Bryan Strawser

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An Army at Dawn: 200 Pages

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I am currently around 200 pages into Rick Atkinson’s excellent book An Army at Dawn about the US and British Armies in the Second World War. It’s quite an insightful look into a nation learning to grow warriors, men trying to become combat leaders, and generals learning – sometimes at the cost of much blood – how to wage war on another nation.

The book has helped me with some perspective on recent events in my own life. As stressed and concerned as we get about things from time to time – personal events, family events, company events – I still get to go home at the end of the day, I still have a job, I’m still alive… these men could be dead at the end of their day – every day.. and they would have to live with that for more than three years from 1942 through the end of the war in 1945.

When I think about things in that context, what I have to deal with every day doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.

A Letter Home from North Africa: 1942

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After leaving where we were before we left ofr here, not knowing we were coming here from there, we couldn’t tell whether we had arrived here or not. Nevertheless, we now are here and no there. The weather here is just as it always is at this season. The people here are just like they look.

An Army at Dawn, Page 197

SFC Paul Ray Smith

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In today’s world, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that one man can make a difference. Paul Ray Smith is on the way to becoming the first serviceman to receive the Medal of Honor since MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randall Shughart fought their last battle in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993. 

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, SFC (Sergeant First Class) Smith was a platoon sergeant/acting platoon leader in the 1st Brigade’s B Company, 11th Engineer Battalion attached to the 2-7 Task Force. Bravo Company was in contact with Saddam’s forces nearly every day during the second phase of the campaign. After a pause below As Samawah and Karbala, the drive on Baghdad from the south carried the 2-7th into Saddam International Airport. 

[…]

Smith promptly organized the engineers’ defense, since the only thing that stood between the Iraqis and the Task Force’s headquarters were about 15 to 20 engineers, mortarmen and medics. A second M113 was hit by an RPG, but was still operational. Dozens of Iraqi soldiers were charging from the gate or scaling a section of the wall, jumping into the courtyard. 

Smith took over the second APC’s .50-caliber machine gun and got the vehicle into a position where he could stop the Iraqis. First Sergeant Tim Campbell realized that they had to knock out the Iraqi position in the tower and after consulting with Smith, led two soldiers to take the tower. Armed only with a light machine-gun, a rifle and a pistol with one magazine, the trio advanced behind the smoke of tall grass that had caught fire from exploding ammunition.

Smith yelled for more ammunition three times during the fight, going through 400 rounds before he was hit in the head. Shortly before taking the tower and gunning down the Iraqis inside, Campbell noticed that the sound of Smith’s .50-caliber had also stopped. Campbell figured Smith was just reloading again.

The medics worked on SFC Smith for 30 minutes, but he was dead. 

According to the citation, his actions killed 20 to 50 Iraqis, allowing the American wounded to be evacuated, saving the aid station and headquarters (as well as possibly 100 American lives). Fellow soldiers credit Smith with thwarting the advance of well-trained, well-equipped soldiers from the Special Republican Guard, which was headed straight for the 2-7 Task Force’s headquarters (Tactical Operations Center), less than a half-mile away. [Strategy Page]

An Army at Dawn

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September 1st, 1939 was the first day of a war that would last for 2,174 days, and it brought the first dead in a war that would claim an average of 27,600 lives every day, or 1,150 an hour, or 19 a minute, or one death every 3 seconds….

From An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson.

All Reserves Alerted

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The U.S. Army has ordered all 410,000 troops in the Army Reserve to prepare for mobilization. Not everyone is being ordered to active duty, but the new orders make everyone aware that the army reserves are now on a wartime footing. [Strategy Page]

Tomb of the Unknown Guards Shun Shelter

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ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 19 %u2014  As the winds from Hurricane Isabel swept over Arlington National Cemetery, the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns were given %u2014 for the first time in history %u2014 permission to abandon their posts and seek shelter. ìThey told us that. But thatís not whatís going to happen,î said Sgt. Christopher Holmes, standing vigil on overnight duty. ìThatís never an option for us. It went in one ear and right out the other.î [MSNBC]

National Guardsman Remembered

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A police officer who was killed while serving in Iraq with the Rhode Island National Guard was buried Friday with full police and military honors.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Camara, 40, died Sept. 1 when his Humvee struck a mine near Baghdad.

Police and military honor guards stood at attention and bagpipes skirled as the flag-draped casket, accompanied by a riderless horse, was brought to Mount Carmel Church.

Govs. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island attended the funeral, along with U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.

”He and the others who died in this conflict, as in all other conflicts, are innocent and, like Christs themselves, allow themselves to be in the words of Jesus … persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” the Rev. Jack Oliveira said at the funeral.

”He was an exceptional partner,” said Police Officer Luis Sud-Martinez.

”He had no qualms about going back and serving his duty in the military. He had put his time in and was ready to retire but he went back and he had a job to do,” he said. [Boston Globe]