{"id":2096183,"date":"2023-11-10T10:39:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-its-like-to-survive-an-ied-blast\/"},"modified":"2023-11-10T10:45:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:45:33","slug":"what-its-like-to-survive-an-ied-blast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-its-like-to-survive-an-ied-blast\/","title":{"rendered":"What It\u2019s Like To Survive An IED Blast"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-its-like-to-survive-an-ied-blast%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2096183&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The Tragic Incident That \u200cChanged Everything<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>The following is an excerpt from <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/River-City-One\/John-J-Waters\/9781637588956\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>River City One: A Novel<\/em><\/a><em> (Knox Press; Nov. 7, 2023).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I can still vividly recall the\u200c image of him, with his helmet on and a chinstrap\u2063 hanging loosely, as tobacco\u2064 spit dripped from his lip. The \u2064right \u200dside of his \u2064face was swollen\u2062 like a puffer fish. He purposely maintained an unkempt appearance, so filthy that even the bad\u2064 guys wouldn&#8217;t\u2062 dare touch him. Strangely, I \u200dfound comfort in his presence, believing \u2062that it \u2064would keep me \u2064safe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1213938622\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-04fbc512fc5186774ae6a90b41d08312 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-04fbc512fc5186774ae6a90b41d08312\"><\/div>\n<p>That day, I was walking fourth in line, just ahead of West who was in the middle. \u200d&#8221;You&#8217;re in my world today, Sir \u2014 you know\u200b the drill,&#8221; he said. West was the guy\u200d everyone wanted to lead the patrol, so I followed his instructions without hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>We proceeded in single file, resembling a group of schoolchildren crossing a muddy playground. The rain from the previous\u2063 night had turned the ground into a thick, sticky mess. \u2062Each step felt like trudging through peanut butter, \u2063the mud clinging to the soles of my boots.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-its-like-to-survive-an-ied-blast\/\" title=\"What It\u2019s Like To Survive An IED Blast\">point man cautiously waved<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-says-impeachment-and-25th-amendment-resolutions-will-be-brought-to-the-house-floor-starting-monday\/\" title=\"Pelosi Says Impeachment and 25th Amendment Resolutions Will Be Brought to the House Floor Starting Monday\">metal detector<\/a> in front of him, scanning for potential dangers. We \u200conly ventured where the metal detector allowed,\u200b carefully placing our feet in the footprints of the person ahead. \u200dIt was a slow and meticulous process, hoping the ground wouldn&#8217;t give way beneath us.<\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t recall what occupied my \u2063thoughts before it happened. Perhaps it was the weight of my heavy pack, resembling \u2064a \u200dlifeless body on my shoulders. I wasn&#8217;t thinking about combat. I was uncomfortable, but not afraid.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-efa3dd1a537a14e4f9fe0eecbf14cf30 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-efa3dd1a537a14e4f9fe0eecbf14cf30\"><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Keep up, Sir. Speed is the name of this game,&#8221; were West&#8217;s final words.<\/p>\n<p>As we reached the \u200dtop of the hill and approached \u200dthe plateau, a\u200c sudden flash of white light blinded us, followed by an intense wave of heat. The explosion burned\u200c the hair off \u200bthe back of my neck. Something struck the side of my head, and in an instant, I found myself\u200c sitting on the ground. The blast reverberated through my entire body, like a simultaneous blow \u200dto the head and ribs.<\/p>\n<p>A second \u200bpassed. My initial thought was, &#8220;I&#8217;m dead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another second passed. I heard rocks and debris raining down\u2062 around me, splattering onto the ground. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-goodwin-the-medias-road-to-ruin-its-own-credibility-in-war-on-trump\/\" title=\"Michael Goodwin: The Media\u2019s Road to Ruin Its Own Credibility in War on Trump\">air turned<\/a> a reddish-brown, a fog that enveloped me, forcing me to pick wet mud out of my nose and spit it from my mouth.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9bc534c9b671ac7dcc55cb0528c46f87 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9bc534c9b671ac7dcc55cb0528c46f87\"><\/div>\n<p>More\u2063 seconds passed. \u2062My consciousness slowly returned, and I realized I was\u2062 alive. I had memories. I\u200d remembered walking with my team, nearing the end of our mission when we were struck by something.<\/p>\n<p>More time passed. My ears were ringing, and I felt\u2064 a throbbing\u2063 pain in my head, as \u200dif I hadn&#8217;t had\u200b a cup of \u2063coffee in months. A doctor later informed me that the\u2063 explosion had shattered my eardrum. For now, I drifted in and out of focus. Voices echoed in the distance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pence-calls-trumps-accusations-against-milley-inexcusable\/\" title=\"Pence deems Trump's accusations on Milley 'unforgivable'.\">gradually growing louder<\/a>. I strained \u200bto\u2063 see \u200dthrough the fog, but everything remained hazy until I turned to\u200d look behind\u2064 me.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m good!&#8221; I shouted at the\u2062 figure emerging from the fog. I frantically checked my legs, my \u200bface, and my chest. &#8220;I&#8217;m okay,&#8221; I whispered\u2064 to myself. I had made it. Glancing back, I\u2062 finally\u200c saw\u200b the person holding something in their hands. It was a helmet turned upside down, with a bootlace hanging from it. It\u200c seemed peculiar. I pushed myself to my feet, standing above the figure,\u200c and then it hit me. West wasn&#8217;t sitting. His upper body was embedded in the mud,\u200c as\u200b if he had sprouted from the ground. \u2064And there, inside the boot he cradled in his helmet, was something black\u200c and red. I couldn&#8217;t tear\u2062 my eyes away from the boot \u200bin his hands.<\/p>\n<p>My mind flashed back to a \u200dconversation I had\u200d overheard. &#8220;Sir, my orthotics don&#8217;t fit these issue boots, so I&#8217;m\u200b gonna need\u200c to \u2062buy a special pair. Check out this sweet-ass\u200d pair of boots.&#8221; He was the only one in the platoon with boots \u2064that resembled\u200d Air Jordans. It was his left foot he \u200bheld in\u2063 that helmet, the tan leather now stained a dark red, but otherwise in perfect condition. The boot&#8217;s toe box and throat were plump, and the laces were tied.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn&#8217;t have \u200cbeen more than five feet away. Sometimes, I dream about it at night, reaching for his tourniquet from the front right shoulder of his plate carrier, my fingers brushing against the stump of his right thigh. Then,\u200c I tear my own tourniquet off my plate carrier, desperately trying to \u2062stop the\u2063 bleeding from what \u2062remained\u200d of his left leg. In my dreams,\u2062 I always do it perfectly, but \u200breality \u200cdidn&#8217;t unfold that way. Seconds passed, and I couldn&#8217;t move. More seconds passed, and I still couldn&#8217;t \u2064move. Eventually, the lead man in\u2062 our\u200c column arrived, providing the\u200c aid that I had planned in my head but couldn&#8217;t execute.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/10\/can-america-and-its-veterans-find-their-purpose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Can America, And \u200bIts Veterans, Find Their Purpose?<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Have you ever had that dream where you steal the ball during a basketball\u2064 game? There&#8217;s nothing but open \u2062court between\u2063 you and the basket, with no defenders in sight. Sometimes, your legs feel like\u200b rubber, while\u200c other times they feel like wood. West bled out on the helicopter, his \u2064arteries sliced as cleanly as a well-manicured lawn, as the medic informed us. It \u200bwas a &#8220;victim-operated IED.&#8221; Victim-operated, as if West had chosen to end his own life when he stepped on that pressure plate, when he stepped \u2062into my footprints.<\/p>\n<p>We both \u2064triggered the explosion. Only\u200b West was able to operate the bomb that took his life.<\/p>\n<p><em>This\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/realclearwire.com\/articles\/2023\/11\/09\/what_it_feels_like_to_survive_an_ied_blast_991605.html\">article<\/a> was originally published by RealClearBooks and made available via RealClearWire.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-dcfdf814e502671785450b1dfdc8ffe3 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-dcfdf814e502671785450b1dfdc8ffe3\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What\u2062 was the evidence of the\u200b impact that\u200d ended one man&#8217;s life?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Was slightly\u2064 scuffed, evidence of the \u2062impact \u200dthat ended one \u2064man&#8217;s \u200dlife \u200dand forever changed the lives of those who survived.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d tragic incident left us stunned, our minds struggling \u200bto comprehend the\u200d enormity of what had just happened. We had been a tight-knit unit, bound together by a shared mission\u200c and a sense of camaraderie. But in that moment,\u200c everything was shattered, replaced by a profound sense of loss and grief.<\/p>\n<p>As the days turned into weeks, we mourned our fallen comrade and tried to make sense of the \u200csenseless. We attended the memorial service, standing together as a united front, but the pain and emptiness lingered, a constant reminder of the fragility of life and the unpredictable nature of war.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2062 the aftermath of the incident, our mission\u2063 shifted. We were no longer \u200bthe same\u200c carefree, boisterous group. We\u200c had witnessed firsthand the\u2064 devastating consequences of conflict, and it had left an indelible mark on our souls. We became more cautious, more vigilant, always on edge, knowing that our lives could be altered \u2062in an instant.<\/p>\n<p>The incident also forced\u200b us to confront our own mortality. We had joined the military with a sense of adventure, a desire to serve our country and make a difference. But now, we had seen the consequences of that decision. We had seen how quickly life could be snuffed out, how fragile our existence was.<\/p>\n<p>For some, the incident fueled a sense of anger and a desire for revenge. They sought justice, vowing to avenge their fallen\u2062 comrade. Others \u200dretreated into themselves, grappling with survivor&#8217;s guilt and questioning the purpose of their own lives. And still, there were those who found solace in each other, leaning on their fellow soldiers for support and understanding.<\/p>\n<p>Life went on, \u200bas it always does. We completed our mission and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-jesse-jackson-remade-the-democratic-party\/\" title=\"Jesse Jackson's Democratic Party Transformation\">returned \u200dhome<\/a>, forever changed by the \u2063experience. We carried the \u200bweight of that incident with us, a constant reminder of the sacrifices made in the \u2063pursuit of peace.<\/p>\n<p>The tragic\u2063 incident\u200b that changed everything taught us the fragility of life, the impact of loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. It reminded us to cherish every moment, \u2063to\u200b hold our loved ones close, and to never take our own existence for granted. It was\u200c a painful lesson, one that we will\u2062 carry with us for the \u2063rest of our lives.<\/p>\n<p>In the years \u2063that\u200d followed, we<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The text is an excerpt from &#8220;River City One: A Novel&#8221; (Knox Press; Nov. 7, 2023). I can&#8217;t help but laugh as I vividly recall him. With his helmet on, chinstrap hanging, and tobacco spit dripping from his lip, his right side resembled a swollen pufferfish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2546,"featured_media":2096184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2096183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2546"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2096183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2096184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2096183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2096183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2096183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}