Dear Editor,
I want to share with you a bombing attack by insurgents on my base at the Bagdad Abu Ghraib prison. On this particular day 12 mortars (bombs) landed in the prison, killing 22 detainees (Iraqis) and injuring 90.
I went to war with the belief that I would never surrender. The US Navy Seal’s philosophy puts it this way: “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If am knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.”
To be on the battlefield was a day that I had been dreaming about since I joined the military. Now that I was in combat, my courage was being tested. Questions that I asked myself for years would soon be answered, questions such as: would I be fearful while facing death, would I fight or run away, would I be courageous or a coward?
At the time, I’m not sure if it was my adrenaline or courage that kicked in. But without any fear for my own life as we were being attacked, I immediately started lifting up wounded Iraqi detainees. Ironically, many who tried to kill American soldiers before entering the prison, I took to American medical personnel for medical treatment.
On that said day, the American soldiers won the hearts and minds of many of the detainees and their families because they saw the American soldiers risk their lives to save them.
Editor, how many countries would be willing to risk their own lives to save the lives of their enemies, and to provide medical assistance to people who were trying to kill them? The Iraqis learned one important lesson on that said day: the American soldiers are from one of only a few countries that would risk their own lives to save their enemies’ lives.
And this is one of the reasons why I felt proud to be an American and a soldier. We are different from the rest of the soldiers.
On this day, I demonstrated unbelievable and unbending courage by risking my own life to save the lives of others. For my courage in that incident, I won an award.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Pantlitz
