I am grateful for the guidance and support of my agent, Joe Vel-tre, who was the first publishing professional to believe in my story; also at Carlisle and Company—Michelle Tessler, Michael Carlisle, and Pilar Queen.
I am indebted to my editor, Brendan Cahill, who worked with me line by line to make my writing the best it could be—a master teacher in his own right; Ray Lundgren, for creating the perfect cover; Craig Schneider for his copy edit expertise; and the talented team of professionals at Gotham Books including Patrick Mulligan, Joseph Mills, and my publisher, Bill Shinker.
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A U T H O R ’ S N O T E A N D A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
Sincerest thanks to those readers who provided valuable feedback as the chapters developed—Patty Laibstain, Lisa Muccino, Barb Veselich, Mary Ramos, Linda and John Brandenburg, Sarah Heneghan, Ben Rodriguez, Debbie Chain, Melinda and John Knopp, Denise and Dick Meyers, Angela Meyers, Dick and Clara Howlett, Laura and Donnie Falcone, Julia Falcone, Robin and Randy Weagley, Carl and Clara Del Gallo, Giulio and Arlene Del Gallo, Carl and Dawn Del Gallo, Jane and John Peplinski, Ken and Kelly Brandt, and Jim and Joanne Phillips.
Special thanks to the board of directors and staff members of Baltimore Medical Systems Incorporated (BMSI) for their support of my work; the administration of Kennedy Krieger High School: Robin Church, Gabrielle Miller, Andy Hubner, Aaron Parsons, Re-nard Adams, Rick Abbott, and Scott Steppa—for their patience and understanding; Vivian Price-Butler for inspiration; and Ed Bigley for sage advice and moral support.
I wish to express my gratitude to the following Marines for providing checks and balances to my perspective: first and foremost my friend, Doug Moss; Ray Celeste, Jim Bounds, Eric Downes, John Shane, and Mike Dougherty.
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint lyrics from
“War Pigs.”
Words and music by Frank Iommi, John Osbourne, William Ward and Terence Butler © Copyright 1970 (Renewed) and 1974 (Renewed) Westminster Music Ltd., London, England. TRO—Essex Music International, Inc., New York, controls all publication rights for the U.S.A. and Canada
DATELINE
RECRUIT
JUNE 1988:
Enlist in the delayed entry program with Staff Sgt. Stone
JUNE 1989:
Begin basic training at Parris Island AUGUST 1989:
End basic training at Parris Island
RESERVIST
SEPTEMBER 1989:
Check-in and first drill in Mortar Platoon at Camp Upshur
DECEMBER 1989:
Reassignment from Mortar Platoon to First Platoon as scout
JANUARY 1990:
Cold-weather training at Camp Upshur
APRIL 1990:
Visit to Bethesda to earn medical discharge JUNE 1990:
Check-in at School of Infantry/LAV school at Camp Pendleton
2 AUGUST 1990:
Graduation from LAV School—Iraq invades Kuwait
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D A T E L I N E
WARRIOR
SEPTEMBER 1990:
Check-in at Camp Upshur for first drill weekend after LAV school
18 NOVEMBER 1990:
Phone call from Sgt. Moss—official
activation for war
22 NOVEMBER 1990:
Withdraw from classes at Towson
University—last day on campus
23 NOVEMBER 1990:
Check-in at Camp Upshur for mobilization to active duty
26 NOVEMBER 1990:
Road-march convoy from Camp Upshur
to Camp Lejeune
27 NOVEMBER 1990:
Weapons Company merges with Fox
Company to become Delta Company
29 NOVEMBER 1990:
First day of our twenty-eight-day training period at Lejeune
26 DECEMBER 1990:
Last training day at Lejeune—board TWA flight to Saudi Arabia
27 DECEMBER 1990:
Arrive in Saudi Arabia—Tent City at Jubail 31 DECEMBER 1990:
First combat experience—Scud alarms
2 JANUARY 1991:
Leave Tent City for field positions and training
6 JANUARY 1991:
Grunt training and trench clearing
11 JANUARY 1991:
Return to Tent City in Jubail
17 JANUARY 1991:
Desert Storm begins—the LAVs arrive
29 JANUARY 1991:
Hunter is wounded by friendly fire
8 FEBRUARY 1991:
Surrendering Iraqis pass through our
command center—Sgt. Moss is demoted
22 FEBRUARY 1991:
Vehicle rollover
24 FEBRUARY 1991:
Ground war begins
25 FEBRUARY 1991:
Blue One kills Iraqis in the mail truck 28 FEBRUARY 1991:
Palestinian children attacked for seeking food
D A T E L I N E
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4 MARCH 1991:
Red Two takes fire in Kuwait
5 MARCH 1991:
Cpl. Shane and I explore the Kuwaiti house 12 MARCH 1991:
Combat funeral for Lance Cpl. Edsar
VETERAN
1 APRIL 1991:
Return to Tent City in Jubail
20 APRIL 1991:
Return to Camp Lejeune
24 APRIL 1991:
Return to Camp Upshur
JUNE 1991:
First postwar drill weekend
AUGUST 1991:
My transfer to Third Platoon
SEPTEMBER 1991:
I go unqualified on the rifle range
APRIL 1993:
LAV live-fire
JULY 1993:
ATD in Twenty-Nine Palms, California
AUGUST 1993:
First drill as company master gunner
SEPTEMBER 1993:
I create the boot camp program for at-risk adolescents
JUNE 1995:
Last drill weekend
SEPTEMBER 1995:
I become CO of Young Marines Central
Maryland
SEPTEMBER 1995:
I enroll in master’s program in school counseling at Johns Hopkins
JULY 1998:
I become assistant principal of Kennedy Krieger High School
SEPTEMBER 2000:
First Sgt. Price-Butler becomes CO of Young Marines
JANUARY 2003:
First Sgt. Price-Butler prepares for activation JANUARY 2003:
I begin writing Spare Parts
With Lenny after his graduation from Parris Island, September 1975
On the yellow footprints after graduation from Parris Island, August 1989
Training as a mortarman during the winter of 1989 before reassignment to an LAV platoon
With Gina, taken on the way to
report for active duty at Camp Upshur
First day at Tent City in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, 27 December 1990
Company area within Tent City
The “shitter” and “pisser” within Tent City One of the last days in the Kuwaiti Desert just before returning to Tent City, March 1991
New Year’s Eve 1990—when I stayed awake practicing the masking procedure (and the night I proposed to Gina)
NBC gear: gas mask with hood, Cipro pills, NAP pills, and Atropine injectors
In the driver’s compartment of the LAV with Sgt. Moss in the vehicle commander position
Atop the troop compartment of the LAV
With Sgt. Moss and the LAV in Kuwait following the ground war The crew of Red 2 the morning after the rollover—Dougherty far left, Cpl. Shane far right
Holding the Koran in the living room of the Kuwaiti house Evidence of torture in the bathroom of the Kuwaiti house
Boarding the plane for the flight home, 19 April 1991
Arrival home, 24 April 1991
liams, Spare Parts
Spare Parts Page 34