Under two minutes

The following incident occurred in the Iraqi town of Fallujah during a "cease fire" with the Mujahadeen (what the press called "insurgents") called by president Bush in the run up to the 2004 presidential Election.
Our fire team, 2/4 along with fire team 2/2 had been holding a position in a two story building at the end of a street that over looked the street's length and immediate surrounding area. We had a marine at every window on the second floor on watch and two on the roof. When you weren't on watch you tried to sleep which was difficult but not impossible. You can reach a state of exhaustion so severe you can fall asleep anywhere for a few hours.
I wasn't on watch when it happened. I was on the second floor sitting up against the wall in a half sleeping stupor when I heard the loud, distinct crack of a Sniper's rifle followed by an agonizing cry. I jumped up to the window with My M-4 and peered through the scope. Down on the street was a man lying on the ground bleeding out onto the road with an older man kneeling next to him shaking the dying man's head while sobbing hysterically. I started counting the seconds for the second shot to kill the crying man but the shot never came. I had counted up to 74 when two women came out of the building the scene was playing out in front of and after some struggle with him, lead the older man into their building. Then they came back out and collected the dead man's body. After we talked about what we had all just witnessed I lied down in a quite corner of the room  and slept for a while.
Out of the hundreds of tragedies I witnessed during my three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan this one stands out as a microcosm of sudden violent death and the shock and horror of a loved one all in under two minutes. Why this scene stands out as vividly as it does I'm not sure. At the time it seemed nothing more than another dead Hajji. I'd not thought to much about it until I was home and started having recurring dreams about it. I still do sometimes. I don't know why this impacted me the way it did. I've come to realize we don't pick what our sub conscious picks up on. It just does what it does

Reviews

[Eric Pudalov]

Wow, Ricochet...just wow. This piece has really touched me, as few do, as a matter of fact. Normally I tend to be a nitpicker about grammar, etc., but I really don't care in this case. It's affected me so much emotionally, because I just can't imagine witnessing something like that.

It's hard for me to even put myself in a situation like that, let alone know what to do if I were actually there. But the part that I *do* understand, oddly enough, is that when you go through a traumatic event, you don't process what's happening right away. Only later on, when the dust has settled, so to speak, are you really able to grasp the reality.

Thank you for sharing this piece with us. Again, it really touched me in a way I can't fully explain.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Eric

[Eric Pudalov]

You're welcome.

[Zahra]

witnessing such things do leave an effect in some way or other

[Baby Ricochet]

Thanks for stopping by

[RachelReaper]

It might have stuck out to you so much because you witnessed the aftereffects of it. You didn't just see someone die, you witnessed his family, too. However I wasn't there and I don't know what else you saw so i could be dead wrong. My dad's into psychology and even he says "God knows why the mind does what it does."

[lee von cleef]

ya, I don't think time exists in the sub conscious ,and when the conscious looks back into its sub life is all askew .

[Ama May Cooper]

We cannot begin to understand the complexity's of the human, and its strange selection for memories, those that inflict tragedy even if not registered at the time will linger long after the image has faded from conscious thought, left behind in the sub conscious. Without realizing it, it seems what you witnessed affected you in a way that you couldn't handle so your brain chose to mask the true extent of your feelings toward it.

[Kaylor Mason]

That's true, about the subconscious. I have many dreams and memories that are just plain weird . . . no other way to describe them

[KeeD]

Witnessing an innocent being killed for being at the wrong place or in a bad situation is hard but it's like the side effects of war. Some side effects stick around and tend to haunt. Well written, wasn't sure what to expect from the title,Under two minutes. This story was beyond my expectations and it was an amazing read.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Keegan

[KeeD]

Just wondering though BR, since you're an army man , what does the term hajjis mean to you? Do yo consider it as an Iraqi citizen (civilian) or is it referred to an insurgent

[Inda]

Yes, i
Like
Kimm said. Also remember emotions affect memmory. The more emotion the more vivid the memory.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Inda

[KAOlmsted]

Speaking strictly about the subconscious, I was driving down Aurora Avenue in Seattle, Washington several years ago...there is a huge cemetery that consumes quite a lot of land, either side of the road (Evergreen Washelli) and I happened to glance to my right and saw two people, consumed with grief, standing by a grave...I quickly looked away. Two seconds of my life, nearly ten years ago, still sticks out in my mind because it occurred to me...I witnessed something I had no business witnessing, and I was ashamed of myself. To this day...I still think of that couple, crying beside a loved one's grave...and how I had no right to experience that moment with them. Anyway. Not saying that's what happened to you...just saying I get the subconscious doing whacky s**t. This was a very good, very honest write, and I thank you for sharing it with us.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you kimmer

[Marie]

I think Richare Man is partly right, but his explanation is too involved. Yours is simpler and more to the point. The subconscious has its own agenda. It does what it does.

[Baby Ricochet]

Yes it does