“We saw the smoke coming from the first tower and watching on the television. We all thought, this can’t be right. The consensus was this is a terrorist attack. Then our building starts to shake. This facility is concrete blocks and few windows. We all ran outside to see what was going on. We saw large black smoke come up from the Pentagon. Then we hear the sirens and a jet buzzed right over our heads heading to New York.”
“Me and my Sargent were in a bunker and those sand bags came over head high and a mortar round came in and hit right on the outside of the bunker. Me and him hit the ground. He asked me, you hit? I said, I don’t think so. He got a piece of shrapnel in the leg. If that mortar had hit just a foot closer we would have been paid for.”
“I was in the mountains, the Hindu Kush. We flew into Kurdistan, but this time our mission is different. It was a new military concept to bring the tactical side to military intelligence. There were about 40 infantry men who got cross trained and imbedded with a Military Intelligence (MI) battalion,” said Juan recalling his tour in Afghanistan.
“I remember when the bullets started flying at me and at my guys that I was so obsessed that one of my guys would be hit by a bullet. It was like somebody shooting at your kids. I was constantly going around and making sure nobody was hit. My hands were shaking and my heart was beating thru my chest. A tremendous amount of adrenalin was coursing thru my veins.”
“On the other side of the road was a tank that was knocked out and on fire. The Americans tried to get out, but every time one came out the Germans shot him. I knew if I shot I would have a whole Army on me, so I didn’t shoot. We were there for business, it was kill or be killed.”