Rockwall, TX (January 7, 2025) – After last week’s article was published, I have received several requests to provide some more examples of local men and women serving in our armed forces. One such example follows.
Some days are really bad days. In fact, all of us can remember when bad days turned into bad weeks and even bad months. But how about this story of a young man from our area that went through a bad month back in the days when we had U.S. Forces fighting in the Middle East.
His name is Mark McKenna, and he is from the nearby town of Garland. He had just recently arrived in Iraq with the 1st Battalion of the 1st Marine Division. His job was to be a machine gunner in an armored Humvee and his task was to make sure the terrorists did not get close enough to his vehicle or his buddies to harm them.
His Humvee was armored as well as the machine gun turret on top of the vehicle. There was armor both in front as well as surrounding the Marine when they are in the turret. The machine gun can rotate 360 degrees so targets can be engaged in any direction. When on patrol the Marines wear body armor (about 65 pounds of it) that is designed to stop a 7.62 round that is fired from an AK-47 weapon which most of the terrorists use. Each Marine also wears a Kevlar helmet, that replaced the old “Steel Pot” that we wore in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II.
His unit had been patrolling and setting security for his unit almost all day. The temperature was above 120 degrees and since he had been in country for less than a month, he was not totally acclimated to the weather and the hot, dry wind that blew constantly. But because of his training, he had learned his survival lessons well and drank plenty of water throughout the day to keep from getting dehydrated. He wore sunglasses because of the glare from the desert sands reflecting the sunlight.
As you can imagine, sweat ran down his back, neck, and arms as the sun beat down. Ten hours in the desert was enough for anyone!
It’s finally over and time to return to base. And this is where it starts being a really bad day!
As he climbs out of the turret, an enemy sniper, located somewhere between 200-1,000 yards away, fires as he leaves the protection of the Humvee armor. The bullet goes right through his new digital camera he is carrying around his neck, hits his body armor, and goes halfway through the armor plating stopping before it penetrates the skin. Big bad bruise, but no blood.
It’s a week later and once again he is in the turret of his Humvee while they patrol down one of the roads near Fallujah. BAM. This time it’s an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that goes off near his vehicle. Now it’s shrapnel to the face and arms, but nothing serious or life threatening. The vehicle has busted windows and lots of holes, but it is still able to be driven.
About this time Mark is wondering how in the world he ever ended up in Iraq with all these things happening to him so quickly.
He graduated from Garland Christian Academy in May of 2006, but since he had always wanted to be in the military, he actually enlisted in the Marine Corps while still in school. Upon graduation it was on to San Diego for Boot Camp of thirteen weeks and then an additional three weeks of School of Infantry where he learned all about being a machine gunner. He then joined his unit, and they deployed to Iraq on a seven-month rotation.
This young man is like many young men and women who decide early on in life they want to be a part of the military. As he said, “since I can remember, I have always wanted to join the military, but up until 8th grade I didn’t know which service. I chose the Marine Corps. No one thought I was serious, but halfway through my senior year I walked into the recruiting office and said I would do anything it takes to become the best of the best”.
Six months later it was on to Boot Camp and then Iraq.
When you are having a bad day, think about the day, and then the month, that Mark, and many others like him, had in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then stop and tell yourself how great these young men and women are who fought the wars for us throughout the world. Please tell them “Thank You” and “Stay Safe” whenever you have the chance.
Jerry Hogan is a former Rockwall County Judge and retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He can be reached at 214-394-4033 or jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net
A Broad View by Jerry Hogan: So You Think You Have Had A Bad Day! added by Melanie M on
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