March 19, 2003
“Baxter, Baxter, driving to war,” said Lt. Nick Kauffeld, standing up in the dust in his commander’s hatch, in the Bradley’s turret.
“Just sit back, boss, I’m driving this mule. Y’all just sit in the wagon and enjoy the ride,” Baxter said, down in the driver’s compartment.
“Smitty, can you hear me, babe?” Baxter called over the intercom.
“What’s up, my nigga,” said Smitty, who is black, to Baxter, who is white.
Kauffeld sensed correctly that Smitty, in the rear compartment, might be intently focused on the pinups in his copy of Stuff magazine, and told him to stow it and tend to his radios.
“Hey Smitty, you see what happens when a black man tries to read? They put him down,” Baxter said.
“I heard that!” Smitty said.
When the column pulled up several miles short of the Iraqi border, Sgt. Will got out on top of the Bradley. He stuck an instrument down the barrel of the 25 mm main gun, and worked with Kauffeld in the turret to make adjustments. Smitty and I jumped out the rear hatch while Baxter climbed out of his driver’s hatch to join us for a smoke.
“A little more to the left,” we could hear Kauffeld saying up in the turret.
“Howbout that?” Sgt. Will said.
“Down just a little bit,” Kauffeld said.
Baxter, leaning against the Bradley and blowing smoke, was trying to ignore them.
“They’re trying to bore-sight the 25mm. They don’t know what they’re doing,” Baxter said. “They don’t want to listen to me. Can’t tell an officer how to do it. I’m qualified on that thing.”
Baxter had been E-4 once or twice before, but was a private now, having encountered obstacles to his forward progress. But Baxter was an experienced Bradley driver, a job that required him to know how to maintain the vehicle’s mechanical and weapons systems. As an experienced enlisted man, he sometimes also knew how to keep his mouth shut.
“Howbout now?” we heard Sgt. Will say up on the turret. Baxter rolled his eyes.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:39 am on Monday, March 19, 2007
3 Responses to “March 19, 2003”
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March 19th, 2007 at 3:09 am
March 19, 2003
Critter writes:“Baxter, Baxter, driving to war,” said Lt. Nick Kauffeld, standing up in the dust in his commander’s hatch, in the Bradley’s turret. “Just sit back, boss, I’m driving this mule. Y’all just sit in the wagon and enjoy the
March 19th, 2007 at 3:11 am
March 19, 2003
Critter writes:“Baxter, Baxter, driving to war,” said Lt. Nick Kauffeld, standing up in the dust in his commander’s hatch, in the Bradley’s turret. “Just sit back, boss, I’m driving this mule. Y’all just sit in the wagon and enjoy the
March 19th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Lord almighty. I’m getting anxious. When the hell will we go!