Constant Combat

Running with the Candy Man - Blake Pepper (part 2 of 2)

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In part 2, we get more of Ramadi through Blake Pepper’s eyes: river searches, javelin shots from bridges, a Mark 19 jam under fire, and the day Conde didn’t come back. Between firefights, we find the small rituals that kept a platoon human and the long road from anger to remembrance. It’s the texture of a deployment you won’t find in an official military publication, told without bravado and without flinching.

• night patrols with face paint and bridge overwatch
• two-day river search with no sleep
• javelin engagements on a stalled car and enemy buildings
• hooch grappling, volleyball mishaps, and downtime mixtapes
• candy for kids from ammo-can boxes
• chow hall clashes, saluting in combat zones
• weapon malfunctions, lubrication, and field fixes
• Okinawa and Philippines training to rebuild the unit
• "the Blue Mile", Arlington visits, and honoring Gold Star families
• Sergeant Kenneth Conde’s leadership, loss, and the crew’s aftermath
• mental health dips, reunions, and brotherhood as lifeline




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SPEAKER_00:

This is part two of our interview with Blake Pepper from Mobile Assault Platoon 3.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know. I got a I got a cool photo of all of us. One uh night mission, we all put uh like face paint and stuff on. That was uh that was still in June because I think I took the photo and like everyone else is wearing face paint and stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah. Yeah, that was in June. I do remember that photo because Condi was still in it. So yeah, yep. Let's see. I'm trying to think of other stuff. There was uh you know, one thing that uh nobody else has mentioned. We'll see if you have any memories of it or not. Do you remember did you do anything during May when uh they had those guys that were trying to swim across the river? Were you guys out there helping search?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I mean that was the longest two days ever. No sleep. Yep. Like we were out there patrolling. I remember hitting probably two or three different like winds to stay awake. That man, yeah, that was that was pretty crazy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so were you up and down the riverbanks or where were you at?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah, we were on both sides. Um, I remember that was the first time we went on the north side of that. We crossed over the bridge, and because that wasn't really our AO, but we went over there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, technically that was we used to joke that the uh the Marine Corps band was the one that was patrolling that area. It wasn't, it was some that was a combined army and uh marine unit that was out of blue diamond.

SPEAKER_03:

Mm-hmm. Yep. But that's where most of the uh the rockets and mortars that were coming from. I remember being on that bridge and uh a couple times or we actually shot a javelin from that bridge. I don't remember who shot it. Um, but yeah, they they actually shot a jab. I got the photo of the impact of the building like afterwards with a crappy camera. But uh yeah. Oh, another cool thing is um talking about javelins is a time that some idiot parked or his vehicle broke down right in front of a combat outpost. And uh so we weren't sure if it was you know laced with anything. Yeah, that's when Corbin McKenzie uh was uh tasked with uh shooting that sucker with a javelin, and I got the whole thing on video. I jumped somehow. I guess they weren't they were fine with it. I got out of the turret and went down like right next to him, and like I had my camera, I videotaped it, and it just I just remember it like like it makes this funny like noise, like it just comes like poop, and then it just the the freaking jet just and just seeing that live was like crazy. Like the the the whole missile just like pops right out and then it just and then I went like this with the camera and then I uh aimed it as it's and just the explosion. You see the front hood just flying like about I don't know 50, 70 something feet up in the air. And then I I was taking a video as we were passing it. I'm like, this thing's like got smoked. It was it was great.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. I didn't realize you got a video of that. That's cool. I do remember seeing that video when we were over there. I didn't know where who'd who had taken it. I think I thought it was called Colonel North's crew, but I guess not. Well, that's the other funny stuff.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know, just messing around in in the hooch, I guess. A lot of time, I think one time we had like the all the Lance corpals trying to grapple some of the corpals. And uh, I remember uh Shelton, like tall, lanky, long-arm dude, and uh, I was a pretty good grappler. And uh I was like, I'm not I'm not gonna let this dude win. So I think I don't know if he had a hold of me or something. Um and that was the one time that I actually like uh drew blood in combat. It was like I scraped like my I scraped the like my hand or something like that while we were wrestling on the concrete. And I'm like, yeah, of all the time, you know, all this this bullets and bombs and like I draw blood by wrestling in the in the hooch. That's about it.

SPEAKER_02:

So well during one of our other conversations, wasn't there somebody that got their nose broke while playing the volleyball or whatever?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh that was in my platoon. That was Cohen. He broke his jaw.

SPEAKER_02:

Jaw, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Didn't he get sent home early? He got sent home early because his jaw was broke through and through and he couldn't eat or drink. I mean, he could kind of drink, but he was having a real hard time.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in a combat zone with like yeah, that would that hard motherfucker refused.

SPEAKER_00:

We tried to send him home for days until finally uh I think it was Rake Brandt came over and was like, you don't have a choice, you're gonna get an infection, you're gonna die.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, dang. You know, just the we kind of we a lot our our company as a whole, like we really had a lot of fun together, like different platoons and stuff. Just kind of we had little competitions, you know, like map three, map two, it always, you know, uh play some volleyball or dodgeball. And then I know I think all of the platoons ended up, you know, doing a bunch of stuff together. It was kind of neat.

SPEAKER_00:

What'd you do in your what did you do in your downtime to pass time if you had downtime? It seems like a lot of people felt like they didn't have much.

SPEAKER_03:

Hmm. I do I remember I had a CD player and I had some like burned a bunch of burned CDs. I don't know if I had a book, uh, if I might have made them be I before I left. So I listened to a lot of music. Um, I know Corporal Vigil actually had a laptop there, so he did. Like it was sometimes that I I'd go get some burned CDs and like uh I think I made some like mixed CDs like off of his laptop just to kind of making combat mixtapes, man.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you know, I'd go to I went to the gym. That was that was a you know kind of a good stress relief. Yeah, just heck it didn't seem like we really had a whole lot of downtime while we were there.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. You probably had more than you can remember, but it just doesn't stick out, right?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Now one thing that people might remember me uh for is my mom would send boxes full of candy uh and food and stuff, and so it's cool. The funniest thing was is I always kept uh like a box, uh pretty good size box, uh, on top of my ammo crates in the Humvee, like especially like when I got the armored Humvee. Yeah, I literally had a box sitting right there, so I was always giving candy out to like Iraqi kids or any other you know, Marines. It was just kind of funny. I never was issued any grenades, so I always had candy stuffed in the grenade pouches.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03:

So but yeah, they kind of called me the candy man, uh, because I was always had you know candy on me and I got it from my mom, so got a sweet tooth.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm always amused by uh if that someone does have a uh a good luck charm.

SPEAKER_03:

Did you did you have one? No, not really. One thing I wish I could have brought home is like I kept a uh a casing from every single like major firefight that we had. I actually I had it in my flak jacket, but they told us that we weren't gonna be allowed to like bring any brass home or anything like that. So I had to like write the dates on them like in a sharpie, and then like I took a picture of it just so I could, you know, still remember it. So I was kind of bummed. I really wanted to, or I really wanted to take those home with me, like every single like Diddy Cal and even like the Mark 19 casing, like just the empty, yeah. Yeah, but yeah, not really any good luck charms, I guess. Um I've never been like big on jewelry or anything. I mean, yeah, I didn't have like a any kind of religious medallion, but did you guys uh no?

SPEAKER_02:

I know we went on some pretty long runs every once in a while, taking out to like Tacotum and and whatnot. Did you uh I'm sure you guys did too. Any of those think out to you?

SPEAKER_03:

No. I mean, yeah, I remember going to them, just kind of sitting around doing patrols and stuff, but um I think the best thing that we looked forward to is like getting to go to the where the the the chow hall right right next door.

SPEAKER_00:

Junction City.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, Junction City. Oh my gosh, man, they had they hired all those uh Filipinos to work in the kitchen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And um man, that food was amazing. I remember we we'd we'd all go in, we'd all be like drenched in sweat, walking in there all dirty, and like everybody that that you know is stationed was was there, they'd be kind of like looking at us, but then like they just like let us do our thing because we knew that we were actually like the real ones doing the jobs out there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

We're gonna have uh um uh two of our combat replacements for Sledgehammer on here in a little bit, and they have a great story with that one where uh an army uh sergeant major tried to tell them that they couldn't get chow because they were too dirty or something. I guess Sergeant Major Booker just just blew up on them. It's a great story, I'm not gonna tell it because it's not mine anyways, but it's a it's hilarious. Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_03:

That's yeah, I've I've I remember hearing some some grumblings and some like officers might, you know. But then I think that was when like our gunny, our platoon commander, was like, all right, let just let them eat. Like we literally been out on patrols all day, just just leave us alone, basically. And then, you know, just another instance of like we were on Camp Blue Diamond. I remember we were just sitting there chilling, waiting for the higher-ups. Um I don't know what we were there for. Then there was like uh one or two army officers, might have been like captain or hire, walked up to us and were like they expected us to salute. Yeah. When like we were like, We're in a combat zone, sir. Do you want to get shot? It's like I I I didn't do any confront, I didn't like confront him or whatever, but I was like there in this vicinity, and we were like, I don't know, this guy was taking uh uh such a huge offense that we weren't saluting him. Okay, uh good luck. I guess you know let's not leave this base at all.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh also interesting. Like, again, I don't know army doctrine. Yeah, I never served in the army, but it's Marine Corps doctrine not to salute in a combat zone. Like it doesn't matter what the situation is. Yeah, so uh it's weird for them to not understand the difference in culture.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and the fact that he had like shiny brass on too. I'm like, I know most of our officers got the blacked out. Absolutely, yeah, you know, or they didn't wear it.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean or wear nothing, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, because I mean we all know who our officers are, so I mean, this you know, real combat or infantry guys, yeah. And you know, a lot of people like say, like, oh yeah, you guys are you Marines are just cocky and stuff. And I'm like, Oh, I I mean actually I could just consider it confident because we know what we're doing. You have to be a little bit cocky. If not, then I mean, what are you gonna do? You could be timid, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Right, the job doesn't call for that.

SPEAKER_03:

Sorry, I wasn't trained that way. Uh I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Now remind me, when did you come to the battalion? Were you were late in Okinawa, yeah?

SPEAKER_03:

Nope. I was one of the last ones, uh October of 03. So right when actually it was November because I was in so I graduated boot camp in like early September of 03. Then I got stuck in SOI, and then a whole bunch of us were the ones that we got sent to 2-4. Like um, I graduated with uh Horatsky in boot camp, but he went through SOY like two. I had to sit in SOI for like two weeks because they only took like a group of us. Yeah. And so that's why like when I, you know, got to two four, I was like, hey, dude, what's up? Um, but yeah, and it was that happened to a bunch of us. Um they just took whoever, it's because they're they packed so many, uh, so many of us into SY just to get us to these units.

SPEAKER_00:

Um trying to spin everybody up, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And so that's why we only had like what, not even three months to train with the unit.

SPEAKER_00:

Very short. And then with the holiday breaks and stuff, too, because you know, some people took time off or whatever. It yeah, it made it hard.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep. So yeah, that that lead up to that deployment was was just crazy. Very interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

Nylon and I had a little bit of a different experience towards the end of the deployment because we stayed, we were left seat, right seat. Um but you would have transitioned over to Junction City right away, right?

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Hung out in Junction City for a while for uh decompression.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. We were there for what, maybe a week or two. Um, but did you guys you guys stayed in uh hurricane point for a little bit until 2-5 got there?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, there was a bunch of us that that uh initially some of the 2-5 guys rode with us and then we rode with them, and we stayed yeah, for about a week with them.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I remember you remember uh you posted that video of uh Captain Rapico or Rapico.

SPEAKER_00:

It wasn't me, but I did comment on it because I caught yeah, I was you guys were there, and I don't remember why I was with you, but I was in the I was there as well. I remember that explosion hit it hit Captain Rapico, but it also burned prior.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. I remember uh yeah, that was I don't know who was filming that.

SPEAKER_00:

Um it was Vigil, I believe. I think that was Vigil's video.

SPEAKER_03:

I think that was his video, and I was in the gun right behind that vehicle. And uh when we got back to Combat Outpost, yeah, prior was like he yeah, they had to go treat him because like he had some burns on him. And Baxter, I think, was the driver.

SPEAKER_00:

Baxley, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Baxley, yeah. Yeah, I don't and yeah, because Rapico, he was the V he was in the VC seat, wasn't he?

SPEAKER_00:

He was, and he had his window down, that's why he got really badly burnt. Yeah, he actually got hit by liquid gas or whatever, whatever liquid was in there, but it stuck to him and burned him.

SPEAKER_03:

I think it was like another one of those, they just put a bunch of fuel cans, like kind of like the one that I've I blew up. Yeah. So I don't know, they really liked their fuel cans, uh, to you know, as an accelerant, I guess.

SPEAKER_02:

But they got plenty of oil over there.

SPEAKER_03:

I guess they're gonna use it for use it for something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, there was uh a period of time right there around around that time, because when Rapco got hit, that was July 14th. And right in the mid-summer was when I I don't remember what happened, but basically uh stolen gas tankers were popping up everywhere, and people were filling gas cans and selling fuel as a way to make money because it was the middle of a war, there's no way for Iraqis to make money, and so during the Intel briefs, they were telling us they're like, hey, there's gonna be some of these, you know, unauthorized gas stations, which is literally just a guy with a barrel and a pump, like pumping gas into cars for cash. And they're like, let them do it because it's the only way they can make money. And if they can make money, they won't be an insurgent. And it's like, okay, the insurgents also are just gonna put bombs in those fucking gas cans, and and they did, right? They did it to you, and they did it to to this one that hit headquarters platoons Humvee.

SPEAKER_03:

And remember, there's a still picture of that explosion, and it looks like a almost like a demon like blowing fire like towards the Humvee. Yeah, I don't know how like he managed to do that, but yeah, it was yeah, crazy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so weird. This is a weird question, but uh somebody else was telling a story. Do you remember any time when and not when people got hurt necessarily, although if they did, that also is part of the story. But do you remember a time with the equipment failures or anything breaking or going wrong and what you had to do to get through it?

SPEAKER_03:

I do remember um my Mark 19 during uh right after that explosion, like I said, I was right by uh Sergeant Major Booker, we were engaging that building. Yeah, I do remember uh having to, yeah, my Mark 19 went down actually for a little bit. I had to like the rounds that just weren't seating, uh the belt was messed up. So I I yeah, now that you say that, I remember I had to uh basically climb up there and figure something out. I don't know if they were seated wrong or whatever, but uh yeah, I remember for a time that my yeah, my gun went down.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you guys have did you guys have backup weapons for that? Uh because so we carried a spare 240 just for that reason. If one of our guns went down hard, like it could not be fixed, then the goal, or if it ran out of ammo, we had that too. Then we took it down, we put up a 240.

SPEAKER_03:

I think I remember we had at least one, but in the hooch, I think it might have just stayed there, or if we if we had another. I remember at one point during the deployment, I think one of our vehicles went down, like needed maintenance, so we had an extra gun. So there was only a couple times we ran with like four vehicles, I think. Oh, but it wasn't very long. Um, no, we didn't have too many uh malfunctions. Thankfully, we had enough like lubrication and stuff for the weapons.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know where Gunny Murray got all the shit that he got, but he had extra we all had extra lube because of him. We all had extra bullets because of him, we had extra radios because of him. Uh when that connex box blew up, part of it was extra armor for the vehicles, the other part was lithium batteries for the radios and stuff like that. He part of it was what he had squirreled away, yeah. And he was really mad because it was his fucking gear stash.

SPEAKER_03:

I think that was supposed to go to uh the next unit coming in, too, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

I think yeah, well, I mean he was gonna pass it along, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Um, see another funny thing. You since you guys, I don't know if you spend a whole lot of time up on the the bridges, you being a sergeant, you didn't have to I never went up there, I went up there one time just to see what it looked like. Yeah, Muster, did you have to spend time up on the No I was on radio? Lucky I was a corporal, and so I was okay. Well, here's a funny, funny story. Like the one the bridge um on the far end.

SPEAKER_00:

Um yeah, there was a north bridge and a south bridge. One that went the north bridge went over the Euphrates and the South Bridge went over the small canal that went between the glass factory and hurricane point.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, well, so the bridge that went towards Junction City, yeah. The South Yeah, um there was a couple times that they they even stuck uh our docks up there on post just because we were on a on a rotation. We'd stay up there for uh our corps there too. I think it was six hours shift, I believe. And even now that that doesn't seem short at all because like um, yeah. Anyway, but there there'd be like uh the card some like not cardboard, but um uh like plywood, you know, just as a little bit of cover, and dudes would be writing all over this stuff. Like I got a picture of me going like with my thumbs up in a sign right above my head that says complacency kills. I'm like, I was covered, but I'm like just thinking back, I'm like, hmm, yeah, just uh you know, being stupid and stuff like that. But uh yeah, I mean we were pretty careful for the most part because we were pretty exposed up there. I mean, what you don't really think of like if someone might be watching you through a scope or something.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Hindsight, you're like, oh man, especially especially after hearing like I guess when we were there, who's that uh Chris Kyle um was over there trying to hunt those you know snipers. And I didn't realize this till like after the movie and stuff came out. That I remember going on those missions and like dropping off snipers and stuff, not knowing that dude was probably one of them. Like, heck, he probably rode my home V a time or two, and I didn't even know the guy.

SPEAKER_00:

I think his missions were in 2006, I don't think they were in 2004. Our snipers that you were dropping off were the battalion asset snipers.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, yeah. Well, he was there in 04 in Ramadi, I believe so. Yeah, I mean, and I don't quote me on that, but I I think you know I know I never met him.

SPEAKER_00:

I met us, I met two other Navy SEALs that were there. Uh the only reason why we knew is because we shot near their OP and they made themselves known and then they came down and we're like, oh well, we just fucked up your hide, sorry.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey bro, yeah, um, friendly fire.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah. Speaking of friendly fire, did you guys have any? Because we had some issues with the army.

SPEAKER_03:

I think we got not that I remember. No, I think we got lucky, but I definitely hurt or some some issues with yeah, some the rest of our unit. Yeah. Yeah, not that I can remember. Like I said, lowly lance corporal on a machine gun. I don't I get to hear a whole lot of chatter. Sure.

SPEAKER_02:

That's fair.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, I could from my turret, I mean I could hear a lot of stuff, you know, from the radio. There was a few times where I, you know, I had to with the driver was busy, like I, you know, helped him by I rarely ever like said anything on the radio. Um that was just because that that we I think our plan was the the driver was you know they're in charge of the vehicle and the radio if the vehicle commander is away from the vehicle.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Well, shifting gears just a little bit, did you stay in for four years or did you stay in longer? Uh four years. Four years. And so at that point when we got back, we've got back to Camp Pendleton in or I guess March Air Force Base is where we landed, uh, late September. And almost all of us got 30 days of leave in October. It was kind of like a free leave. You you know, welcome back. Do you remember what it felt like coming home?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's kind of weird. I think I went to like a mall down like around San Diego and just feeling like, man, these nasty civilians, like they don't even know what like like what we just did for them, like type of feeling. Sure. I went back home and my first like I guess run in with like I guess uh shell shock, PTSD, whatever you want to call it.

SPEAKER_00:

And where was home from? Sorry, I hate to interrupt.

SPEAKER_03:

Um in uh well then it uh Michigan, Western Michigan. Okay, yeah. And I went to one of my sisters' uh cross country meets. And if anyone knows how they start uh a meet to a cross country, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. So I was just in the field, you know, just and then all of a sudden, pow. I hit the deck so dang fast, I turned around, I was like, what? And like my family is like half kind of like laughing, half like, what is going on? And I'm like, I was like, I was just getting heated. I was like, dang it, could they warn me or something? Oh yeah, it was not that was like right after I flew back, and I was I don't know, not even like a day after like when I got there. I was like, man, didn't have too many uh issues after that. Kind of just that's the only one that I can remember.

SPEAKER_00:

That's good, and that's I mean, that's acceptable. I think uh probably at that point, 30 days prior, you may have been you know in a gunfight. So yeah, it's uh yeah, that's good. And so you stayed with 2-4 after the deployment because most Marines don't move around too much unless there's a good reason to. I assume you picked up and moved on with leadership, but how just curious uh from your perspective, as you you started junior but moved to senior, how did the lessons from your experience in 2004 uh how did you pass those down to your junior Marines afterwards?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we did we stayed uh in Pendleton and trained, picked up a bunch of you know new guys, and then we went to Okinawa um actually pretty pretty quick after it was like February. We all went to Okinawa for about seven, eight months. And uh so it was a weird like transition. I I did pick up Corporal like about halfway through that deployment over in um Mount Fuji. Actually, I got I got promoted like with Mount Fuji in the background. Yeah, it was like we kind of all like we were definitely salty and we could, you know, just all of us that kind of came in together, um almost like we just felt like we're almost like untouchable. But I think we definitely felt like we had a responsibility to train up the next ones because we figured war's still going on, we're gonna we're gonna be sent over the next chance we get. Because I know from what I heard that they sent our unit to Okinawa because of how bad we got hit, like all of our casualties and stuff like that. Oh, okay. So they almost pretty much sent us to Okinawa deployment to regroup and and actually have a unit with jungle training uh warfare just in case something popped off. And it probably is probably better that we didn't go directly to another combat tour. Um how you know badly we got like we got hit. And so I don't know. You know, there's a lot of new people, a lot of new faces turned over like just about all of the the the leadership, um, or they kind of moved to different spots, but uh who stayed? Sergeant Williams, he stayed with us. Everybody else, he was like the most like senior one that pretty much stayed with our our platoon, and I think there was a lot of a few other NCOs in the company that went to the Okinawa deployment too. Um yeah, as far as training, I mean we kind of just took it in stride. Okinawa was kind of boring for me because uh I'm sure after that kind of deployment. Yeah, and so like I found myself trying to keep busy. Like I joined, we uh mate got like a softball team while we were over there. Yeah, cool. Yeah, they kept us busy with with uh training for sure. I don't know, rifle range, you know, gas chamber, all that type of stuff. And then I think I think it was just our company. We at some point we went to we took a boat to over to the Philippines and we did some training with the uh Filipino Marines. That was pretty cool. Like, so we flew into this airbase off of like the Navy ship. Uh we had these little jeeps that we mounted guns on, they're like way smaller. We landed, we did some like training immediately with them, and then we kind of just stayed there, hung out, like just out in the middle, like in this field, and did this huge training exercise with these uh Filipino Marines. And uh yeah, just being in we're I forgot the name of the mount, like the volcano, but it was like way back in the 80s, there was a volcano that erupted, and they had to, I guess uh they had to all the the Air Force people that were there stationed there had to like leave. Evacuate. Oh wow. Yeah. And uh so I guess the base was still functioning, though they I don't know what they did afterwards, but yeah, just doing that try type of training was was really neat, kind of you know kept us busy, I guess.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I know there is uh talking with a a lot of nylon in my peer group. We a lot of us either were EASing or getting orders to other places, and a lot of us had some insanely tight turnaround, so I can't imagine how decimated those our ranks would have been looking like early January, especially because everybody left.

SPEAKER_03:

So yeah, and I don't even really, you know, thinking back like how many people because I really didn't know. I mean, I know other like the companies and stuff, I don't you know, I didn't know like that many of them, but like for our company, yeah, there was most of the leadership like took off. Yeah, because some of them like came in just before that deployment and didn't have much time left and or they had already gotten extended. Well, yep, and then uh after that deployment came back and trained for another one. Our battalions they they actually split our battalion up in 06, 07. Half the units, I think it was Fox and Echo, went to back to Ramadi, and then Gulf Weapons and Headquarters went to Barwana. So that was yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a weird split.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it was weird. I was kind of bummed because I had a lot of buddies in Echo Company and just like being like not even knowing what's you know what's going on and stuff like that. You know, it's kind of weird.

SPEAKER_00:

Were you friends with people in Echo and golf and stuff when we were in there in 04?

SPEAKER_03:

Yep. Yeah, quite a bit. A lot of guys from uh just infantry school and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, I was gonna say you seem to know their names pretty well, which is uh again, I I know a lot of guys. There was a few of them that we trained with when we were doing our workups and stuff when we first got to the unit, but man, I just really did not. I felt like I did not know the line companies as well. And it seemed like I don't know, seemed like we were having two different experiences almost just uh because we're at different camps and stuff.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, well that's why any change any time I got like we got to go to combat outposts, I'd be you know, but like trying to find some of them and you know, and like even some of them I didn't really even know till after the deployment. Like uh I mean I knew like my my buddy like uh Corporal Thomas, he's from Michigan, like kind of home state. Pre-deployment, like I kind of I I hung out in the Echo like companies like Hoochary because one of my best buddies uh from SOI, uh his last name's O'Wynn. Dude's from uh country countries all get out from Arkansas, and and uh it was weird because I ended up marrying like uh a gal that went to school with him. She's my ex now, but um that's how I ended up in Arkansas, like because of him, because like we were like really good buds, and um yeah, just hearing some stories from what they went through and like who like you as Matt 2, I know mostly talk about a lot of stuff, like but as weapons company, like I found out from Thomas like what you know, platoons from weapons company was kind of assisting different parts of Echo Company and like some of the the 81s platoons uh were you know helping out during that same time and we're just all over the city. It was crazy.

SPEAKER_00:

Since you were close with Echo, did you get a chance to I mean, probably different because you're hearing it from you know guys that are that were there, but uh did they talk a lot about the their concerns? I know we always heard rumors about what was going on with Captain Royer, but I I don't know what I don't know what they said to you since you were close to him.

SPEAKER_03:

Um if it has, it's been a long time. I don't yeah, I haven't really discussed anything. I do remember that there was some there were some issues. Even Thomas was telling me about like when he got when he got hit and like one of his their sergeant just basically just took off and left Marine to like who got shot up just pretty much to to die. Well, I don't I'm yeah, like I said, I'm not naming like names or anything.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, and I don't I don't think you need to. It's not necessarily your story, but I I I was just curious if they expressed their concerns to you since you're technically an outsider from their company.

SPEAKER_03:

Like, did they say like, oh, morale's bad or whatever, you know, like we I don't know, like yeah, maybe uh maybe after I'm I'm actually gonna go hang out with uh with him on Monday.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh oh for the birthday? That's good.

SPEAKER_03:

Maybe I'll maybe I'll get some more stories.

SPEAKER_00:

Um yeah after the fact.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's that's about like just having the connection. Um, like I ran the Marinqua Marathon, and the there's that um the picture that somebody posted. They have like this blue mile, like run for the fallen. Yeah, and they put up posters like along the entire mile. And I don't know how you get on there, like I'm not sure, but they said like you can like maybe request this uh some service people or whatever, I guess, like way ahead of time. But I was running, and all of a sudden I see you know one of our guys didn't know him personally, but I remember like being at the reunion, Lance Corporal Layfield's mom like spoke to everybody, and her story was just amazing. And just to be like so strong and just so like her and in uh Miss uh Halal, like after that, I and like gave her a big hug too. But like I stopped during the race. I literally like was running and I saw his poster right there, and just instincts, I just like just jumped off the course and just like I was so full of emotion, like already. Like I just like just knelt down there and like I don't know, just felt this all this weight like down on me. Like I didn't like I said, I didn't personally know the guy, but he he's still my brother, and that's that's you know who we are, not just weapons, but like all of us Marines, like we would have done that for any of us. Um and so for him, yeah. And so for him to I don't know, I just felt honored to that I could do that. It was the weirdest thing during the race. I I looked, uh I went to get up, I looked, and like there's this camera guy like taking my picture. I'm like, this is weird. Like, I I didn't plan this, didn't it was just a spontaneous thing. Later on, I messaged um Miss Layfield and told her uh told her I asked her if she was there because there were some gold star uh families like at the end of that mile, like holding flags and stuff. Yeah and I couldn't I couldn't see if she was there. And so I was like, yeah, were you there? And uh she said no, but then I told her about like her son being on the poster and whatnot. And then I guess uh somebody that's associated with that um organization like reached out to her. And so maybe I guess this camera guy was with the organization and then sent her the photo because she was like, she sent me the photo. Is this you? Holy cow! Like, I didn't realize like someone took my photo and like now she has it, and she was just like overcome. She was just like so happy and proud that like you know, I was honoring her son, and I was like, Yeah, it was just felt even more like emotional, just like being able to do that for you know, not only a two-four brother, but you know, just yeah, I was that's what it's all about, man.

SPEAKER_00:

If you if we stop talking about them and stop doing stuff like that, then they're gone, forgotten, right? That's that's the worst part.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and that's why I like I was even like I'm like I going to Arlington for sure, like because then I didn't know exactly who all was like buried there, and so like I got um you know, I took picture of uh of Savage's gravestone. Um I actually just sent the picture of me in it to uh his mom uh just a little bit ago. And then uh, you know, Sergeant Major Ellis, you know, he got he got blown up um in 07. Yeah, that was he's there, and then there's a couple other guys that I didn't like personally know, but I'm like, you know, I just it just felt good like kind of just spending some time out there. It was yeah, it was really great.

SPEAKER_00:

It's I think you did that. It's very humbling too.

SPEAKER_03:

You start going out there and you see, I mean, it's just miles and miles of headstones of of everybody who's sacrificed from all the wars, and it's uh there's a huge section for the global war on terror, and it's they're all on the same spot, like within the same no, and what was even like while I was there looking for some of the other guys from our unit, like there was a uh a mom and dad that were had fold-out chairs, blankets, and they were spending time with their son. So that was really neat. And like I even told my wife I was like she was getting tired, so she kind of sat down in the grass. So like I took that opportunity to like kind of go back uh to some of the guys and you know have a little bit of one-on-one. So but in my head, like I don't really didn't really say much because I was like, I don't know, what do you say to a you know, a grace or whatever? It kind of in a weird like, but it's just a just a reflecting time was you know was great. And I can't wait to go back next year because I'm I already already got it planned. I'm I'm running the next marathon. What I'm gonna try to do is try to get a couple more gold star families, or or at least like some more of our our guys' like posters on the race. Oh, yeah. And see if see if like you know, maybe somehow they want to come out. Like that would be amazing to like spend time with some of our gold star families like that that weekend. Really awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Be good for them to see. Yeah, that'd be real cool.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, the Marine, the just the event is amazing. Like, dude, we know how to like it might might have seemed a little inorganized at time, but like like there was a bunch of butterbar second lieutenants like almost at every turn throughout the race, you know, cheering you on. Like the streets were like just packed full of people. It was it was just an amazing experience, the whole thing. I just felt it was just uh yeah. But the this the greatest thing was like coming in, coming into that mile. Like I almost like sort of like hyperventilated a couple times because I was just like, all right, just breathe. Yeah, and like right after I I got up from uh his poster, you know, I was like all just I don't know, tearing up or whatever. And like there was a lady running, and she was like, she said something to me, like, oh was he like was he close to you or I don't know something. I just I couldn't answer, I just kept running. But it was just for someone to even notice, you know, like it was a very emotional time. It was it was very sombering, like it's so quiet, like nobody's just like chatting or anything throughout the whole race. You know, you hear people chatting around and stuff, but like during that whole time, everyone's just like really quiet and very respectful. So that was the coolest cool part too.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, while I've got you deep in your feelings, yeah, man. I feel like talking to Condi a little bit.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and we we can talk a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Tell me a little bit about what you remember. I mean, he was your truck, he was in your truck, man.

SPEAKER_03:

So uh oh, yeah. I mean, just like from the get-go, like when I first got to the platoon, like I could tell like he he was a leader. He was only like I think 22, which is crazy to think. But you know, back in that day, 22 was like seasoned.

SPEAKER_00:

You're an old man at 22. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, like he wasn't he he was just I don't know, uh, you know, everyone says, Oh, he was a Marines Marine. I mean, he was a different kind of Marines Marine, though. He he could get on to you when he had to, but then he also took you aside and was was respectful. You know, there was very little bit of a training time, training period, so that's kind of kind of small to go off of. But man, once we got over in country, um, like not just him, but like, yeah, all of our sergeants were just like you know, had had had good heads on their shoulders, um, which was you know definitely a good thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Sergeant Connie was just you have any specific stories where he had to get after you, or on the other side where he had to where he taught you something, either one.

SPEAKER_03:

No, uh well, because well, when we got there, they they separated us into squads, and so the drivers and gunners were in our own squad, which is kind of weird. So I was with our personal guard, and yeah, he was a little bit harder and because he had been over with three five before, so he had some combat experience already. So I think maybe that's why he was trying to be a little harder on us. Um but yeah, Connie was my vehicle commander, and so yeah, most of the time, like in our vehicle, like if we were training or on the drive up, yeah, it was pretty like lighthearted stuff, like talk about normal conversations, um, uh just different stories and stuff. That was before we really got into you know into combat um situations. Uh just overall, like you know, he'd just be standing up in the turret, he'd be walking by, hey, how's it going? You know, he really looked after he looked after all of us. You know, that was a good feeling to have for sure. Didn't catch me on the spot, but I'm trying to trying to like generate some some stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

It's whatever you remember, don't matter.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm kind of I'm kind of going off of like some pictures that I have, like him just sitting there like playing cards or um, like I said, that picture with the holding up the IED.

SPEAKER_00:

Um do you remember the impact? Do you remember the impact it had the day he got hit?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh man. Yeah. Um, I actually I I took a picture of his bronze star set uh citation too when it was on his rack. Um I think I don't know if he got awarded that before or after he died.

SPEAKER_00:

It was after, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, because I have a picture of his empty rack, and then we put the bronze star like citation like on his rack.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I don't think I knew that. I remember coming over there, but I don't remember I don't remember seeing that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I'm not sure how long it stayed up. Yeah, but um yeah, well, after he got shot initially, like he he took only just a couple weeks off. Like I remember he, you know, he was just walking around, had a bandage on. He took it off a couple times. You could see like the almost like the hole that went through his his trap muscle. And uh I don't think it I don't think it messed up his tattoo, his ride or die tattoo that he had across.

SPEAKER_00:

No, it was right above it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Um but uh and dude was just like always motivating. Like I don't even he wasn't really he wasn't a negative guy at all. That's that was a cool thing about it. Like, just always positive. Yeah, the effect that it had on so like July the 1st, like that night, like you said, we were out on patrol, uh the night patrol that whole night. You know, so we were getting kind of tired. And uh, yeah, for whatever reason, like nobody's fault, but yeah, Captain Wiler told us, like, yeah, just to go down Route Michigan, all the way down to like the arch and then just come back, just do one last like uh ID sweep. And so we were coming back going towards combat outpost, and yeah, all of a sudden it hit. Like I remember I think we took I think knackers because he got hit with a piece of shrapnel right in his inner thigh. And so we had to get we had to get him out. I think vigil had like a shrapnel piece like on his wrist or his arm. And somehow the other the gun, somehow the gunner Campos was sitting down because they at one point they told us to actually sit down. That's what that's why I said if I was in that gun where I probably should have been, yeah, I probably would have refused to sit down and I probably wouldn't be here. I probably would have been like standing up.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So we took those guys, I think, and then we we I wasn't, I was still in the gun. So whoever grabbed Condi put him in the back of another Humvee, and then we just like booked it to Conn Outpost. And then I remember being up in the turret and they took him out and just him just laying there, like, you know, couldn't they're they're calling a burden for Evac and just seeing him just like not even be able to um just you can't do anything for him. So I at that point I didn't know that he had a shrapnel piece that you know got him right in the right in the head. That was yeah, so we didn't know. We thought, oh yeah, you know, maybe he'll they're gonna send him out. So I think we went to Junction City to eat, and then we got back to Hurricane Point is when Captain Wyler came out. Captain Wyler came out, I think, with with First Sergeant Mac and told us that he had passed and like the bird um going towards. And like, yeah, we just immediately all got we were pissed. Like, I think Lechard like threw something through like his helmet down, or I don't know. Everyone was just like, yeah, we were just more pissed off than anything that you know they got our best guy. That was pretty rough. And then I think I remember you guys you guys came out to kind of like console us. Um yeah. Uh I do. I remember, yeah, we we were bringing our our vehicles in and you guys kind of come out. I don't remember like all of that, but I think, yeah, you're definitely one of them. And uh after that, guys were just I think we went in the hooch, just I don't know, some of them cried, some of them got pissed off. Yeah, it was that was pretty rough.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm surprised you guys went to eat at Junction City, but I now that I think about it, I guess you had to take your wounded somewhere. You probably took them to Charlie Med and to go get looked at.

SPEAKER_03:

You probably took you said knackers and vigil and um yeah, to be honest, I don't remember that. I don't know if we left knackers if if he flew out.

SPEAKER_00:

He may not have flown out, but he might have got because there was the only place with any advanced medical equipment or any advanced medical training, realistically. I mean, technically you had our battalion surgeon at combat outpost who they could do some things, but a level of equipment was very low. Yeah, and but the the x-ray machine and all that stuff was at combat outpost.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and yeah, I don't remember if we left our wounded there at combat outpost or but I know like we're already headed to Junction City to go to go eat. That's crazy. We already like that's we were gonna go because we were out all night.

SPEAKER_00:

Mission completion.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, which yeah, that was crazy though. Um, just I don't remember, it's one of those hazy fog things. I couldn't even tell you like a blur, and then we got I just remember rolling into Hurricane White and just getting that news and just yeah, yeah, that was like the worst thing ever. We were really just pissed off.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I don't know where to go from here. Blake, you got anything? Well and then Blake, haha, Blake or Blake.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Well, I remember after I got back from the States though, I got I got a tattoo. I I got the tattoo with uh with his name on it.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep. And then I kind of I added to it because we had um his combat replacement actually meant Corporal Ryan.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh yeah, so like yeah, he was he was a good guy too. And yeah, he ended up, you know, he got killed with Captain Rapico.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah, Captain Rapico and and Ryan got killed in November, uh, right after we left.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, so and like I think December of that year, I I added his I added his name.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't guess I realized that Ryan was his replacement, but that does make sense. So you got Ryan like July-ish?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I believe so, because I think he replaced well, it was him, and then they also gave us uh Sergeant Sakaki uh replaced him too, because because we lost knackers, and then I think uh I think Campo ended up going to headquarters.

SPEAKER_00:

Campo went to headquarters, yeah. And then so and knackers went out wounded with the the shrapnel.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, he yeah, he didn't come back. Okay, yeah, he he went back to the States. I guess he had a huge gash like in his thigh.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. I don't think I remembered that Sakaki had joined you, but I know he went out with several different platoons, so that does doesn't surprise me either.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, no, he was a good guy to to join us. Good salty guy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Sakaki's good, he's a good leader as well.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know. Well, I mean, I'm sure we can finish up.

SPEAKER_00:

I I mean I can probably come up with a bunch of other stuff, but uh, man, this has been no there's there's no pressure to push and go longer. That's uh shit. I think we've been talking for 90 minutes or maybe longer.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's right at two hours.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, it's two hours, yeah. Shit. Yeah, I haven't been paying attention. That's how when I'm enjoying it, I don't give a shit. I don't know how long it's been.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, man. I mean, it's always just good to talk to somebody else, some some other guys that have been there in the same stuff, because like I don't get that. Like, you know, I can I add a little bit like the first 10 years after I got out, I wasn't on social media. I I didn't, I kind of just withdrew from everything, not really on purpose, but it was just I don't know, different mindset. Like, I I I regret getting out, probably but three deployments in four years kind of like wore me out, and I think I just wanted to move on to the next stage in life. Yeah, then I definitely regret that because I just moved on to Arkansas, went to college, and just I don't know, seemed like I wasted 10 years of my life. Yeah, finally got on, like, did my own Facebook thing, kind of like hooked up with a bunch of you know uh Marines from 2-4 on there, you know, and that was definitely a a good help because going through some mental issues, you know, a while back definitely helped like just hearing from you know guys like you and just some other buddies that I you know I knew just to be like, hey, don't don't give up. Just you know, I'm sure you you you remember me saying saying some stuff like negative stuff and just sound like you're going through it, man.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

Not maybe not hundred percent necessarily like suicidal, but like I was literally hit rock bottom, you know, went through divorce, going through all kinds of child, you know, issues and stuff, and it was it was rough. But you know, now that I'm I've gotten older, that's that's what this is what helps me like talk with with fellow brothers like you guys, yeah. And I I haven't done enough of that in the last 18, 20 years. And that's why going to that reunion like a year and a half ago, oh my gosh, that did so much for like my mental health and my my heart. That was even though I barely got to spend time with like most most of you guys or any at all. Yeah, uh just yeah, just being around. That's that's what I missed.

SPEAKER_00:

It's weird how fast that fills up your gas tank, man. I I we had the same or I can't speak for muscler, but it I feel like that's the same thing because we drove in together. It really was, man. It was a that was good, it was really good. And I didn't realize that it was gonna be that way.

SPEAKER_03:

Me neither, because right after the ceremony, like I went up to the condies and just like just gave them a huge hug. That was yeah, hadn't hadn't seen them since like we had a dinner. Map three had like a dinner um after we got back with them. And I but I didn't really say anything to them. I yeah, I did, but it just felt weird then. Just like, oh, we're your s I mean you know, your son got killed. It was just it was just weird. But like growing older and just like, you know, I I told her like, yeah, I was I was the gunner in you know, in she she always calls him like Kiki or something like that. I'm not gonna say yeah. Yeah, um, I was like, yeah, I was his I was his machine gunner, like and she's like, oh I can't remember what she said, but just just the the full embrace was just like you know amazing. And like same same kind of thing. Like I never I haven't yet like told like Mrs. Halal. Um I think I might have mentioned like I was I helped like I helped get your son something like that. Like I helped your son, you know, get back to the state. Like I was the the gunner in the Humvee that we we took him back and just that just that embrace of like you know, nothing that I didn't need, I don't need any kind of notoriety, but just maybe them like that that sense of like he was taken care of. And so that that that was the biggest thing that kind of you know helped helped me out. And yeah, that's why I couldn't I can't wait for the next reunion all that already, like just you know, having more relationships and then like being able to spend some more time because I I missed the 10-year because I wasn't even on, I didn't even hear about it. Like it was like the year after I went on social media. I was like, what? I would have been to the I would have gone if I would have somebody would have contacted me or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, man. Well, this has been great. I'm gonna hit stop and all that. And uh, dude, if you ever want to come back, you're welcome back.

SPEAKER_02:

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