One of my adopted Soldiers is currently serving with the 42ID, and one of my co-workers served with them in the National Guard, so this story is of particular interest to me...




In the gunner’s hatch of his Humvee, Spc. Dean Levy poses with fellow crew members (left to right): Staff Sgt. Herminio Rodriguez, Spc. Patrick Grubert, and 42nd Infantry Division Artillery Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Flynn. The picture was taken on Levy’s first day back to work after recovering from burns he suffered in a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device explosion. Flynn is holding the leash of “Zappa”, a dual-purpose explosive detection dog. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta

Gunner Goes Head-to-Head with a V-Bed, Saves Crew

By Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta,
42nd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SUMMERALL, BAYJI, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2005 — Called ‘V-beds’ for short, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, are one of the deadliest weapons in the insurgents’ arsenal – mobile car bombs and tools of terrorism faced by Iraqis, Iraqi security forces and Coalition Forces in their fight against the insurgency.

Last May, Humvee gunner Spc. Dean Levy of Plymouth, Mass. went head-to-head with a V-bed and won - saving the lives of his fellow Humvee crewmen.

The Humvee crew, part of the 42nd Infantry Division Artillery Personal Security Detachment, was in a convoy near here when the crew spotted a car speeding toward them in the oncoming lane.

“He started swerving from the left lane to the right lane,” Levy said.

Vehicles driving fast and erratically could be V-beds, said 42nd Infantry Division Artillery Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Flynn, of Tauton Mass., who was part of the Humvee crew. The crew had discussed V-bed signs, were alert to them and ready to respond, he added.

“We talked about this a hundred times ... ‘how do you stop a V-bed?’” Flynn said.
Flynn said the crew, including Levy and driver Staff Sgt. Herminio Rodriguez, had spotted the vehicle and were talking back and forth on the vehicle intercom in a clipped, efficient manner, with Rodriguez asking, “You see him?” and Levy responding, “Got ‘em.”

“If there’s anything out of the ordinary, (the crew) tells me,” Levy said.

The car was 40 meters and closing when Levy fired, upping the ante gradually, a type of engagement Coalition Forces call “escalation of force.”

“I waited for his left front tire to swerve onto the median,” Levy said. “At that moment he turned and drove straight at us. I put three to four rounds into the ground in front of him. It was still coming at us, so I put three to four more into the engine block of the vehicle.”

But the vehicle kept coming. Levy raised his 240 Bravo machine gun, fired seven to ten shots through the windshield, and the vehicle exploded - “a huge flame of smoke, body and car parts,” according to Flynn.

Levy has distinct tan lines which run along his chin and jaw line, and fork toward his temples and the back of his neck – a gunner’s sunburn formed from his helmet chinstrap, the mark of all those who work in Iraq’s scorching, ultraviolet environment. The explosion, Levy said, was “hot, to say the least.”

“My whole vision was the fireball,” Levy said. “I fell back into the vehicle.” Levy’s first thought was that he had suffered shrapnel wounds to his face.

By now the crew was securing the scene and checking each other for wounds. Rodriguez, a native of Bakersfield, Calif. and an 82nd Airborne Division soldier attached to the unit, told Levy to look at him so he could check for wounds. Levy in turn searched Rodriguez’s expression for clues to his condition.

“I was yelling, to say the least,” Levy said. Rodriguez told Levy he was fine, but that he needed to check him more closely for injuries. Levy suffered second-degree burns to his face from the explosion, which also melted his goggles and damaged the Humvee.

A 42nd Infantry Division Artillery Personal Security Detachment Humvee shows damage
inflicted by an exploding vehicle borne improvised explosive device. When the crew spotted the VBIED coming at them, Spc. Dean Levy, the Humvee gunner, fired at it. It exploded almost immediately, less than 40 meters from the Humvee. It’s thought that the crew’s alertness and Levy’s response caused the terrorist driving the VBIED to detonate it prematurely. The entire crew survived and returned to duty. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta

Crater analysis revealed that car was loaded with five 130mm mortar rounds and 300 pounds of explosives. Flynn believes Levy’s shooting caused the terrorist driving the V-bed to detonate it prematurely.

“The entire car was disintegrated,” Flynn said.

Levy attributed the victory over the V-bed to a number of things.

“Teamwork’s a big thing,” Levy said. “Our (techniques, tactics and procedures) helped. Our training helped. Luck had something to do with it. It was lucky we spotted that vehicle.”

Awareness on the road and spotting trouble like V-beds is part of the crew’s routine, Levy said.

“Everyone calls out what they see at all times,” Levy said. “The PSD soldiers get to a point where we like being on the road. Out there, there’s nothing else on your mind...worries from home, nothing. Out on the road, you’re only concerned with the threats all around you.”

This vigilance leads to a high state of consciousness on the road, he added.
“You block out everything except what’s on the road,” he said. “It’s just a rush. When you’re on the road, your whole brain is filled with what’s going on around you. You’re not thinking about all your worries.”

The crew’s survival also gave Levy a rush. At a Coalition Forces medical facility, Levy initially refused pain medicine before undergoing burn treatments.

“At that moment, I was on such a high because no one else got hurt, that I said no,” he said.

The crew is scheduled to redeploy in October. Levy said he won’t miss work details, the heat, the dust and the desert.

“There’ll be a lot I miss, there’ll be a lot I won’t miss,” he said. “I’m going to miss the friendship we all have, the tight bond. I’m going to miss being on the gun.”
The crew knows each other well, Levy said.

“We’re really tight. We work great together,” he said. “We feel comfortable saying anything in front of each other. It helps a lot. Everyone on the vehicle is more proactive. Everyone knew their role when this happened.”

Another great photo essay from DefendAmerica. The last picture is definitely my favorite.


A local teacher assists U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James McDonald in handing out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. McDonald is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


Children from Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, gather around U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Divison, in anticipation of receiving much needed school supplies, Oct. 12, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Army Maj. Conan Martin hands out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. Martin, a civil affairs officer, is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


A small Iraqi boy struggles with a new coloring book he recieved from U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division, Oct. 12, 2005. The soldiers handed out school supplies in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James McDonald hands out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. McDonald is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James McDonald hands out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. McDonald is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Wayne Edminston takes photographs of U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Division, 36th Armored Division, as the soldiers hand out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


A young girl receives school supplies from U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division, Oct. 12, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Army Maj. Conan Martin hands out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. Martin, a civil affairs officer, is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler


U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James McDonald entertains a young child after handing out school supplies to children in Al Madinah as Siyahiyah, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005. McDonald is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armored Division. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Rob E. Butler

PERSIAN GULF SUNSET — The sun sets behind an EA-6B Prowler, assigned to the "Shadowhawks" of Electronic Attack Warfare Squadron 141, after a day of flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf, Oct. 15, 2005. The Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 are currently underway on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Randall Damm

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Saddam Stands Trial
Former Iraqi despot appears before tribunal
Five Killed Ahead of Saddam's Trial
Saddam Lawyer Seeks Three-Month Adjournment
Iran: Charge Saddam in Iran-Iraq War
Saddam Lawyer to Seek 3-Month Adjournment
Rice set to defend US policy on Iraq to lawmakers
Insurgents Launch New Attacks in Iraq
Iraqi vote results could take days

Operation Enduring Freedom
Ex-Taliban official elected

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Chertoff Vows to End Border 'Catch and Release' Policy
Baltimore Tunnels Reopened After Terror Threat
September 11 panel says government failing to act: NYT
Report: IRA Observing Peace Commitments
Visitors to WTC site could hear sirens, last voice mails
French say citizens recruited for terror
Review Is Set for U.S. Forces in Terror Fight

Hurricane Season
Wilma Reaches Category 5
Wilma Takes Aim at Florida

Pakistan Earthquake
Agencies Race to Get Aid to South Asian Quake Survivors
Video: Bin Laden in Danger?
Strong aftershocks rock quake-shattered Pakistan
South Asia Quake Death Toll Over 79,000
Children Orphaned in Quake Face New Perils
Pakistan wants open border to help victims of quake

Supreme Court
Miers backed abortion ban in 1989: Senate papers

Politics
Libby Gave Miller Wrong Info
Rove Cancels Appearances
Inaccurate notes may point to source in CIA leak

U.N. News
Report says sex abuse by U.N. troops ongoing
Ambassador to UN pressing for overhaul

Military News
Iraq War Vets Scrutinized
Navy, Marines Block Commercial Email Sites
Returning U.S. Soldiers Face Financial, Medical Difficulties
Security Clearances Pulled in Email Leak

News from My Neck of the Woods
Mass. Orders Evacuations After Dam Is Compromised

News from the Sports World
A beating, a slaying and a lot of questions

News of the Weird
Driver crashes into Wausau Burger King, then enjoys breakfast

Other News of Note

Fox News
Horowitz Murder Probe 'Wide Open'; Wife Beaten to Death
Inflation at 15-Year High
Official: Fed Can Hold It Down
Lottery Jackpot Hits $340M
Yahoo Profit Tops Estimates
Exec Gets Eight Months in Pro Sports Steroid Scheme
Demand Buoys Intel Profits
EU: Bird Flu a Global Threat

Reuters: Top News
Rumsfeld to China: openness can ease security fears
Polar regions take center stage in climate crisis
Are asthmatic cats allergic to humans?
Robbers snatch woman's purse, then return it
And now, a finishing school for men

AP World News
Rumsfeld: China Sending 'Mixed Signals'
Group: Chad, Bangladesh Are Most Corrupt
Roche Promises New Plant for Bird Flu Drug
Indonesia's President Weathers Tough Year
Iran Detains More Than 20 Over Bombings
Palestinian Gunmen Abduct 2, Make Threats
Africans Tell of Moroccan Desert Torment
Lebanese, Palestinians Condemn Arms Flow

The Seattle Times
College success linked to money?
Biloxi residents "wait and pray"
Cloning pioneer to open stem-cell bank
Printers output secret barcode
Gorilla's tool use surprises experts
Americans may be last in line for a bird-flu vaccine
Tax-overhaul panel wants simpler code, fewer breaks

Chicago Sun-Times
Gov's wife made nearly $39K in deals
Environmental checks eased for oil, gas drilling
S. Korea to work with U.S. scientists on stem cells
Inmate loses his sex-slave lawsuit
Rescue goes awry: Cops sent to wrong state
1,700-year-old tombs found in China
Shanghai high-rise swaps hole for square after outcry

Boston Globe: World
Would-be candidate fights for chance to change Haiti
Vietnamese take new measures to contain threat of avian flu
European leaders call bird flu 'global threat'
Lebanese judge charges Syrian in Hariri assassination blast

Military.com
Bomb Kills one U.S. Soldier, Wounds 2
Military Recruiting Ads Zero in on Mom, Dad
In Small Towns, Military Values a Big Draw
Rumsfeld's Lesson for China Students: Democracy Growing
Iraqis Seek Aid Without Crosses
Pentagon Security Director Urges More Transparency

CENTCOM: News Release
PEARL HARBOR ARRIVES IN PAKISTAN TO ASSIST EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AIR FORCES SUPPORT PAKISTAN AID

Department of Defense
Bush, Muslims Share Ramadan Dinner — Story Remarks
Rumsfeld in China to Discuss Security Issues — Story
Civilian Professionals Sample Life As a Marine — Story
Conference Introduces Civilians to Military
Sears Receives Freedom Award for Support — Story

ON THE GROUND
Soldiers, Marines Team Up to Secure Camp — Story Photos
Iraqi Children, Teachers Get School Supplies — Story
Chief Medical Unit in Iraq Transfers Authority — Story
Days-Long Dig Yields Thousands of Munitions — Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Baking Effort Supports Troops — Story

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Hurricane Coverage
Iraq Transition of Power

IRAQ
U.S. Soldier Killed; Insurgents Held
2 Marines Killed in Combat Ops
Mosul Police Stations Rebuild
Bush Congratulates Iraqis on Voting
Millions of Iraqis Cast Ballots
Iraqis Win, No Matter Results
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive

AFGHANISTAN
Army Reservists Help Rebuild
Afghanistan Daily Update Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Mini-plane Aids Intel Collection
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Chairman Salutes Troops
Banquet Honors Employers
Defense Award Salutes Employers
National Guard, Reserve Update

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1298 - In Heilbron, Germany, 140 Jews are murdered during the Rindfleish Persecutions.
1765 - The Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, writes its Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
1781 - At 2:00 p.m., Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, ending the Revolutionary War.
1812 -Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
1818 - The U.S. and the Chicasaw Indians sign a treaty.
1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first American woman to receive a medical degree.
1853 - The first flour mill in Hawaii begins operations.
1859 - Wilhelm Tempel discovers a diffuse nebula around the Pleid star Merope.
1864 - Approximately 25 Confederates make a surprise attack on St. Albans, VT; Union troops beat back Confederate attackers at the Battle of Cedar Creek, in VA.
1870 - The first four Blacks are elected to the House of Representatives.
1872 - The world's largest gold nugget (215 kg) is found in New South Wales.
1888 - Moshav Gederah is attacked by the Arabs.
1901 - Santos-Dumont proves the maneuverability of the airship by circling the Eiffel Tower.
1912 - Tripoli (Libya) passes from Turkish to Italian control.
1919 - For the first time, the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to a woman.
1933 - The Berlin Olympic Committee votes to introduce basketball in 1936.
1944 - U.S. forces land in the Philipines.
1950 - U.N. forces enter Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
1951 - President Harry S. Truman formally ends the state of war with Germany.
1953 - The first transcontinental nonstop scheduled jet service takes place.
1960 - France grants independence to Mauritania; Martin Luther King, Jr., is arrested at an Atlanta sit-in; the U.S. imposes an embargo on exports to Cuba.
1967 - Mariner-5 makes a fly-by of Venus.
1970 - John Linley Frazier, the "Killer Prophet," murders the Ohta family, and declares that WWIII has begun.
1977 - The Supersonic Concorde jet makes its first landing in NYC.
1983 - The Space Shuttle Columbia moves to the Orbiter Processing Facility.
1986 - The U.S.S.R. expels five U.S. diplomats.
1987 - On "Black Monday," the Dow Jones is down 508.32 - four times the previous record; U.S. warships destroy two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
1988 - Three Americans win the Nobel Prize in physics; Britain bans broadcast interviews with IRA members; a car bomb kills 7 Israelis and wounds 11 near the Lebanon border; the U.S. Senate passes a bill curbing ads during children's TV shows.

Birthdays
1862 - Auguste Lumiére, co-maker of the first movie (Workers Leaving Lumiére Factory)
1863 - John Huston, NY Times editor (1937-38))
1868 - Bertha Landes, first female mayor of a major U.S. city (Seattle)
1876 - Mordecai (3 finger) Brown hall of fame pitcher
1899 - Miguel Asturias, poet/novelist/diplomat, Nobel Prize winner (1967)
1901 - Arleigh A. Burke, U.S. Admiral (WW II)
1910 - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian physicist (Nobel 1983)
1922 - Jack Anderson, newspaper columnist (Washington Post)
1945 - John Lithgow, actor (Harry & the Hendersons, Third Rock from the Sun)
1966 - Anna Clark, Playboy playmate (April 1987)
1967 - Amy Carter, daughter of President Carter / peace activist

Passings
1983 - Maurice Bishop, prime minister of Grenada, and others, murdered in coup

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Worchester, John B., USN (MI); A4C disappeared while on bombing mission

1966
Burke, Michael J., USMC (IL)

Lewandowski, Leonard J., Jr., USMC (IL)

Mishuk, Richard E., USMC (MN)

1970
Wilson, Peter J., US Army SF (NY); disappeared while on reconnaissance patrol