Soldier loves protecting his country
Alli Snyder
Issue date: 12/7/09 Section: Features
PFC Frank Kocher is a 23 year old soldier from Dallas, Pennsylvania. He has been in Iraq, fighting for our country, since December 13th, 2008. Although his name is Frank, everyone calls him "Buddy." Buddy is one of the most loveable, upstanding gentlemen to ever come out of Dallas, and the perfect person to be out there supporting and fighting for our country.
Statistics show that one in five Iraq veterans return home seriously impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder. Even if soldiers come home without this disorder, they will still return troubled with experiences they will never forget.
Buddy's job title is a Combat Engineer, and he specializes in explosives. "My job here is Route Clearance. We patrol the streets in the city and sometimes roads outside the city, looking for IED's: "Improvised Explosive Devices," also known as roadside bombs, and the guys who put them out." Their main focus is to find the bombs and those people so the other units that go outside the base there or "outside the wire" can travel freely without having to worry about getting hit by an explosion. "I'm not positive. but pretty sure, that IED's are the number one cause of death and injury here in Iraq and Afghanistan," Buddy said.
The city that Buddy and his crew patrol is called Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, and it is parted by the Tigris River. Buddy and his team became very close friends while being in Iraq. "The bond we all have is unimaginable. We've been with each other every day for almost two years," Buddy said. "When I get on that plane to come home knowing it is all over, I hope I have everyone I came here with by my side, going home as well."
"We drive around in armored trucks called MRAP's, pronounced M-Raps; tt stands for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. My job on the patrols is to gun a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on top of the vehicle, looking for snipers, insurgents throwing grenades, putting roadside bombs out, etc. When we find the IED's, those of us specializing in explosives can call the bomb squad, or blow the IED up ourselves so it can't be used against us," Buddy said as he explained more about his job description.
Statistics show that one in five Iraq veterans return home seriously impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder. Even if soldiers come home without this disorder, they will still return troubled with experiences they will never forget.
Buddy's job title is a Combat Engineer, and he specializes in explosives. "My job here is Route Clearance. We patrol the streets in the city and sometimes roads outside the city, looking for IED's: "Improvised Explosive Devices," also known as roadside bombs, and the guys who put them out." Their main focus is to find the bombs and those people so the other units that go outside the base there or "outside the wire" can travel freely without having to worry about getting hit by an explosion. "I'm not positive. but pretty sure, that IED's are the number one cause of death and injury here in Iraq and Afghanistan," Buddy said.
The city that Buddy and his crew patrol is called Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, and it is parted by the Tigris River. Buddy and his team became very close friends while being in Iraq. "The bond we all have is unimaginable. We've been with each other every day for almost two years," Buddy said. "When I get on that plane to come home knowing it is all over, I hope I have everyone I came here with by my side, going home as well."
"We drive around in armored trucks called MRAP's, pronounced M-Raps; tt stands for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. My job on the patrols is to gun a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on top of the vehicle, looking for snipers, insurgents throwing grenades, putting roadside bombs out, etc. When we find the IED's, those of us specializing in explosives can call the bomb squad, or blow the IED up ourselves so it can't be used against us," Buddy said as he explained more about his job description.
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