troop letter: “I need you now! I need you now!”

October 08, 2010

My “friend” had given all.

Things on the ground have heated up a bit since the Afghanistan elections and our presence in the skies is more important than
ever. Just yesterday I flew a life changing mission in support of some great American heroes who I will never forget. These “kids”
were bravely patrolling through a village deeply entrenched with enemy fighters. Their mission was to clear the enemy out of the
village and provide a secure place for the locals to live and prosper. Shortly after our arrival on station, the patrol started taking
heavy and effective fire and my wingman and I were there to protect them with fires from the air. The situation lasted for hours as
we continued to cover their movements and engage the enemy on and off. Apache helicopter gunships were brought in below us
and things seemed to settle down for a while. It was quite a gratifying feeling to help those guys the way we did- they could not
have succeeded without us.
The combat air controller on the ground directing our contribution to the fight was one I had worked with on several missions in the
past and I had built a rapport with him- a rapport forged under the stress of combat and the feeling of ultimate teamwork, sacrifice
and trust. It is funny that I consider him a brother to me, a brother in arms, a friend, yet I don’t even know his name or rank- just
his call sign, and he only knows mine. This bond is one of the most special things about military service.
Unfortunately, there is more to the story. All of a sudden all hell broke loose on the ground as the patrol was ambushed by enemy
forces at very close range. The patrol was immediately pinned down, they took immediate casualties, and I heard my “friend”
screaming in the radio to “his friends” in the air for help. All he could say was, “I need you now! I need you now!” It all happened
so fast and then the radio fell silent. I knew what had happened. My “friend” had given all.
We eventually were able to engage the enemy from the air and vector ground reinforcements to their aide, but it was not in time to
prevent the loss of two US heroes. As I replay the events over and over in my mind, I struggle with the thoughts of what I could
have done better. In the end, perhaps we did our best and it just wasn’t ever going to be enough- war is an ugly thing and people
really die. This is my cross to bear. I do find solace in the fact that surely more would have died had we not been there to support.
What is not lost on me is in his final moments alive on this earth, in a situation he knew was dire, he was crying out for help from
above…he knew his only hope for his team was from the superiority of aviation fires. “I need you now! I need you now!” This
fact emboldens me to work harder than ever before to ensure our machines and people are ready to support these heroes at all costs.
It also solidifies my resolve to endure this time away from my family. Your sacrifice as families IS making a huge difference to a
lot of people, far beyond VMFA-312. And remember, no matter how hard this separation may seem at times, we have it easy. Our
hardships pale in comparison to the sacrifice my “friend’s” family just made.
Thank you for listening to my difficult but important story. As always, thank you also for your amazing support. I’ve never witnessed
a unit with a group of families of your caliber. God bless you all and Semper Fidelis.