There were times when his mother and father, the two cops, had to wonder if he was ever going to get it and grow up.
You know, the kind of kid who tears all the sugar packages open at the restaurant table and pours them all over.
The True Test
Oh, he could play football and basketball. Big deal.
But could he survive on the mean streets?
Perhaps he would fall into traveling around with a bunch of other guys with guns, looking for trouble.
A Downside
Actually, the latter proved to be true.
His mother, his father and the entire family are proud.
You see the little guy with the attitude still has it — and it served him well on the streets of Ramadi the other day in Iraq.
He acquitted himself well, by all accounts.
If there was any downside to all of this, other than getting shot, of course, it was the shower of conflicting reports that came in daily.
Complexity of Responses
Where would Andrew go for treatment?
In the middle of it all, the answers were yes and then no.
Our family may be a bit more critical than other families about the notification and update process.
There is a simple explanation for this.
Texture of the Family
We are a family of senior police and field grade military officers, active and retired.
We know how to notify a next of kin. Conflicting reports were met with consternation by most of the family, especially his mother, his father and his grandmother.
Yet, they were careful not to try and blame the Army or the unit. I was not so kind.
No Options
There is only one way to do these things and that is the RIGHT WAY.
I suppose some would blame the wounded soldier for trying to keep his family informed. But he was the most professional of all. And so were his mother, father and grandmother.
A Word of Stern Advice
My input was simple to those in the Army notification process: “Do not open your mouth until you know, and express no opinions on disposition until they are firm.”
That this pointed advice was ignored is not a soldier or family problem but an Army problem. Do not blame them, blame me.
Finding the Cure
I will be more than happy to discuss it with anybody. A more common sense approach would be to simply fix the problem. Let me say that again in expanded terms.
“The soldier and his family handled this well. But the Army needs to fix its problem. You fix wounded soldiers in hospitals. Fix this problem, and you fix notification and update problems within the chain of command. Trying to blame this soldier or his family would be a huge mistake, a self-inflicted wound upon the Army. Fix it!”
What Will They Call Him?
You always wonder what label will be stuck to some kid in the family. These run from lazy and mean to downright criminal.
But, somewhere down the line, this young man got it. He acted smart and tough in a critical situation. He thought of others before himself. And when it was over, he thanked the God we always wondered if he really knew.
He did not whine, and he did not ask why he had to be in Iraq. He fought his little butt off, that being almost literally true.
The Shooting
While acting as a tailgunner‚ for his unit on the mean streets of Ramadi the other day, he showed all what he was made of.
Even after being struck three times by the venerable AK assault rifle, which had downed other Americans in Iraq and even members of his own family in another war, he fought on.
His first thought was to get back to his unit and his brother warriors still in the fight. He had the presence of mind to call home and tell his family it was alright. The wounds were kind of minor, actually.
He Downplays Wounds
Those were his words to reassure worried parents, not mine. Shot through one hand and through the legs with three AK rounds, with one exiting out his behind.
He did his duty. After he heals, he wants to get back to his guys.
A Day for Answers
A lot of questions were answered the other day on the streets of Ramadi. No person on this earth will ever have the right to doubt his courage or acumen under stress ever again.
Most of all, we found out who he really is.
I guess it was there all the time. We just did not see it.
So who is he really? It is all quite simple to see now. He is
Andrew Smith,
American Infantry Soldier
I have written this in honor of my nephew and fellow Infantryman, Andrew.
Welcome to the most honored club in the world, pal,
COMBAT INFANTRYMEN.
Maj. Mark A. Smith, U.S. Army, Infantry® (Ret.)
