Joao Silva for The New York Times
Sgt. Jesse E. Leach of the Marines assisted Lance Cpl. Juan Valdez-Castillo, who was shot by a sniper in the town of Karma. He survived.
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: November 4, 2006
KARMA, Iraq, Nov. 3 — The bullet passed through Lance Cpl. Juan Valdez-Castillo as his Marine patrol moved down a muddy urban lane. It was a single shot. The lance corporal fell against a wall, tried to stand and fell again.
His squad leader, Sgt. Jesse E. Leach, faced where the shot had come from, raised his rifle and grenade launcher and quickly stepped between the sniper and the bloodied marine. He walked backward, scanning, ready to fire.
Shielding the marine with his own thick body, he grabbed the corporal by a strap and dragged him across a muddy road to a line of tall reeds, where they were concealed. He put down his weapon, shouted orders and cut open the lance corporal’s uniform, exposing a bubbling wound.
Lance Corporal Valdez-Castillo, shot through the right arm and torso, was saved. But the patrol was temporarily stuck. The marines were engaged in the task of calling for a casualty evacuation while staring down their barrels at dozens of windows that faced them, as if waiting for a ghost’s next move.........
we MUST bring our men and women home now. we cannot allow them to be killed or wounded FOR NO REASON. we DO NOT BELONG IN IRAQ. we never have. WE created the violence there both against us and against themselves.
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6 comments:
great story!
yes it is. thanks to the courage of the nyt
hi, i am the very proud gf of sgt. jesse e. leach -- i had to post -- he has said he is too modest for the media attention but is glad that the story got out to make us Americans realize that our guys are still fighting over there.
thank you. from us both
VPGF of Sgt. Jesse E. Leach
2/8 Wpns
*deployed*
ilovesgtjes@yahoo.com
ashley, i'd be WICKED PROUD too!!! to me sgt leach is a hero. of course i have my very strong beliefs about us being in iraq BUT i would do almost anything to help our troops out. i honor each and every one of them
i checked out your webpage. you and jesse make one handsome couple!
thank you so much for stopping by. it's most appreciated.
Dude i just met him and talked to him today. it was amazing story . Thank God that he is alive. But he got skinnier but still strong and mean as a Marine. Still in the corps working at Boston recruiting officer in Massachusetts as recruiter assistance...
Orraahh !!!
i honor each and every one of our service members (well, ok, there are a couple i don't). it's KING GEORGE AND HIS COURT i have issues with.
i cannot thank ALL of our troops, current, future and from days gone by....enough
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