Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Orlando Perez | Sgt. Kyle R. Kuska receives the Purple Heart, Aug. 7 for wounds received in Afghanistan.... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Improvised explosive devices are one of the greatest dangers to Marines in Afghanistan. On Aug. 7, Sgt. Kyle R. Kuska, a combat engineer with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, received a Purple Heart for surviving an IED attack May 7 during his last tour in Afghanistan.
At the time, Kuska was a commander for an engineering convoy sent to improve roads near Marjah. A 40 lb. bomb, triggered by a pull-string mechanism, went off in front of Kuska’s Humvee, causing damage to the vehicle and wounding two. Adrenaline and training kicked in, channeling the human body’s natural fight-or-flight response into a positive action.
“I remember not being able to breathe or see anything. I remember hearing my gunner say that he was okay and my driver say that he was okay, that the vehicle was still mobile,” said Kuska.
“I remember saying, ‘push, push, push,’ over the comm. [radio]. My main concern was getting us out of the kill zone. Once we were out of there, the priorities were the casualties that we had to evacuate, getting our vehicles and gear accounted for and getting back to Marjah.”
Because Kuska couldn’t breathe, the assistant convoy commander took command and oversaw the rest of the operation. Kuska was evacuated to Marjah and then to Camp Leatherneck, where he was stabilized.
The ordeal left him with bruised ribs, a bruised sternum, a concussion and several lessons learned.
“I don’t think it’s actually hit me yet that I was involved in an IED ordeal,” said Kuska. “It is an eye opener and puts everything in perspective as far as what’s important, what really matters to you. For me, it’s my wife and my kids. It’s to do my job, make sure my Marines are taken care of, and to ultimately come back to my family.”
Unfortunately, there are Marines from all specialties who deal with the dangers of IEDs every day in Afghanistan.
“You can be an admin guy or a ground pounder, but you’re going to have to use a convoy to get from point A to point B. Just because a military occupational specialty isn’t a combat related one specifically, doesn’t mean that you won’t see combat or IEDs.”
Kuska said that one spring day in Afghanistan has forever shaped his life. It was an experience that reminded him to always be prepared and fight complacency with the right mindset.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2011 20:30 |
| Story ID: | 76028 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 198 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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