Brazos Hunter
The man, the myth, the legend
I posted a general "hello" to all yesterday but I wanted to take a minute and give you all a little background story on me. Mods, if this falls in the TMI catagory, please delete
To be honest, I’ve had my reservations and I still do. I’m not writing this to say, “look at me, and see what I’ve done”; I’m writing this I guess so a couple people I have connected to will understand why I have.
I really don’t know where to start so I’ll just jump in feet first. As a young boy I fondly recall stories my Grandfather and Great Uncles told while puffing on cigars of WWII, The Pacific and Korea. I can still here the pride in their voices some 30 years later. In those days if you were of age and did not enlist you were a coward, you would actually bring shame to your family. A lot’s changed over the years but it was those stories and the look in their eyes anytime the National Anthem was played or we would pass a flag that made me know I would enlist.
Fast forward to November, 1992. I was a young man, married, didn’t go to college and swung a hammer all day. Anyone who has ever been in construction knows it is feast, or famine and I was about to get one of the biggest reality checks of my life. I came home from work one Thursday evening to find my young wife sitting on the floor cross legged holding a white stick. “What’s wrong Jacqueline?” I asked. She said, “I’m pregnant!” Oh boy. I wanted to be a Daddy but I knew being in construction I would not be able to provide for a family the way I always envisioned. I mean, I didn’t even have insurance. Oh crud, I don’t have insurance, I can’t afford this, what am I going to do? All the happiness quickly turned to fear. I jumped in my truck and drove to my Grandfather’s house to his wisdom and guidance.
I pull up to my Grandparent’s house to find Paw Paw sitting on the front porch puffing on a big cigar reading a book. I went up, shook his hand and sat down next to him. We had a little small talk for about 10 minutes then he asked, “Son, what’s troubling you?” I asked him how he knew something was on my mind. He said, well, you’ve smoked almost a pack of smokes in the last 10 minutes. I told him what was going on and waited for him to pour his knowledge on me. Paw Paw set his book down, took the cigar out of his mouth and said this simple phrase that helped me get my life on track, ”You know, there’s a lot to say for the Service of Your Country”. He smiled, shook my hand and told me, “Son, y’all will be ok”.
I drove home remembering the stories of my childhood and knew what I was supposed to do. The next day I called in sick to work and went to the Recruiters office. There I talked to SFC Terry C. Boyke who told me he had the answer to all my problems. Three short weeks later I was on an airplane to Ft. Sill, Ok. In Boot Camp I quickly became a Squad Leader and was loving it! Five weeks in I received a letter from Jacque telling me she miss carried and she wanted a divorce. I was crushed and wanted to go AWOL and get drunk but I knew that was not the answer. Instead, I added to my MOS and went from a Reservist to Full time Active Army. This was going to be my life.
Let’s fast forward. I have just completed Ranger training after Air Bourne and Communications (31U). I thought I was going to Germany with my Battle buddy, David Conninaco. Instead, we were going to Bosnia on a NATO Peace Keeping Mission! Our first real mission. I remember none of us slept until we were on the ground just outside of Kosovo. By that time we were all scared shitless. Old men were hollering at us and throwing rocks, no one wanted us there (many years later I found a Bosnian War documentary on eBay and bought it not knowing me and David were in it). We were in Kosovo for three days and had a couple “small” exchanges of fire. Then we were back on a plane headed to a little town some 30 miles out. As we were hooking up I heard SSGT Greene call out, they are shooting at us, and then the light turned green. I took a round to my upper left groin just missing my femoral artery. God I was scared! The next thing I knew the ground was coming up fast. I mean REAL fast! The next thing I knew I was waking up with a pipe down my throat, tubes stuck in me everywhere and my arms, head and torso strapped to a bed. I couldn’t feel my legs! About that time a young Cpt. came in to tell me I more than likely would never walk again. My life was over!
SSGT Greene came in to see me after they took me off the ventilator to tell me my buddy, PFC David Conninaco, was shot three times on that jump and lost his life before he even hit the ground. A couple weeks later I was back in the good ‘ole USA at Ft. Sam Houston. I was determined, I would walk again and I did! It took several months of painful therapy but I did it!
In a nut shell, that’s it. You see, we all have a story. We all can relate to someone, somewhere. So now you know a little part of mine.
***Edit*** I am also the father to three great kids, twin 25 yr old step-sons, a 14 yr old daughter, and a gorgeous wife. All of which I am putting through school! Three in college and one in high school...ugh!
God bless,
~Michael
To be honest, I’ve had my reservations and I still do. I’m not writing this to say, “look at me, and see what I’ve done”; I’m writing this I guess so a couple people I have connected to will understand why I have.
I really don’t know where to start so I’ll just jump in feet first. As a young boy I fondly recall stories my Grandfather and Great Uncles told while puffing on cigars of WWII, The Pacific and Korea. I can still here the pride in their voices some 30 years later. In those days if you were of age and did not enlist you were a coward, you would actually bring shame to your family. A lot’s changed over the years but it was those stories and the look in their eyes anytime the National Anthem was played or we would pass a flag that made me know I would enlist.
Fast forward to November, 1992. I was a young man, married, didn’t go to college and swung a hammer all day. Anyone who has ever been in construction knows it is feast, or famine and I was about to get one of the biggest reality checks of my life. I came home from work one Thursday evening to find my young wife sitting on the floor cross legged holding a white stick. “What’s wrong Jacqueline?” I asked. She said, “I’m pregnant!” Oh boy. I wanted to be a Daddy but I knew being in construction I would not be able to provide for a family the way I always envisioned. I mean, I didn’t even have insurance. Oh crud, I don’t have insurance, I can’t afford this, what am I going to do? All the happiness quickly turned to fear. I jumped in my truck and drove to my Grandfather’s house to his wisdom and guidance.
I pull up to my Grandparent’s house to find Paw Paw sitting on the front porch puffing on a big cigar reading a book. I went up, shook his hand and sat down next to him. We had a little small talk for about 10 minutes then he asked, “Son, what’s troubling you?” I asked him how he knew something was on my mind. He said, well, you’ve smoked almost a pack of smokes in the last 10 minutes. I told him what was going on and waited for him to pour his knowledge on me. Paw Paw set his book down, took the cigar out of his mouth and said this simple phrase that helped me get my life on track, ”You know, there’s a lot to say for the Service of Your Country”. He smiled, shook my hand and told me, “Son, y’all will be ok”.
I drove home remembering the stories of my childhood and knew what I was supposed to do. The next day I called in sick to work and went to the Recruiters office. There I talked to SFC Terry C. Boyke who told me he had the answer to all my problems. Three short weeks later I was on an airplane to Ft. Sill, Ok. In Boot Camp I quickly became a Squad Leader and was loving it! Five weeks in I received a letter from Jacque telling me she miss carried and she wanted a divorce. I was crushed and wanted to go AWOL and get drunk but I knew that was not the answer. Instead, I added to my MOS and went from a Reservist to Full time Active Army. This was going to be my life.
Let’s fast forward. I have just completed Ranger training after Air Bourne and Communications (31U). I thought I was going to Germany with my Battle buddy, David Conninaco. Instead, we were going to Bosnia on a NATO Peace Keeping Mission! Our first real mission. I remember none of us slept until we were on the ground just outside of Kosovo. By that time we were all scared shitless. Old men were hollering at us and throwing rocks, no one wanted us there (many years later I found a Bosnian War documentary on eBay and bought it not knowing me and David were in it). We were in Kosovo for three days and had a couple “small” exchanges of fire. Then we were back on a plane headed to a little town some 30 miles out. As we were hooking up I heard SSGT Greene call out, they are shooting at us, and then the light turned green. I took a round to my upper left groin just missing my femoral artery. God I was scared! The next thing I knew the ground was coming up fast. I mean REAL fast! The next thing I knew I was waking up with a pipe down my throat, tubes stuck in me everywhere and my arms, head and torso strapped to a bed. I couldn’t feel my legs! About that time a young Cpt. came in to tell me I more than likely would never walk again. My life was over!
SSGT Greene came in to see me after they took me off the ventilator to tell me my buddy, PFC David Conninaco, was shot three times on that jump and lost his life before he even hit the ground. A couple weeks later I was back in the good ‘ole USA at Ft. Sam Houston. I was determined, I would walk again and I did! It took several months of painful therapy but I did it!
In a nut shell, that’s it. You see, we all have a story. We all can relate to someone, somewhere. So now you know a little part of mine.
***Edit*** I am also the father to three great kids, twin 25 yr old step-sons, a 14 yr old daughter, and a gorgeous wife. All of which I am putting through school! Three in college and one in high school...ugh!
God bless,
~Michael
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