Brian Mockenhaupt is a 10th Mountain Division veteran of two tours in Iraq. He offers a glimpse into what it's like in a war where IEDs are the enemy's weapon of choice.

By BRIAN MOCKENHAUPT
Published: March 12, 2006

I'm reading Stars and Stripes one day at lunch, my rifle on the floor between my feet, before we start the workday, driving our Humvees around western Baghdad. There's an article that says that sudden emotional stress can spike your adrenaline and stun your heart. So I add that to the already impressive list of ways you might die in this war, from bullets to beheadings. The main way, of course, is the bomb, the improvised explosive device.

Mostly we drive around Iraq, often we walk and always we wait. Waiting to blow up. But my luck runs strong. I've been hit with only one bomb, and it exploded too early, just in front of our truck. The detonator was elaborate, but the bomb was shoddy and did little more than pepper the truck with gravel and shrapnel. Dirt and rock cascaded through the turret hatch, and we yelled to one another, asking if anyone was hurt. Then we laughed and whooped. What else can you do?...


Read the Rest at the "New York Times Magazine"


Thanks, Sara.