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Marine Gunnery Sgt. shaken but not deterred
RAMADI, Iraq â For Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt, the business of hunting down and defusing roadside bombs is something of a deadly chess game.Burghardt, 36, of Fountain Valley, Calif., is probably one of the best-known and most well-respected improvised bomb experts in Iraq, where his skills are in constant demand. Last September, an embedded journalist snapped a photo of Burghardt moments after a roadside bomb exploded on him in a notoriously troubled corner of western Ramadi â a city that Burghardt describes as âthe scariest place on Earth.â The image shows Burghardt with bloodied legs and shredded uniform, flipping the bird to an unseen insurgent who triggered the bomb. The photo has circulated widely among military personnel in Iraq, who view it as a powerful symbol of resolve and fighting spirit. âItâs one hell of a picture,â said Col. John L. Gronski, commander of U.S. troops in and around Ramadi. more... SEMPER FIDELIS Posted by: RD 2006-01-19 |
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