Western Courier

Issue date: 6/16/05 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: KRT Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste, commanding officer, Alpha Company, 1st Infantry Division, left, speaks with soldiers including Sgt. Brandon Bailey, 21, Big Bear, Calif., third from left, following the company´s battle with insurgents for control of the city of Fallujah, Iraq.

While everyone's view on the Iraq War is different, I like to think that the common ground of that particular issue is the support of our troops. I know that phrase is starting to become a cliché thanks to an onslaught of yellow magnetic ribbons, but I like to think that is one of the few things in this increasingly polarized political environment where we can come together and agree on something.

This isn't a boring political column; you can keep reading. I'm not going to try and change your mind on anything. I just want to bring to your attention that there are faces behind what I think some Americans see as a video game unfolding on CNN daily.

While I was using the Internet two months ago or so, I stumbled across a story on www.blackfive.net that caught my attention. It is a story you probably didn't read in the paper or see on the nightly news. It is a story of one Marine doing what he sees as duty, and what most others see as extreme courage and valor under fire.

Iowan farm boy-turned U.S. Marine, 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal's story echoes those of generations past. After graduating high school in 1984, Kasal joined the Marines, and began a career that would take him through Operation Desert Storm in Iraq the first time, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and then again to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was injured by a rocket propelled grenade, and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart.

At this point, Kasal faced a crossroads. He could have retired from the Marines, but instead he chose to return to Iraq for a second tour of duty. Upon his return, he was slated to participate in the battle for a city named Fallujah, one of the biggest hotspots in Iraq, a place most Americans couldn't find on a map. While doing a route sweep for insurgents on a block, Kasal was notified that there were three wounded Marines trapped in a building by insurgents.

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools