[snip] TwoCrow said most of the insurgents they captured during his time in the Sunni Triangle were Syrians, not Iraqis, and that they also captured fighters from Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Turkey. "They were coming from all over," TwoCrow said. But they all shared something in common: "They've been doing this for years and years," he said. Consequently, the insurgents made for a challenging enemy. "They're really smart, they know how to hide," TwoCrow said. "We'd be shot at and have no idea where we were being shot at from. The bullets would be impacting inches in front of us, inches from our heads." TwoCrow said he and his platoon members finally figured out the insurgents were punching holes in the concrete walls of homes, inserting a long pipe in the hole and firing through it. "They shoot at you all day and you'll never see the muzzle flash or the gun smoke," he said.
TwoCrow's friend with shattered shins is beginning to walk again after intensive physical therapy at Camp Pendleton, about 40 miles north of San Diego. Despite being involved in nearly nonstop combat for four months, TwoCrow himself was never wounded. He said he'll never forget what he saw and experienced. "It's good to have friends there you can talk to when something's wrong," TwoCrow said. "We pretty much stick together. They told us, 'Try to be close to the Marine on your left and your right because you never know when your life might depend on him, or his life might depend on you.' That's what I was taught, which I found out is true."
Rarick said TwoCrow's decision to go into the Marines had everything to do with his son. "When he left the (Southern Ute Indian) Reservation to be a Marine, he wanted to be somewhere where he could make a difference," Rarick said. "He's very proud of himself. That's the one goal he did have. I remember him telling me that goal was to make his son proud." And has he made a difference? TwoCrow believes he has. "I was glad to be there," TwoCrow said. "These people were living in fear. The terrorists were telling these people how to live their lives. I think we did a good job over there. I know a lot of people disagree with what we're doing over there, but I try not to let it get to me."
After serving his four-year stint in the Marines, TwoCrow, a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, hopes to return to Ignacio to work for the SWAT unit of the Southern Ute Police Department. And while he feels good about his service in Iraq, it doesn't mean he's itching to go back. "It's something I'll never forget," TwoCrow said. "It will always be on my mind, something I never hope I have to go through again and that no one else has to go through." |