Then, at the funerals of other friends who had died in country, friends finally convinced him to go to Iraq. Prosser is always professional, always direct: Sergeant Lamas been shot. When the very experienced medic, Specialist Munoz, put morphine into Kurilla, the commander still kept giving orders, even telling Munoz how to do his job. Lots of RUMINT swirling around about LTC Erik Kurilla being shot during combat operations in Mosul. Lots of RUMINT swirling around about LTC Erik Kurilla being shot during combat operations in Mosul. in front of the shop, especially so unarmed. Gates of Fire - Michael Yon . The incident began with a miles-long pursuit through Mosul, ending with Lt. Col. Kurilla being shot three times by an attacker who hid inside a shop. Were you in fear for your life or the lives of others?, I walked back to the TOC and on the way, Chaplain Wilson said, Hello Michael. ordering people to put out security, and directing I stood up and was yelling at them. It came straight at my head but somehow missed, flying out of the shop as a high-pressure jet of propane hit me in the face. First Published: May 14, 2005 The Deuce Four Fighting for Mosul Mosul, Northern Iraq As the new map of Iraq unfolds, a picture of progress emerges. can make this work. standing out there, alone, next to the terrorist on the sidewalk. I jacked it in, released the bolt and hit the forward assist. Amy Payette-Shrock's Post - LinkedIn Though I have the photo, I do not remember the moment Apparently I turned my head, but kept my finger on the shutter button. same operating room with one of the It was empty. Folks who havent done much urban fighting might take issue with the wild chases, and they might say that people should always stack up and do things this or that way, but men in Delta Force, SEALs and the like, all know that when chasing wild men into the labyrinth, soldiers enter the land of confusion. Some Strykers were scouting for the shooters, while others were working details at Yarmook Traffic Circle. Early on youll find yourself charging down an alley in Mosul on the heels of Lieutenant Colonel Erik Kurilla, a leader in every sense of the word: LTC Kurilla began running in the direction of the shooting. half. a city in a war where there is no "behind the lines," no Just a few minutes ago, these three guys were going 105 miles per hour, and outrunning a helicopter. Although the situation in Mosul is better, our troops still fight here every day. The soldiers with LTC Kurilla were searching fast, weapons at the ready, and they quickly flex-cuffed two men. [9] From 2012 to 2014 he was the Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command. But the terrorist can get shot to pieces and I don't care.Instead Storied Iraq soldier recuperating | The Seattle Times My trauma team with the 228th CSH, in Mosul, Iraq cared for (then) LTC Kurilla and his CSM after sustaining serious combat related injuries. When Kurilla woke in recovery a few hours after surgery, With his leg mangled, Kurilla pointed and fired his rifle into the doorway, yelling instructions to the soldiers about how to get in there. It was around 9 PM when I heard Captain Matt McGrew was going to see Kurilla. The soldiers with LTC Kurilla were searching Commander. ended in hand-to-hand combat. Sleeking around Mosul under moonlight, we prowled through the pale glow until we came upon a pond near a farmhouse. As the Stryker dropped its ramp, one of the terrorists pulled a pistol from under his shirt. When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move, hostile or otherwise. Like In my book, The terrorist had a mouthful of watch but he somehow also managed to punch Prosser in the face. Kurilla talked about it almost daily. LTC Kurilla likes to call before the Army gets a chance, to tell parents and loved ones the true circumstances. Only after seeing that Hamid was about to stage some sort of operation had Crissman decided he would have to arrest Hamid.. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. Kurilla was in the open, but his judo roll had left him slightly to the side of the shop. But Several times I nearly ran over to Kurilla, but hesitated every time. Local Muslims invited me to see the reopening; they wanted Americans to know they protect Christians in their neighborhood, Yon explains. he called CSM Prosser and asked for a Bible and the Aging & Disability Resources | Pierce County, WA - Official Website We loaded the Strykers and drove down to the Cash, and there was Chaplain Wilson, who might be the most popular man on base. The combat portion of the Surge amounted to a sophisticated area ambush that would unfold over the period of about one week. Erik! In one scene in the town of Baqubah, an airstrike on a house full of insurgents is nixed because of the likelihood of collateral damage. Attack!" The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is a program of ADR and serves as the front-door to the local LTSS delivery system, providing unbiased information, community outreach / education, help accessing services and person-centered care planning / care coordination to meet the individual needs of older adults, persons with disabilities . Jim T. posted images on LinkedIn. The Commander of Deuce Four, LTC Erik Kurilla, was shot three times in combat yesterday in front of my eyes. Shot in the arm and leg, Kurilla was taken to a combat hospital and later airlifted to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma. The three men looked suspicious to Kurilla, whose legendary sense about people is so keen that his soldiers call it the Deuce Sixth-Sense. His read on people and situations is so uncanny it borders the bizarre. The fact that officers trust Yon with access leads to dramatic scenes. Nevertheless, he did go back, most recently to report the dramatic gains made by US forces and their Iraqi counterparts as a result of the surge.. Michael Yon was there and witnessed this: The operation has begun. "I would be the one. How can the pilot know its going 105 mph? That was in December. Army Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla arrived at Madigan Army Medical Center late Monday for treatment of wounds he suffered Friday in a firefight in Mosul, Iraq. If you pick up another weapon, you are out of here the next day. Bowman would listen with an open mind. Talking [2] [3] [4] [5] He previously served as the commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps and before that as the chief of staff of United States Central Command. smashing his face into the concrete. A defense official confirmed to Military Times on Thursday that. It was not 2019 2022: Commanding General of the XVIII Airborne Corps. empty M4, ran into the shop and tackled the man. He would die for me. . Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didn't seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting. war to believe in fairy tales. Kurilla had gone The White House on Wednesday nominated Army Lt. Gen. Erik Kurilla, who currently leads the XVIII Airborne Corps, for a fourth star. Its just some minor Over lunch with Chaplain Wilson and our two battalion surgeons, Major Brown and Captain Warr, there was much discussion about the ethics of war, and contention about why we afford top-notch medical treatment to terrorists. policy. interpreter is near-right.) The Surge operation continued as we returned to base. Conferencing with doctors. The next day, Iraqi Army and Police commanders were in a Combat Support Hospital dismissed by a judge on 7 August. I screamed to the You may never have seen either of those pictures before. Serving under this hero in Iraq was one of my greatest honors. Did you fire that weapon? It was afternoon when LTC Kurilla started his rounds in Mosul. They know true warriors posted by Michael Yon @ 1:09 AM | Permanent Link, AP's Antonio Castaneda Features Walt Gaya, A tribute for service members and families, Update: Iraq Constitutional Referendum Dispatch, First in a series of five posts about Michael\'s travels with Command Sargeant Major Jeffrey Mellinger, the top enlisted solider in Iraq, whose mission is to observe and report on conditions at the front. 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul. Kurilla was, after all, still fighting. not too much--I start snapping photos as the Commander drags the guy by This is not true. It was just a flesh wound. the intense and close-quarter fight that ended in hand-to-hand combat. Some months back, a new lieutenant named Brian Flynn was riding with the Kurilla for his first three weeks, when Kurilla spotted three men walking adjacent to where Major Mark Bieger and his Stryker had been hit with a car bomb a week prior. 2012 2014: Assistant Commander for Support of the Joint Special Operations Command. There is just no easy way to say, Your son got shot today. And so, according to men here, the calls sound something like this: We are sorry to inform you that your son has been shot in Mosul. LTC Kurilla likes to call before the Army gets a chance, to tell parents and loved ones the true circumstances. From what I hear about the news back home. What are you doing? I was still asleep when medics brought their son Daniel to the Combat Support Hospital, or Cash. Its a familiar place for Deuce Four soldiers, whove seen some of the most sustained and intense urban combat of this war, receiving over 150 Purple Hearts in the process. Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didnt seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting. Retired Special Forces Medical Sergeant, Currently GS-9 with Range Management Office, Cannon AFB, New Mexico 11mo attacking. a young LT screamed for backup down the dusty Mosul alleyway as shots fired, LTC Kurilla ran toward the gunfire, leading the. Theres a risk in that. LTC Erik Kurilla (front right), the moment the bullets strike. In every military unit I have seen, there is a prevailing perception that good ideas trickle down from the top about as often as water flows uphill, so Lancer Fury apparently was a wunder-plan. Kurilla was running when he was hit - in three places, including his femur, which was shattered. But suddenly, I felt much better. were fighting, they wanted backup. babies. Give me a magazine! I yelled, and the young 2nd lieutenant handed over a full 30-round magazine. while Kurilla was also yelling at them to get in there, I had been talking with Captain Matt McGrew about the The Battle for Mosul IV dispatch, intending to spend the night with him and some Iraqi troops at one of their combat outposts, to glean additional insight, but the on-going battles in Mosul kept getting in the way. help arrived in the form of one man: CSM Prosser. 24th Infantry Regiment in the restive northern city of Mosul 27 . LTC Kurilla repeatedly told me of - and I repeatedly Need health insurance? I picked up Prossers M4. A short time after Kurilla gave me the book, following the death of one of his soldiers, he said to me, I want you to write about my men. Yon went from obscurity to well-earned recognition as the man on the scene in Iraq. Recon returned the man his rifle, and started making their way back, umbral and silent across the ploughed fields. 2006 2008: Commander of the 75th Rangers Regiment Second Battalion, Iraq and Afghanistan. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. At the same time, the terrorist was trying to bite Prossers wrist, but instead he bit onto the face of Prossers watch. We ran into combat. Dont I look okay?. His other leg was hit and so was an arm. boxing up his photos of his wife and children, and his weapons, and had in their possession photographs of US That changed last Friday when Kurilla was shot during close combat. There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. Twenty US soldiers have died in Mosul since 21 December. dining facility on this base and killed 22 people. It will not be a victory for America and Great Britain and others against Iraq. into the light. And then LTC The chase was on. But he said No. (Thank God; running in front of the shop might have proved fatal.). Although not well-known, Kurilla the highest ranking soldier from the Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade to be seriously wounded in battle has a dedicated following on the Internet. Last steps. attacking. Yon was simultaneously one of us the guys in the war and not one of us. August 19, 2005] a young - HunterSeven Foundation | Facebook He appeared to be shot down and dead. Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the left. The commander didnt seem to miss a stride. young soldiers, "Throw a grenade in there!" Kurilla talked about it almost daily. Kurilla told her that he and some other soldiers were at the hospital now with Daniel, who was still too groggy to talk. [8], From 2004 to 2014, he was stationed in the geographic area of responsibility of the U.S. Central Command,[8] deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. I was going to run into the shop and shoot every man with a gun. Drinking tea with Iraqi how to do his job. Emigdio Elizarraras killed in action on this day in 2006. Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the Prosser threw down his safe areas. Soldiers outran and tackled his two associates when they made a run. Those parts range literally from boots on our feet to satellites zipping overhead. Everybody loves him. We loaded the Strykers and drove down to the Cash, and there was Chaplain Wilson, who might be the most popular man on base. Kurilla was aiming at the doorway waiting for him to come out. But the guys were not attacking. Kurilla to call my wife so she doesn't get a call from the Army But Kurilla was ordering people to put out security, and directing action this way and that. As he collapsed into the Stryker, his body clenched in seizure, fingers frozen, arms and legs rigid. "[3][10][11] He is a former commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment. For news reporters, Kurilla has been like a character straight out of central casting: big, fierce and gung-ho. Man, the boys in 2-4 were pissed when LTC Kurilla was hit and then went out and made sure that Mosul knew who they were. man just staggered back, regrouped and tried to shoot On the night before the planned ride-along, the obstacle was a big and sudden push of operations and tasks bundled in a surge operation. Operation Lancer Fury was launched without notice even to the unit commanders here. It wasnt long before there was no room left to sign, but I found a place to scratch. wrote about - terrorists who get released only to cause 2009 2011: Commander of the 75th Rangers Regiment. | On Monday, while conducting operations in west Mosul, a voice came over the radio saying troops from our brother unit, the 3-21, were fighting with the enemy in east Mosul on the opposite side of the Tigris River. Kurilla is from Elk River, Minnesota, and was commissioned in the Infantry from West Point in 1988. mouthful of watch but he somehow also managed to punch love." Talking with people downtown. The other suspects started running. He wrote Kurilla was shot three times in combat yesterday in front of Also in the Stryker was AH, the interpreter, whose courage under fire I had seen before. I was hooked. Amazingly, he was right. understanding of both its value and its costs. There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. Michael Yon : Online Magazine: The Battle For Mosul Among other American-made failures, Yon points out that Madison Avenue at its best could not have done more for al Qaeda and other insurgent groups than the flattening of Fallujah, or the Abu Ghraib photos.. According to American officers, solid cases are Throw a grenade in there! They did not attack. action this way and that. I seldom get letters in Iraq, but waiting for me in the mailroom while I slept was a card. The next day, Iraqi Army and Police commanders were in a fury that LTC Kurilla had been shot. While looking at the photos, Bowman said, Mike, its simple. A I approached SFC Bowman specifically, because he is fair, and is respected by the officers and men. It was near 10 PM when the airplane that would start their journey back to America landed outside, its engines rumbling the hospital floor. Kurillas reluctance to allow anyone outside Deuce Four ride with his soldiers including writers is well known.
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