|
Wounded Warrior Ready To Rejoin His Brothers
(October 5, 2010) | 
|
|
|
September 30, 2010 - Lance Cpl. Brett Barrowman, a 20-year-old machine gunner with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (Forward) was shot in the right leg during a patrol, Aug. 17, 2010, and continued to assault the enemy until air support arrived. Barrowman, from Columbus, Ohio, is fully recovered and will soon head back to Marjah, Afghanistan, to rejoin his fellow Marines and finish out their deployment. |
|
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (Sept. 30, 2010) - When most Marines wounded in
battle are recovering, all they can think about is getting back to their unit
and doing everything they can to keep the same thing from happening to one of
their brothers.
This is exactly what happened to Lance Cpl. Brett Barrowman, a 20-year-old
machine gunner with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, after he
was shot in the right leg during a patrol in Marjah, Afghanistan, Aug. 17.
Barrowman with his M240 Bravo medium machine gun and nine other Marines were on
an evening patrol. Barrowman and his assistant gunner climbed onto a roof to see
what was ahead.
Barrowman and his assistant gunner saw a suspicious group of locals gathered
together. As the patrol pushed closer to the locals, gunfire came from a distant
tree line.
“Six of us ended up getting hit when we took contact,” recalled Barrowman. “I
got shot in my right leg, but it went in and out, not striking bone or any major
arteries, and my adrenalin was going so much I put my 240 Bravo up on the edge
of the ditch and started to suppress the enemy.”
After about 10 minutes, Barrowman felt his right leg start to go numb, and |
|
needed to get his wound patched up. Barrowman told his assistant gunner to
get on the gun and keep fighting. The enemy engagement lasted nearly an
hour. |
|
After the assistant gunner was hit by enemy fire, the patrol leader decided it
was time to maneuver out of enemy fire.
Barrowman pulled his machine gun down and the patrol leader made the call,
telling them all to start moving. Even with six of 10 wounded, the Marines made
their way quickly to a nearby compound. Barrowman, with his leg badly wounded,
didn't want to take any care away from the other wounded Marines. He swallowed
the pain and walked to the compound without help.
“Once we found the compound, we posted security and the Navy corpsman checked
out all the wounded to make sure they were stable and ready for the medical
evacuation when the time came,” said Barrowman, a native of Columbus, Ohio.
After the mayhem was over, Barrowman and two of his fellow Marines were taken to
the hospital at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, for further medical attention. Since
then, he has been with the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Camp Leatherneck, who
have been assisting with his recovery so he can return to Echo Co. 2/9.
“Here, one of the worst things is when casualties come in, or hearing about
Marines killed in action, especially when it is someone you know, and you can't
do anything about it because you are here,” Barrowman said. “So it is going to
be good to get back with my brothers, my family, back in the patrol base and
continuing on with our mission.”
Barrowman has received word that he will soon be heading back to his unit to
rejoin his fellow Marines to finish out the deployment. Barrowman can now settle
back in with his unit and continue to fight side by side with his
brothers-in-arms. | |
Article and photo by USMC Cpl. Skyler Tooker
1st Marine Division
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
Comment on this article |
|
