A soldier thanks ‘a platoon of heroes’

December 02, 2004

Thank you letters are rare in Iraq.

Soldiers watch out for each other with the unspoken understanding that thank yous are not necessary.

Sgt. 1st Class John Burns of El Dorado feels differently.

The platoon sergeant for Delta Company’s 4th Platoon in the 39th Brigade’s 3rd Battalion wrote to his men this week. He’s home recovering from a horrendous wreck in which his humvee tumbled into a sewage-filled irrigation ditch.

He and 1st Sgt. Tyler Hatch were trapped in the overturned humvee and completely submerged in water. The top of the humvee had sunk several inches into the gooey mud at the canal’s bottom, making it seemingly impossible to open the doors and rescue the men.

But 4th Platoon did it.

Burns and Hatch were technically dead when they were pulled from the stinky water almost 10 minutes later. They were revived on the back of a humvee.

I will always remember that horrible night. I will remember how the men lay head to foot. I held a light on Hatch as they worked and yelled his name. Burns’ boots were inches from my face as others worked on him on the other side of the humvee.

I’ll always remember how the helicopter pilot in the Blackhawk miraculously landed on a berm between canals in the inky dark night and whisked Burns and Hatch off in a cloud of dust. I’ll never forget the smell of the gook that dripped off the humvee when the wrecker pulled it out of the canal more than an hour later.

I’ll never forget the way doctors at the Combat Support Hospital described how Burns and Hatch came in fighting everyone who came near them, even while unconscious.

And I will never forget the day I learned that they would both be all right.

While Burns and Hatch don’t remember those moments, neither has forgotten the men who dove in to save them.

Of course, I can’t explain it better than Burns did in this letter to his men:

“As the holidays are upon us, I can only think of all the guys in fourth platoon Delta Company. I miss all of you and wish only that I were over there and all of you back home safe with your families.

“This is the time of year when we are to be celebrating Thanksgiving. I truly have a lot to be thankful for this year. The past three months recovering and spending time with my children has really shown me just how thankful we should be for everything that God does for us on a daily basis.

“To all the men in fourth platoon I say thank you. I am proud of each and every one of you and am so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve with all of you. Words cannot express how thankful I am for all that you guys did for me. It is because of your sacrifice and self determination that I am alive today. I am proud of all of you. The world says you’re lucky to meet one true hero in life. I’ve been fortunate enough to have served with a platoon of heroes. Each and every one of you are my heroes, and I pray that the Lord will bring all of you home safely.

“Although I am not there with you guys, not a day goes by that I don’t think about all of you. I still don’t know how things happened the way they did, but I guess now that isn’t really important. I just know that my life was spared and I owe it to all of you and the Lord. I’ve been reading in Psalms and I wanted to share these verses with you. In Psalms 145:17-21:

“ ‘The Lord is righteous in all His ways; Gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him. But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.’

“I pray that all of you continue to trust in God daily to see you through each endeavor. I thank all of you for your heroic sacrifices, which you make each day while in Iraq. May the Lord God continue to watch over each of you and bring you home safely.

“Happy Holidays,

“SFC Burns”

Posted by Amy at December 2, 2004 11:53 AM