Murphy

We just finished one of the longest missions I could imagine without anyone getting hurt.  It was supposed to be a five hour mission and turned into a 12 your mission when everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  

First it started with my crew having to trade trucks with another crew because our truck does not have enough armor to go through the neighborhood where our mission took us.  We did not know what truck we were going to use until two hours before the mission and we had to work like mad to get it ready for us.  We didn't have time to take the other crew's equipment out of the truck before we left so we just put ours in and left.  

On the way to our destination our lead truck made a wrong turn.  That happens sometimes, especially on a route that we have not been on before, so it was no big deal.  It became a big deal when he got stuck in the mud while trying to turn around!  He got so stuck that it took two trucks and a couple of hours to get him unstuck.  We were now two hours behind schedule, but back on the road.

As we entered the base at our destination I had to unload or clear my .50 cal.  Something broke inside, and it became inoperable.  I worked on it for a while, but had to give up as we were turning around as quickly as possible because we were late.  It was good that we left the original crew's equipment in their truck because I had their .50 cal in reserve.  I wrestled mine out of the turret and mounted theirs and we continued the mission.  

So far: truck stuck in the mud and broken weapon

We started back just within our allowed window to start missions so that we only run in the dark.  We could just make it back as the sun would be rising.  That was until about two miles down the road until the lugs on our truck's right rear tire sheared off and we lost the wheel in the middle of the street!  Our wheel fell off.  It took another two hours to get my truck on the back of one of the empty HETTS (used to transport heavy equipment like MRAPS and tanks) that we fortunately had available and continue the mission.  I had to unmount the .50 cal that I had just mounted and finished the mission in the back of another truck.  By this time the sun was up and we had to contend with traffic in broad daylight in Sadr City.  At least I got to see Baghdad in the daytime.  

Oh, it's not over.

Next a trucks radio jamming equipment went down.  That is used to stop radio controlled IEDs.  We didn't have to stop, just adjust our convoy order.  

Then one of our drivers ran into another truck with his rhino.  Thats a heater box that sticks out in front of the truck to trigger heat activated IEDs in front of the truck instead of on the truck.  He bent it! 

Finally, we got back home.  Final tally: Truck stuck in the mud, broken weapon, broken truck, broken jammer, broken rhino, and a daylight drive through Sadr City.

I still had to help recover all the gear, from both crews, out of the broken truck so it could be taken to maintenance before I was able to go to bed.  I am still tired, but we all got back safe and we got the cargo delivered so it was a good mission.

I hope they don't all go like that!