I promised long that I would put a big fat Combat Infantryman’s Badge at the top of his Warrior Profile here on Behind the Gun. You might wonder why that’s a big deal since about everyone I’ve posted about has one. Long is the exception, however, and not for his lack of being in combat. […]
He calls me a “Big Country Bumpkin”, and we call each other “Brother”. Chico encompassed the best part of soldiering; getting the job done, whatever it is, and bitch about later if you feel so inclined. Our squad leader doesn’t recall Chico ever complaining in Somalia, he only recalls someone he could always count on […]
Rossman is a soldier’s soldier, a Ranger and the epitome of what each means. I don’t know Rossman personally, though our paths crossed on numerous occasions, the last of which was as we both PCS’d from Haiti in mid to late November, 1994. But after interviewing his soldiers, I can say I know what’s important […]
“Arch” is the next hero I want to tell you about. Though I only knew him in passing, I have a special love for anyone who carries the M-60, especially a gunner of this caliber. As good as I was (or thought I was, whatever), next to no one can claim to be a better gunner […]
Poncho is my brother and he is my hero. That is the first description I always give when telling people about him. I know his squad mates call him the same, and always will. Hailing from Texas, Poncho and I first met as members of the same platoon in Basic Training. The first thing that […]
The only thing more dangerous than an infantryman, is perhaps an infantryman on leave. I don’t know if that’s a quote anywhere, if not, I want credit for it. We all too often lived up to the stereotypes of being hell raisers off post and on leave. Most times the fun was pretty light hearted […]
Undertaking the task of collecting, researching, compiling, and composing a collective of war stories is never easy. Doing it almost 25 years after the fact makes the task about as challenging as it gets. So, why does he do it? Why does Bravo Charles (B.C.) choose to undertake such a monumental task? The answer lies […]
A Ronin is a Samurai who has no master, making Brawny a master of Ronin in his own right. Few men that walk this earth possess all of the numerous traits that comprise a warrior like Brawny. Brawny arrived at our unit in a cohort just in front of mine, along with his roommate Hughes. Part […]
A Mustang Officer is an officer who first enlists in the military before earning a commission. In my experience, they are among the best officers you could ever hope for. J’Dub is the epitome of that statement. No finer human being exists when hot lead goes down range, nor could anyone ask for a more complete […]
LRRP is an outdated (Vietnam era) term for members of LRS units. “Cabbie” spent several years in such a unit after Somalia, post 9-11; most notably in Iraq. Cabbie (good story behind that nickname) and Brawny had gotten to the unit just a couple of months before my cohort and had already been “broken in” by the […]
Behind The Gun: Poncho's Last Walk 