Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | 1st Sgt. Richard Jones, native of Philadelphia, first sergeant, Company B, 404th Civil...... read more read more
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by Pfc. Paul J. Harris
3rd HBCT, 4th ID PAO
BAQUBAH, Iraq (October 12, 2006) -- "Man, I hear this all the time, but this time they are trying to kill us, that is exactly what went through my mind," said 1st Sgt. Richard Jones, first sergeant, Company B, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Fort Dix, N.J., attached to 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Lightning, about the first time he came in contact with a roadside bomb in Baqubah, Iraq.
Jones is a native Philadelphian and has been a police officer with the Philadelphia Bomb Squad since 2001. He has been an Army Reservist since 1989.
Jones and his civil affairs team were hit with the improvised explosive device after leaving a medical clinic in Baqubah. The IED detonated behind the rear, left tire.
"It took me about three to five seconds to process (what happened) because there was smoke, debris and people were screaming," Jones said. "The sad thing with that particular incident was that there were women and children everywhere."
Shrapnel hit the vehicle but the damage was not severe enough to prevent the patrol from driving it to Forward Operating Base Gabe.
Iraq is Jones' first overseas deployment and that was his first time he was in direct contact with the enemy since joining the Army. The incident did not give him pause about venturing outside the wire in the future.
"I am even more ready to go outside the wire," Jones said. "It is like when I first got shot at as a police officer, now I want to do this, now it's game on."
As a result of his contact with the enemy, the North East High School alum was awarded the Combat Action Badge. He is honored to receive the award but the biggest honor is when his Soldiers ask him to come out on a dangerous mission knowing his expertise will benefit them. To date he has been a turret gunner on 45 missions. Commonly, first sergeants serve as vehicle commanders and ride in the front passenger's seat to direct the vehicle movement.
"I can defiantly tell an Al Qaeda device and I am calling things out based on the wire and the configuration," Jones said describing on patrols how he will call suspicious items over the radio for the other vehicles in the patrol to look out for.
He was selected by the F.B.I. to be part of a task force to come up with counter measures for different improvised explosive devices. One of his tasks in the Philadelphia Bomb Squad is to build IEDs then devise counter measures for them and teach those lessons to other law enforcement officers.
His first deployment is just through the half-way hump and recently he was able to return to Philadelphia for mid-tour leave. He said with is a big smile he had cravings for Philly Cheese Steaks especially from his favorite spot, Dalessandro's. He washed one down with a Yuengling beer and it was like a bit of heaven, he said.
Once his deployment is finished Jones has a couple of options. He found out recently that he has been accepted to the warrant officer program or he can go to the Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. Right now, though, his focus is on the mission and returning to Philadelphia's Rocksborough area to be with his wife and three children.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2006 09:49 |
| Story ID: | 8016 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 369 |
| Downloads: | 152 |
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