GETTING SHOT AT MADE ME MORE. MAD THAN ANYTHING ELSE

“My paternal grandfather served in the US Navy and passed long before I was born. One uncle served in the US Navy and another uncle in the United States Marine Corps, both during the Vietnam War. My father completed two tours in the Vietnam War with the USAF, one as gunner aboard the AC-47 Spooky gunship and another as tail gunner aboard B-52 Stratofortresses. My wife served in the US Navy as a Corpsman and my youngest brother currently serves in the USAF.

The worst part of the OIF II deployment was receiving a Red Cross message. I had returned late in the evening from a patrol along MSRs Michigan and Mobile after couple days without sleep. My CO, XO, 1st Sgt and Company Gunny pulled me aside, to give me the news and hand me the satellite phone. My younger brother had been murdered. There I was in Fallujah and yet my younger brother, the one “safe” at home in Houston was killed. I got emergency leave to head to Houston and attend the funeral. My youngest brother did not deploy and stayed to help the family.

There was no way I could leave my Marines in Fallujah. So back to Fallujah I went.“

• Daniel Attilio, USMC Iraq and Afghanistan

ALeapofFaithTheMenAndWomenWhoServedPost911.com

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