From the Soldier side: I e-mailed one of my best buddies yesterday...he's in Afghanistan. I haven't heard from him and being that he's usually very busy, I thought I should write him and see how things were going. I mean we're pretty good buddies since we spent a year in Iraq together a few years ago. I wrote the usual stuff: "Hey do you need anything. How's life..." etc.
This was his response...which I only edited for Op Sec.
"CI-Roller,
The elections are over for now. If there is a rerun, I will be on leave and then come back to go home. I am never waiting until the end to take leave, it is way to taxing to ten months without a break.a few days prior to the elections, I was out checking out XXXXX check points, on our way back we were called because it was reported that there was a VBIED in the XXXXX compound; when we got we started taking SAF from a four story building.
We took up positions and returned fire. While moving from one place trying to find better cover a VBIED exploded about 50 feet from me. Luckily nothing hit me, although there were chucks taken out of the road by the explosion about five feet from me. The bad guys were hunkered up in the building pretty good, even after the Apaches fired three hellfires, they were still shooting at us. We finally killed the last guy with a claymore attached to a pole... he was hiding in a staircase between the third and fourth floor.
I definitely earn my CAB that day. Since then things are the same. Me and one other NCO are out XXXX XXXX XXXX. We have a ass clown S-3 that is assigned to XXXX that wants his CAB so bad that he measures his proximity to any indirect fire. I will be glad to get home.
Any thoughts on moving once you retire? You need to come out and go shoot with me sometimes. I just bought 5K rds of 9mm for $400 for my HK94. Your Friend -D"
SAF= Small Arms Fire
CAB= Combat Action Badge (for being in combat, shot at etc.)
My friend lives in Texas where the gun laws are what they should be, and you can own guns like an HK94.
3 comments:
Close call, but aren't they all. What's the major difference in a CIB and a CAB other than uniformed army's?
To be awarded the CIB- Combat Infantry Badge, the soldier has to be in an Infantry MOS. Even if a soldier like a Radio operator went out with the grunts and did everything the grunts did, he can't get the CIB.
To get the CIB, you have to also be in a war zone...but you don't have to have been shot at or anything.
The CAB is for all others. Many officers did and do everything they can to get one. Some camps gave them to everybody who was on the camp when it got hit with mortars...even if it wasn't close.
Other camps required you to get hit with shit to qualify. Getting shot at with any weapon qualifies...but you have to have a lot of paperwork.
Some folks really earned their CIB or CAB, like my buddy did is this latest adventure.
!!!!...way too close.
He needs to hurry home and go shootin' with his buddy.
-JB
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