Posted on 09/28/2005 4:41:34 PM PDT by SandRat
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 28, 2005) -- Most Marines in Iraq consider themselves lucky when they walk away from one improvised explosive device attack, but two, or even three?
Sergeant Matthew P. Dalrymple, team leader, 2nd TOW Platoon, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, is just like any other Marine in his unit. Except for the slight scarring on his right hand, the large bruises on the underside of his arm or the small, freshly bandaged shrapnel wounds, no one would guess he is recovering from his third IED attack.
It’s business as usual now for the Chillicothe, Ohio native. No big ceremonies were given for the two Purple Hearts he’s received since April.
“I don’t need any ceremonies,” said the 26-year-old. “I just got the certificates in formation, and that was that.”
Nicknamed Dallas in high school because of the hard time people have pronouncing his name, Dalrymple is on his second deployment to Iraq in four years. The first one brought no injuries to him.
“The difference between the first and second deployments are the tactics the enemy is using,” he said. “During the initial push, we were fighting an army. Now we’re fighting terrorists. We didn’t have armored vehicles or anything like that the first time because IEDs weren’t a threat.”
Looking at pictures of the vehicles he was riding in during the blasts, Dalrymple doesn’t seem affected by any of the events. The first IED blast was in April, while the second was in July, and the third in September. He talks about each photograph while recalling what went on minutes after each attack.
“The corpsman bandaged up my hand after the first one,” he said, looking at the small scars he has on his finger now. “The second attack I can hardly remember and the third one could have been a lot worse had the IED gone off even a second earlier.”
Dalrymple received follow-on treatment and physical therapy at Fallujah Surgical to regain full movement with his right middle finger, which was injured in the first blast. He is grateful to the doctors on the outcome of his finger, and remembers what he was thinking as he was getting operated on.
“The normal reaction after you get hit is to get the guys who got you,” he said. “That’s what I was thinking when I had to go in.”
According to his platoon commander, Dalrymple is a vital part of the team.
“If IEDs are out there then you can count on Sgt. “Dallas” to blow them up for us,” said 1st Lt. Sean D. Gobin. “He has always reacted aggressively against the triggerman, which proved successful during his second IED attack in which his crew destroyed the IED team.”
Aggressiveness is something the Marines in the platoon have been taught since training for this deployment began.
“Being aggressive has been our key to success in hunting down the insurgents,” said Gobin. “The Marines have to be able to think and act faster than the insurgents do.”
Dalrymple feels the Marines are doing good things here.
“I do think we’re changing Iraq,” said Dalrymple, a black belt in tae kwon do. “I think the Iraqi’s want [the insurgents] gone as much as we do. They just don’t have our capabilities. If we deter the insurgency in a certain area, things start to get better there.”
Dalrymple and his fellow Marines covered a large area of Al Anbar province, including Ferristown and Amariyah during 2nd TOW platoons six month deployment here.
“We did dismounted and mounted patrols, cordon and searches, cache sweeps and [main supply route] security,” Dalrymple said. “We’re out all the time, depending on the mission.”
The areas included many insurgent hot spots, which puts the platoon in the heart of what the war on terror is all about. Add to that the threat of another attack, and Dalrymple is a great example of a fearless Marine.
“What gets me out of bed each day is knowing we have a job to do,” said Dalrymple. “I enjoy what I do. I was in the reserves before I came on active duty, so I knew what I was getting into.”
When returning home, Dalrymple has a surprise waiting for him.
“My wife had our first baby in August,” he said with a smile. “I can’t wait to see him.”
All you Buckeyes, this tough Marine is from your home state
Three purple hearts? Maybe HE should run 4 prez...
yea, and these are legit too.
Yeah he rightfully got his.
While I'm glad SGT Dalrymple is on our side, I think it would suck to be his driver - he's bad luck!!!
;-)
BTTT
BTTT
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