In Their Words

Bryan Adams

My name is Bryan Adams, I am 24 years old and currently a Business student at Rutgers University in New Jersey. I was deployed to Iraq as part Operation Iraqi Freedom II with the First Infantry Division where I served in Tikrit, Iraq from February 2004-05 as an Army Sniper. Serving in Iraq has had a lasting impression on me; it has undoubtedly shaped me into the man I have become today.

The most memorable life changing experience came on a brisk October day in the middle of the Muslim Ramadan holiday. I was occupying an abandoned hotel along with two other members of my Sniper squad, the call came in that we needed to break down our post and return to our Forward Operating Base (FOB). As was normal during our deployment we began tactically moving back to the FOB on foot, something was different about this time. Instead of the common waves and smiles we were presented with looks of fear and anxiety on the faces of the Iraqi civilians, they began to clear the street as we approached. It had been an active day, filled with gunfire and various reports over the radio so we were already on edge. After about two blocks we can came to an intersection we were forced to cross, as we crossed the intersection I remember looking over at two children who couldn't have been more than 8 yrs old. The children were sitting on the curb looking like they had just seen a ghost, as with previous engagements all of these signs were indicators that something was about to happen. I turned around to step up onto the curb along the adjacent side of the road and that is when it happened.

I heard the snapping of gunfire and suddenly it felt like someone had tried to take out my leg from under me, I looked to the wall which was parallel to my left and I saw it exploding with dust and sparks, this is when I realized that I just been shot and we were now in the middle of an ambush.

I began to run for cover, as I ran I clearly remember feeling intense heat signatures move across my face and bits of concrete going into my mouth from the exploding bullets hitting the wall next to me. Now everyone always says that they see their life flash before their eyes before they die but not me, I saw my future, I saw everything I wanted to accomplish and this fueled my determination to not die on that piece of ground in Iraq. I managed to escape around the corner with the other two members of my team who were unscathed, we all gave each other a reassuring look and then moved into a position of cover. I was bleeding heavily; the bullet had entered the back of my calf and exited my shin. One member of my team applied medical care while the other held off any additional attacks while calling for a medical evacuation. The wave of relief I felt seeing those HUMV's pull up was indescribable. I was taken to our Aid station and eventually air lifted to a field hospital in Northern Tikrit. With no bone involvement I was declared Return to Duty and remained in Iraq. I worked the next few months in the radio room rehabilitating my leg. After about three months I was healed enough to rejoin my fellow soldiers who were overburdened after being a man down for three months.

My return was a rocky one, I came home to a broken family, my parents were in the middle of nasty divorce and fighting over custody of my little brother. Despite all the turmoil I was glad to be home, I had just turned 21 and was excited about hanging out at the bars in the US. One of the goals I set for myself was to enter college when I returned, I figured I would start off slow just to get back into the swing of things. I began taking classes at the local community college, however I did not take my studies seriously. I chose to blow off classes and party instead of study, needless to say my grades were not that impressive. This lifestyle continued for a few months, with each day I felt myself getting more and more out of control, I would push the limits of what was legal and appropriate behavior just for fun. I behaved as if no laws applied to me, driving 80 in a 45, getting into fights at the bars and cursing anyone who disagreed with what I was saying. This continued for several weeks until one day when my mother, who has been a nurse for 27 years had a very enlightening conversation with me. She was scared for me, for what I had become, she insisted that I change my ways, she said that if I didn’t change I would not live to see age 22. This was a much needed reality check. I made the decision to drastically change my lifestyle for the better.

I decided the first and best step towards achieving this was to take myself out of that environment. I moved from my home state of New Jersey to Massachusetts to live with a fellow veteran by the name of Jeremiah Driscoll he had served in Iraq with me, and was now in college. The state of Massachusetts offered me something that NJ did not, a fresh start as well as free tuition for all veterans to any state school. My friend, who had three years of college previous to the military, helped me with the application process and stay focused on my studies.

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