There is nothing glorious about war.
Sometimes it is simply intense pain, screaming, blood, sandy tears and praying hard as you are rushed to the nearest medical treatment facility, not knowing if you’ll ever see the place of not before the lights permanently go out.
Such was the case for US Army Sergeants Jonathan Duralde and Luis Gamarra as they were captured in today’s SOFREP Pic of the Day aboard a MEDEVAC on June 25th, 2010. Minutes earlier, they were involved in an IED blast near Kandahar, Afghanistan. They were both from Bravo Troop 1-71 CAV.
The bird flying them out was from Charlie Co., Sixth Battalion, 101st Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade, part of Task Force Shadow.
Follow Up
Mere months later, Sergeant Duralde was interviewed by Roy Hoffman for Alabama.com.
When asked about his leg, Duralde told Hoffman, “You can’t tell, can you? About my leg?”
He continued, “I’ve tried to keep positive. I could have lost both legs, or not been here, or burned all over.”
He noted that he’d already been through the hard part and now, “The rest is easy.”
The Incident
Duralde talked to Hoffman about that June day in 2010 that changed his life forever. He had enlisted in the Army right out of High School, and by that point, he had already done two tours of duty in Iraq before heading to Afghanistan.
His unit was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Rumbasi, which is part of Kandahar Province.
Out of nowhere came a deafening explosion; he had stepped on a land mine that had been wired to two 84 mm mortars. SGT Luis Gamarra, from our featured image, was also badly wounded in the explosion. Despite fighting intense pain and wounds of his own, he was able to apply a tourniquet to Duralde. Minutes later, the pair were whisked away by a MEDEVAC helicopter.
Justin Sullivan was on board the chopper and snapped our Pic of the Day as the two brothers intensely held hands, comforting each other as they did their best to relieve their agony.
The photo went viral weeks later after it was printed in The New York Post.
Across his chest, he had the words “Dulce Bellum Inexpertis” tattooed in a bold font.
It means, “War is sweet for those who haven’t been.”
Roger that.
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** SOFREP thanks Justin Sullivan, Getty Images, Bill Starling, and Roy Hoffman of Alabama.com, without whom this piece would not be possible. We remember the thousands of warriors who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Let us never forget. – GDM
