on another student's canopy and got tangled in his cords trying to get off. Of course, this was prominent in my mind.
We followed our training and the Black Hat's instructions from the ground, and we both landed uninjured.
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SGT Carl Blas
I've tried both situations, another paratrooper going threw my lines, I held his main to keep him from going threw and falling, we both landed safely, but my M-60 broke.
I hit alittle hard, due to I had to keep my M-60 attached, and not drop it on the other guys head.
Another time, I got onto another chute, but walked off, it was like walking on a cloud of puff air, my main stayed open as I slid off, no need for my reserve.
You're right about the instructions from the Black Hats, from their teachings, it helped me in both situations.
I hit alittle hard, due to I had to keep my M-60 attached, and not drop it on the other guys head.
Another time, I got onto another chute, but walked off, it was like walking on a cloud of puff air, my main stayed open as I slid off, no need for my reserve.
You're right about the instructions from the Black Hats, from their teachings, it helped me in both situations.
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About 2 yrs ago I had to brief the Vice Chief of Staff Gen Cambell. I started to catastrophize and do some real time resilience overcame my fear the brief Went better than I expected. I say thi to show that we are our own worst enemy. #fear
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To dumb to be scared. This is my issue I have been told. Rolled a humvee 3.5 times and then fell another 15 ft landing on the roof during a state side training my adrenalin kicked in when the humvee started to go onto it's side up to this point my truck crew and I where afraid of rolling but once we started I embraced the fact we may die. I was the driver. As we rolled I kept my mind racing with the end scenarios if we land upside down then I need to turn the engine off if we land right side up I need to get us out of there.we landed up side down I crawled out and helped get others out our Lt was stuck by his seat belt and bleeding. We all lived but it was a hell of an adrinlan rush I have never been able to do placate.
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First time I made a night jump, it was pitch black, you couldn't see the ground, just black looking down at my feet.
You knew that the ground was comming up, but how fast, or how close, my teeth chattered, I bit down harder, then hit the ground rearward, and landed in some bushes.
Thinking about it now, my teeth started to chatter again, I need to get out of my seat and walk around. BB
You knew that the ground was comming up, but how fast, or how close, my teeth chattered, I bit down harder, then hit the ground rearward, and landed in some bushes.
Thinking about it now, my teeth started to chatter again, I need to get out of my seat and walk around. BB
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This is kind of hard for me to write but I hope someone will recognize the story and realize they aren't alone.
About one month in country (Vietnam) it hit me like a ton of bricks exactly what was going on. I was in the middle of a group of highly trained and motivated individuals that were actively attempting to hunt down and kill a group of people. On the other side was another group just as highly motivated attempting to do the same thing to ME! It brought me to my knees and turned me into a shaking mass for about 8 hours .. fortunately we were behind the wire at the time. I could not even look up at the wire surrounding the Night Defensive Parameter. And then it passed and I have never been the same since.
About one month in country (Vietnam) it hit me like a ton of bricks exactly what was going on. I was in the middle of a group of highly trained and motivated individuals that were actively attempting to hunt down and kill a group of people. On the other side was another group just as highly motivated attempting to do the same thing to ME! It brought me to my knees and turned me into a shaking mass for about 8 hours .. fortunately we were behind the wire at the time. I could not even look up at the wire surrounding the Night Defensive Parameter. And then it passed and I have never been the same since.
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