My deployment to Afghanistan was a completely new and unique experience for me. I think my most prominent memory overseas would be the first day my company arrived on the 4th of July. After an 8 hour flight in a c-17 from Kuwait to Afghanistan we had just unloaded all of our bags and put them in the transitional barracks. Most people never experience what happened next. The sounds of mortars exploding outside and pelting our building with shrapnel. The blaring screams of C.R.A.M.S. firing thousands of rounds at the incoming mortars. It was an experience I will never forget. It all started at the flight line. My company was unloading bags from trucks into the building that we would be staying at for a few weeks. It was a feeble, 2 story building with…show more content… After finishing unpacking all of our bags everyone started to relax. They started pulling out their laptops to watch movies and play games. All of a sudden the scream of sirens started. After sitting there dumbfounded on what to do, a platoon sergeant screams. “Get your battle gear on.”
Everyone runs to their bags to pull out their I.O.T.V.s and there A.C.H.s. As everyone’s scrambling to get their gear on, ear shattering fire from C.R.A.M.s drown out everyone’s talking. After I had gotten my gear on, a tremendously loud boom had come from outside. It shook the entire building and knocked out the lights. As the happened a sergeant screamed. “Everyone get down.” Almost in sync absolutely everyone slammed on the floor. More and more C.R.A.M. fire could easily be heard and many more mortars and rockets pelted the ground outside and sprayed our building with shrapnel. After about 10 to 15 minutes the all clear sounded. Immediately all three platoon sergeants called for their respective platoons to come to them. After grouping around my platoon sergeant he called “sound off” and pointed to a soldier to his left. He yelled “one.”
The soldier to his left yelled
