Sgt Bruce Sorge Iraq Blog

February, 2009

20 February 2009

Our second IED

This one hit my truck

Categories: Iraq

This is a photo blog, click here to view all thumbnails. or click here to view the text of this entry.

So today we went on what was supposed to be a normal run of the mill patrol. When we went out the gate, I had a very bad feeling that something was going to happen, and it did. Apparently, some Iraqi with very large balls threw a tea kettle at my truck that was full of explosives. Fortunately he was a bad aim and rather than land on the top of the truck, it went over and landed on the other side and exploded. No one was hurt but it was very loud. And one water jug was pierced by shrapnel. So in three deployments, I have been shot at by an AK-47, two mortars, two rockets, an RPG and now an IED. And every time I should have been hurt or killed, but I escaped unharmed. God is surely on my side.

Posted by bsorge at 2:25 PM | Link | 1 comment

19 February 2009

Random Mosul pics. more to follow

Categories: Iraq

This is a photo blog, click here to view all thumbnails. or click here to view the text of this entry.

Some pictures of our area.

Posted by bsorge at 2:08 PM | Link | 0 comments

06 February 2009

Sad Day for the Battallion

Categories: Iraq

Today we honored a fallen soldier who unfortunately passed away from a non-combat related accident. As I sat there today, I wondered how many more of these we will have to sit through in our remaining six months here. We have been blessed in that we were in a relatively safe area for the first half of our deployment, performing good will missions and getting to know the Iraqi people and their cultures and customs. However, with our move to Mosul, this is no longer the case. We now have to put on our serious game faces and face the enemy in what is becoming their last stand, their final frontier. We are well trained and we are ready for this challenge. I only hope and pray this this was the first and last memorial we have to attend.

Posted by bsorge at 8:13 AM | Link | 0 comments

01 February 2009

Back To Work, and BEER!

Categories: Iraq

So, we are finally going back out on patrols. It was very nice getting out of the FOB and back into the city. Mosul is a very large city, I think the second or third largest in the country. We had the elections and they went smoothly, even here. Yeah they cordoned off most of the city to keep car bombs out and only allowed foot traffic, but if that is what it takes to have a peaceful election, then so be it. It is better than the alternative. We met our Iraqi Army counterparts and I am really looking forward to working with these guys. They seem like they have their act together, as does most of the IA in the country.
And we got to have two real beers for the Superbowl as well. I had a Heiniken and a Coors Light. Man that tasted so good. I wanted to watch the game but I was getting tired by 2:00 AM.

Posted by bsorge at 12:00 AM | Link | 1 comment