Tags
combat, deciding to kill, eof, haditha, iraq, iraqi nationalists, killing, kristan blanchard, marine, oef, oif, politics, ROE, sons of anarchy, target engagement, trenton phoenix, VFW, voice recording
Download “Combat Target Engagement – Oct 27, 2012.mp3” – Voice Recording
Length: 17 min 11 sec
My voice recording recounting my post and my EOF target engagement in WestAcc (western access) vehicle control point in Iraq mid 2007 – escalation of force (EOF) execution under the current U.S. Rules of Engagement (ROE). Pulling the trigger, the process of committing to the action, and willingly embarking on a path that may end human lives – ultimately accepting the responsibility and ramifications of willingly taking another human life (regardless of circumstances). Some of the inter-personal politics at the small unit level, and the process by which EOF was executed.
During this point in my deployment is when I made my first bracelet that I wear nearly 24/7 on my left wrist – to me signifying this incident, the changes in my life, and a constant reminder of what I have done and what could have happened to me, and over a dozen other Marines and Iraqi nationals.