Extra precautions

February 19, 2005

Taps played again today.

Staff Sgt. William “Terry” Robbins was memorialized by those who knew him best. But few really knew him here. Robbins was intensely private and intensely dedicated as a soldier according to those who worked beside him.

Several Iraqi Army soldiers sat in the audience. Robbins worked with them as an advisor. They’d become his friends, too.

Robbins’ death is still surrounded by mystery as army investigators try to piece together how and why he died. He died of at least one gunshot wound and it was not battle related.

That’s about all that’s really known right now.

His memorial service was marked with sorrow, as usual. But it was also accompanied by an additional sense of tragedy because his death was not the result of an enemy bullet or a bomb.

You can’t help but think it could have been avoided. That’s a hard thing to think about.

Maj. Gen. Pete Chairelli, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, thinks about it. He thinks about how to avoid losing soldiers every day.

And today, he came up with yet another way.

After Robbins’ memorial service, which Chairelli attended as he has every one of the brigade’s 28 memorial services, he applauded me for wearing ballistic glasses outside.

The Army issues Wylie X glasses to every soldier. They’ve proven effective in stopping shrapnel and saving lives.

Eyes have been lost in the 39th to shrapnel — several, in fact.

Chairelli expanded his policy on wearing eye protection yesterday. Now it is required when you’re outside at camp, not just on patrol.

Yes, soldiers are complaining about it.

But when he saw me walk out of the 39th’s chapel and lower my glasses, he walked up and told me he was proud of me.

Then he told me about a soldier who was hit with shrapnel from a mortar round the day before as he walked across a camp somewhere in 1st Cavalry territory.

The shrapnel penetrated the soldier’s eye and lodged in his brain. The soldier is alive, but will forever be a vegetable.

Chairelli said we’re about to go home. He said it could have been avoided if the soldier was wearing eye protection. He may have lost an eye, but he’d be alive and mentally intact.

So, with just about two weeks left of being in control of Baghdad, Chairelli ordered everyone to wear eye protection when outdoors.

He said it’s worth it if it helps one soldier avoid death.

And he said he hopes he doesn’t have to salute another pair of empty combat boots while taps plays again.

Posted by Amy at February 19, 2005 06:00 PM