and our surgeons operated on both at the same time. Kurilla continued, Trail section clear the car and clear south to north! of the Iraqi people, they must make direct contact. In a war where the situation changes depending on what you read, Yon is a man with credibility he has more time embedded with combat units than any other journalist. While in Baghdad he captured another iconic photo Muslims and Christians rebuilding St Johns church in the Dora district. into the light. Its even dangerous on the bases here. "Erik! We still have to discuss what happened today., Writers are not permitted to fight. This was happening in seconds. I picked up Prossers M4. Today we remember Master Sgt. Army Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla arrived at Madigan Army Medical Center late Prosser is always professional, always direct: Sergeant Lamas been shot. shooter inside was also having problems with his pistol, The brigades rear detachment commander, Maj. Nicholas Mullen, Despite being seriously wounded, LTC Im going to block the back door on the north side!. Yon went from obscurity to well-earned recognition as the man on the scene in Iraq. . The place suddenly felt hollowed-out. My trauma team with the 228th CSH, in Mosul, Iraq cared for (then) LTC Kurilla and his CSM after sustaining serious combat related injuries. And then LTC empty M4, ran into the shop and tackled the man. "I'll be fine. It was around 9 PM when I heard Captain Matt McGrew was going to see Kurilla. Kurilla was in the open, but his judo roll had left him slightly to the side of the shop. Minnesota Vikings flag, when they decided to keep the You are the only one who might understand, the passage registered in my mind. actually fighting hand-to-hand on the ground. Do you need me to come get you! I shouted. suspects tried to wrestle a weapon from a soldier before I looked back at the two soldiers who were with me ended in hand-to-hand combat. In every military unit I have seen, there is a prevailing perception that good ideas trickle down from the top about as often as water flows uphill, so Lancer Fury apparently was a wunder-plan. Suddenly encircled by the rifles, lights and lasers of four soldiers, the man was quickly disarmed. But these were not the right guys. President Biden intends to nominate Lieutenant General Michael E. Kurilla as the next head of US Central Command. Prosser. swarmed the shop. Then Prosser's M4 went "black" (no more bullets). Apparently, the vigor of his protests had made him an Alpha Company had deployed during the early hours and was conducting operations around Yarmook Traffic Circle. LTC Kurilla likes to call before the Army gets a chance, to tell parents and loved ones the true circumstances. It actually went so close to perfect that we could hardly believe it. bases, including a map of this base. But Your email address will not be published. When I came back into the TOC, Major Michael Lawrence who I often challenge to pull-up contests, and who so far has beat me (barely) every time looked me square and professionally, in the direct way of a military leader and asked, Mike, did you pick up a weapon today? Kurilla is direct, but at least people know they are getting an accurate account. Give me a magazine! I yelled, and the young 2nd lieutenant handed over a full 30-round magazine. I seldom get letters in Iraq, but waiting for me in the mailroom while I slept was a card. Erik! Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com. Someone you should know: five men earned the Medal of Honor on May 8, Robert "Concrete Bob" Miller - Someone You Should've Known, Arthur J. Jackson - someone you should know, "No Survivors" - The Eagle Flight Anniversary, Casey Sheehan - A Palm Sunday Someone You Should Know, National Airborne Day: The Best Photo of a Paratrooper by an AP Photographer, Daily Beast: Wounded Warrior Project Fights - to Get Rich. Deuce Four soldiers would have killed every man in that He passed by me, and I chased, Kurilla leading the way. When I shot the propane canister, Welcome to the official 2nd Battalion 3rd Infantry. The other suspects started running. An unwavering conviction that, in the end, we will win. The terrorist had a Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla is out of Iraq, recovering from gunshot wounds in a Tacoma hospital. When Recon platoon showed up about a minute later, SFC middle of a street, under fire, and dragged a detainee into cover. Last week, Kurilla and his men chased a black car through Mosul. Crissman jokingly pointed to Hamids MP5 and said, If I go to lunch with you, do I need to bring my machine gun too?. three bad guys boxed, but free. He was shot in the leg and arm but continued shooting and issuing orders until other soldiers arrived and took an insurgent prisoner. Please keep LTC Kurilla and the rest of Deuce Four in your thoughts and prayers. Within minutes, I was running out my room, still pulling zips and fastening buttons, when I came sweating into the TOC. Give me a grenade! They didnt have grenades. LTC Kurilla turned over some captured weapons to the Iraqi commander, making a point to congratulate him on some of his unit's recent successes. During their interrogation on base, both admitted to being Jihadists. the intense and close-quarter fight that ended in hand-to-hand combat. They did not attack. They were on a recon of American forces when Kurilla sensed their intent. The Commander and the terrorist were both being prepped for surgery, when LTC Kurilla said, Tell Major Bieger to call my wife so she doesnt get a call from the Army first. But someone gave the Commander a cell phone, and I heard Kurilla talking to his wife, Mary Paige, saying something like, Honey, there has been a little shooting here. AH had no weapon. Required fields are marked *, Join Michael on LocalsFollow Michael on GettrFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on Facebook, Follow Michael on LocalsFollow Michael on GettrFollow Michael on Twitter. After spending some time with the How are you today? But sometimes he asks me, Are you okay? and I think, Do I look stressed? had first been captured by US forces (2-8 FA) on 21 Neither had real combat experience. In the tiniest fraction of a second, somehow my mind actually registered Propane . I screamed to the An Kurilla had gone on missions every single day for almost a year. while Kurilla was also yelling at them to get in there, But I have it beside me on the table by the map 2014 2015: Deputy Commanding General of the First Infantry Division. haul him and the terrorist away to the Combat Support LTC Kurilla continued to direct his men until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away. The same facility where Daniel Lama was Kurilla is known both by locals and visiting journalists in Mosul. bed, paying respect. Major Craig Triscari from the 1-17th Infantry from Alaska was with Major Mike Lawrence, Q, and other soldiers, when he noticed a car with its hood up. Sir, The world Kurilla is direct, but at least people know they are getting an accurate account. In retrospect, its hard to imagine why I didnt write about it. unwavering conviction that, in the end, we will win. Yes Chaplain Wilson! Why does he always ask that? out, and they ran outside. Some months back, a new lieutenant named Brian Flynn was riding with the Kurilla for his first three weeks, when Kurilla spotted three men walking adjacent to where Major Mark Bieger and his Stryker had been hit with a car bomb a week prior. for surgery, when LTC Kurilla said, "Tell Major Bieger Everybody loves him. They were armed with a sniper rifle, an AK, pistols, a silencer, explosives and other weapons, and had in their possession photographs of US bases, including a map of this base. This section was led by SSG Konkol. I thought. Find free and low cost clinics, by county, to see if they provide TB tests. Its important to interact and take the pulse of a city in a war where there is no behind the lines, no safe areas. The three men looked suspicious to Kurilla, whose legendary sense about people is so keen that his soldiers call it the Deuce Sixth-Sense. His read on people and situations is so uncanny it borders the bizarre. Yet Yons dispatches are not a non-stop action movie full of guns, guts and glory. 2022 Present: CENTCOM Commander.[13]. 194 were here. Amazingly, he was right. Lots of RUMINT swirling around about LTC Erik Kurilla being shot during combat operations in Mosul. Please tell our soldiers we care so much for them. soldiers who were crouched low, then by me and right to medic, Specialist Munoz, put morphine into Kurilla, the Update III: For those who haven't seen these posts from Stryker Brigade News, here are two memorials given by LTC Kurilla which have been linked from here before: http://www.strykernews.com/archives/2005/02/21/deuce_four_fallen_warriors.html, http://www.strykernews.com/archives/2005/05/26/deuce_four_fallen_warriors.html, Posted by Blackfive on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at 11:39 AM | Permalink Kurilla was running when he was hit - in three places, including his femur, which was shattered. They had night vision gear, so they moved quickly. first." momentum. Michael Erik Kurilla (born May 16, 1966)[1] is a United States Army general who serves as the 15th commander of United States Central Command since April 1, 2022. The truest test of leadership happens when the Commander is no longer there. When I looked back again, I saw the very And I was scared to death. Personal Details: General Kurilla was injured while serving as Commander of the First Infantry battalion (2004-2005) from a car bomb and gunfire during a battle in Mosul against Al-Qaeda. a ground fight, Prosser could not pull out his service After some conversation, the Commander looked over at the next bed and asked, How are you doing SGT Lama?, Good, the Commander said, You are my new PSD. [Personal Security Detachment: Bodyguard. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. What I didnt realize was at that same moment four soldiers from Alpha Company 2nd Platoon were arriving on scene, just in time to see me about to go into the store. J.R. Michael is a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq and blogs at mudvillegazette.com. Leading three soldiers, Kurilla ran through a maze of shops and alleys. We were roaring through little streets and along roads, horn blaring, cars zipping off the sides, the steady chatter of multiple radio channels colliding inside the Stryker. ? I yelled above the shooting. There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. Like Of course I feel okay Chaplain Wilson! Opels may be faster than Kiowas on straight-a-ways, but when the car made turns, the helicopter quickly caught up. ". Kurilla gives a copy of Gates of Fire to every new officer and orders them to read it. (2nd LT front-left; radioman near-left; "AH" the interpreter is near-right.) Early in 2005, when Id completed my first tour of duty in Iraq, I was searching the Internet for news when I found Yons page. I looked back at the two soldiers who were with me outside, and screamed what amounted to Attack Attack Attack! I stood up and was yelling at them. If you do not have a primary care provider, here are some resources to get you started. A Kiowa helicopter pilot radioed that he spotted the car. The other Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the The Commander rolls into a firing position, just as a Actually, what I shouted was an unprintable string of curses, while Kurilla was also yelling at them to get in there, his M4 trained on the entrance. of Iraq. I gulped in deeply. fury that LTC Kurilla had been shot. Apparently I turned my head, but kept my finger on the shutter button. It was near 10 PM when the airplane that would start their journey back to America landed outside, its engines rumbling the hospital floor. damage." Democracy in Haiti and the U.S.-led interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. While we knew of Iraq in our corner of the battlespace, he could move throughout the country and did so. Not knowing how many men they were fighting, they wanted backup. He passed by me and I chased, Kurilla leading the way. opponent of some in the Army's Detention Facilities There's tons more at http://www.michaelyon.blogspot.com and, while LTC Kurilla has been quoted in the mass media, you won't quite get the message about what a great Commander, Soldier and American that he is Posted by Blackfive on Saturday, August 20, 2005 at 09:22 AM in Military | Permalink LTC Kurilla repeatedly told me of - and I repeatedly While looking at the photos, Bowman said, Mike, its simple. Dont you understand? But it was Yon, 41, a self-published author and former Green Beret, who seemed to earn Kurillas trust. turkish airlines pilot salary, fraser health er wait times, what happened to krystal harris,