Truth
I once heard a saying the truth hurts. When I have free time (laughing),I will google Capt Sean Sims to see if there are any news articles out there that I have missed. Usually, there is nothing new so I will read an old one again. I always "enjoy" reading the Six days in Fallujah by Knight Ridder reporter Tom Lasseter . . . I think it is one of the most up front and descriptive news reports I have read about the battle. For the most part, I have been told this article is pretty true, but there is another article that gets me to wondering about the truth. Was this soldier telling the truth?
The article that gets my brain spinning discusses how a soldier tells the other soldiers of Alpha Company that their commanding officer is dead, "they were just a gaggle walking in some house. They weren't clearing buildings properly before going in." I can not imagine Sean ever letting his guard down, but he had been awake for several days . . . he always took his job so seriously. There was nothing "casual" about Sean when it came to being a soldier. I can't imagine him just walking into some house in downtown Fallujah without his guard up. It just doesn't sound like Sean.
The day before he left for Fallujah I told him, "stay safe, don't let your guard down, and watch your back because Colin couldn't wait for him to come home" . . . I will always wonder if he was . . . something that eats me up . . . something that I will never know.
I was in Germany for the 1ID Welcome Home ceremony. I went to the Alpha Company area to talk to some of the guys. Oddly, the soldier who made this comment walked in the door, and we met in passing. I don't know if he knew who I was, but I sure recognized his name on his BDUs. I so wanted to grab him by the arm and say, "Hey, we need to talk, " but I was overwhelmed just being in the company area and seeing all the soldiers going about their daily business. Of course, he could have cared less what I thought and it probably did not matter to him . . . he was home with his family! I have always thought that if this soldier did not mean what he said, was misquoted, or his words were taken out of context that he would have contacted me, but he didn't so was it true? I wonder if his wife would want to read that about him! If this soldier is saying the truth then it really hurts!
The article that gets my brain spinning discusses how a soldier tells the other soldiers of Alpha Company that their commanding officer is dead, "they were just a gaggle walking in some house. They weren't clearing buildings properly before going in." I can not imagine Sean ever letting his guard down, but he had been awake for several days . . . he always took his job so seriously. There was nothing "casual" about Sean when it came to being a soldier. I can't imagine him just walking into some house in downtown Fallujah without his guard up. It just doesn't sound like Sean.
The day before he left for Fallujah I told him, "stay safe, don't let your guard down, and watch your back because Colin couldn't wait for him to come home" . . . I will always wonder if he was . . . something that eats me up . . . something that I will never know.
I was in Germany for the 1ID Welcome Home ceremony. I went to the Alpha Company area to talk to some of the guys. Oddly, the soldier who made this comment walked in the door, and we met in passing. I don't know if he knew who I was, but I sure recognized his name on his BDUs. I so wanted to grab him by the arm and say, "Hey, we need to talk, " but I was overwhelmed just being in the company area and seeing all the soldiers going about their daily business. Of course, he could have cared less what I thought and it probably did not matter to him . . . he was home with his family! I have always thought that if this soldier did not mean what he said, was misquoted, or his words were taken out of context that he would have contacted me, but he didn't so was it true? I wonder if his wife would want to read that about him! If this soldier is saying the truth then it really hurts!
posted by Heidi at 10/21/2005 09:16:00 AM
5 Comments:
Nothing that guy says will ever make me believe it. You KNOW that Sean would never let his guard down, even without sleep. He was a soldier from birth, practically, and he was great at it. There's just no way.
Besides...even if this guy swears by his story, it's just his opinion. What do the other guys actually involved say? Their opinion is worth far more, I would think.
Try not to let it bother you Heidi. I know those are just goofy words, but seriously.
You don't know us and will probably never meet us. Even before Sean died, our daughter and her husband had told us about the wonderful couple they had met... Sean and you. Please always remember that we, like hundreds of other people you will never know, love you and your family... you will always be in our hearts and prayers...forever.
Heidi,
As a wife of some one that was there I promise you that Sean's guard was NEVER down. He was an amazing man and from what my husband says an incredible leader. The man that said those horrible things was wrong. His platoon had nothing to do with the situation and he had no right to say anything. Some day his words will come back to haunt him and I hope he never gets a goood nights sleep again after that.
It took me a while to be able to get the article to open. Maybe the day of the week - who knows.
Sometimes, as described by my spouse that the Sgt's response was a knee-jerk (then foot in mouth) response. Probably not realizing that a journalist was nearby he said that in an effort to attempt to control panic and fear. It doesn't mean that it's not a horrid thing to say and I am sure he didn't mean to use fear to control fear with a journalist about - he probably feels the giant ass for it.
There are things that were said and happened in war that were never talked about back in Vietnam, WWII, WWI, etc. With the advent of embedded media, the smart remarks that soldiers make to control fear (theirs or others) or to release stress now end up in print.
I am not trying to justify him claiming your husband didn't follow procedure, I would hope he would at least send a letter to apologize for being so critical and allowing it to end up in print.
HH6
I rememeber reading that article and wondering. I can't imagine any soldier, especially an Officer of the caliber like CPT Sims, entering any place without their guard up. While that NCO's comments may have been a "simple" reminder to the troops to keep their guards up, it should have never been printed.
Rest In Peace Cpt Sims. We will see you on the final objective.
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