Overheard in the barber shop this morning

Absolutely true story: the guy next to me in the barber shop this morning was recounting the story about his Marine son who had been injured in Iraq recently. (He was speaking to his barber, but I heard almost every word).

His unit was clearing a Mosque in Fallujah when they came upon an insurgent carrying a weapon. The Marine took two shots to the chest that were stopped by his flak jacket. Apparently, he noted that the insurgent was wearing what he thought was a protective vest and he (? or another Marine) put two shots into the guy’s neck. However, after the terrorist crumpled over, they discovered – to their horror – that it wasn’t body armor he was wearing but an explosive vest, which detonated. This guy’s son received shrapnel in the leg and arm and is blinded in the right eye (although perhaps not permanently – the doctors think it’s trauma from the explosion). They’re going to leave the shrapnel in the leg “as a souvenir.”

Then this: the guy says his son wants to get his eyesight back so that “he can get back to Iraq.” Wow. (The father said that would not have been his choice.)

He then started to talk about the Marine who is facing charges for shooting the wounded insurgent and that his son and all the other Marines can’t believe this is even being considered. They all think he should get a medal.

I wanted to stick around and hear more, but my haircut was done.