For about three days, I have been going back and forth on how to start this. Its been about two weeks now that I’ve wanted to post it. Even now as I write this, the guilt of not proving it due justice weights on me like a ton of bricks. A few weeks ago as I came across another short film I liked, another film came to my mind, and it dawned on me the correlation between this film and public history. Like a bolt of lighting, I realized that a time in history I was a part of was, is now public history.
It was Fall 2006, and I had just enrolled at the University of Maryland EU. I had probably been in class for a week when I was told to drop my classes in preparation for deployment. At the time, I remember being annoyed because we had been activated before only to sit in K-Town (Kaiserslautern) and then sent back to our station. Upon realizing this wasn’t a drill, I remember being completely terrified. Whenever you join the service, its understood that you run the risk of deployment, but holy butt cheeks does it become so much more real when your number is called. I remember the night before we left, everyone did their own thing. Some went to say goodbye to “friends”, others tucked in kids, and others hit the bars one last time.
In the morning, it was go time. Everything was packed and loaded only leaving us to board charter buses headed for Frankfurt. As we rode amidst the stench of family, lust, and regret, I remember the tone being silent. It remained that way pretty much the entire time to Kuwait, where we sat for another few weeks as an official mission was found for us. As we would find out later, or rather rumor was that we never had a mission. We had found ourselves in the Middle East at the expense of a bullet point to be added for the promotion of our post commander.
The rest, as they say, is history, public history now. Created thru the eyes of a brother, Angels of Anbar is the story of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and our time in Ramadi Iraq (OIF 06-07). Fifteen months of our lives which saw laughs, tears, and death. Through the hard work of creator Elvis Leon of beyoufilms, what began as just another Army Unit getting deployed, became a chapter in history depicting the real story of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as a symbol of remembrance in honoring our fallen brothers.
It has been twelve years this month that we boarded that plane, and just over five that his film was created. Though none of whom rode that plane back have forgotten about those fifteen months in which we became the hardest hit (most casualties) unit in Iraq (At that time).
Aultz
Hess
Gist
Gilbertson
Brooks
Ruoff
“Blood on the Axe” “Duty First”
Thank you for sharing John. I know it must have been hard to share that but thank you for trusting us as a class and sharing such an important part of your own public history. I’m sure there is so much more to the history of your brigade and you are trying to think of how you can best tell the full story. I am sure you have much more to blog about on this personal experience and history.
Thank you for this deep share. I admired the format that you chose. I know it can be a hard story to tell but it is nice to have this out there for those who have no idea what it’s like. Being a soldier is tough but information like this helps us to support your mission with more empathy. Thanks again for putting this into the historical record.