It's that feeling in the pit of your stomach - when
you know something is wrong. For Staff Sgt. Bittinger, that feeling
came on April 9, 2004, as his troops approached the small town of
Behriz, Iraq. Military intel and a recent attack suggested insurgents
were planning actions against U.S. forces in the area. And now Bittinger
and his team found themselves in what appeared to be a ghost town:
not an Iraqi in sight and no security visible.
Suddenly,
the men spotted movement in the palm groves; insurgents unleashed
a torrent of RPG and small-arms fire. During the battle, as enemies
directed their fire toward specific targets, Bittinger weaved in
and out of the line of fire, protecting his comrades by drawing
gunfire to his own vehicle. As they fought, Bittinger's gunner took
a hit, and fell from his seat. Bittinger quickly removed his flak
jacket, used it to pressure the wound, and then jumped behind the
gun and kept firing.
In the heat of battle, Bittinger knew
that if his men stayed where they were, they'd be sitting ducks
for the better-positioned insurgents. He had his driver move their
Bradley between the enemy fire and the other soldiers, allowing
them to move to a better tactical location. Eventually, Bittinger
and his men subdued the enemies as they left the area.
Later
that night, 20 to 30 insurgents attacked Coalition forces in the
heart of Baqubah. Bittinger rounded up a crew of volunteers and
headed out to help. En route, Bittinger's vehicle took out insurgents
who were firing RPGs and using small arms. Before arriving at the
scene, Bittinger's vehicle was hit by an IED, but they continued
forward. Before he reached Baqubah, Bittinger received orders to
instead secure a bridge over the Diyala River. So his team took
a turn and headed toward the river.
April 9th was a hard
and busy day for Bittinger and his soldiers. They killed at least
10 insurgents and wounded several others at Behriz; on their route
to Baqubah, they killed five and wounded an additional four. For
his bravery, Bittinger received the Silver Star on July 19, 2004.
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