Echo in Ramadi by Scott A. Huesing

Author:Scott A. Huesing
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781621577638
Publisher: Regnery History
Published: 2018-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Jump

If I pushed my platoon commanders hard, I pushed my second in command, Bobby Lee, even harder.

I had to. Our implicit and expressed relationship as CO and XO was vital to the success of the company. More importantly, if anything happened to me, he had to be ready to take command. I knew that every chance I had needed to be used to develop him into a company commander.

Lee’s gregarious nature made him very likable to those around him—his peers, the Marines, and especially me. He never missed an opportunity to find the levity in a tough situation and had a knack for brightening everyone’s spirit in tough times.

It was hard for me to stifle his charm. I didn’t want to, but I also had to make sure that he knew there was a time and a place for letting his hair down. I’m quite sure I saw a lot of myself in him, and that made it more difficult for me at times. I counted on him to be “The Heavy.” The enforcer. I think it went against his natural style, but I was training him the way Marty had trained me. Relentlessly.

I am certain he felt frustrated and overwhelmed at times. He was a relatively new lieutenant with only a shade over two years of experience under his belt in the Marine Corps, and I often had an abrupt way of tasking Lee in the midst of the chaos.

Despite any look of exasperation on his face, I was famous for telling him, “XO, just get it done.”

I failed to factor in his lack of experience when I saw the frustration. I simply saw a bear of a man standing in front of me, and I expected results. Lee never let me down in that regard, and he thrived—notwithstanding my limited guidance at times.

Ramadi was Lee’s first combat deployment. After a short time in the city, his nervousness disappeared—he became desensitized by the combination of emotions and constant stress.

Lee had assembled a team of Marines that functioned as the company Jump, a mobile command post of sorts. It consisted of a couple of armored Humvees, but it was highly effective and provided critical support to the entire company. Lee and his team drove fearlessly around the war-torn city in their trucks and Echo Company could always count on them.

He identified and chose one of the new Humvees for his headquarters team, and over the course of the deployment, that vehicle became his house, office, bedroom, and protector.

I thrust a lot of responsibility on Lee, and he handled it well. His team of characters in the Jump were constantly on the move as our dismounted platoons patrolled throughout the city. I relied heavily on them to be the forward eyes and ears of the company. They scouted out safe zones. They served as a resupply for ammunition and chow, and pushed detainees back to the rear for questioning after we’d capture them on raids.

They were left alone and unafraid at times.

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