Red Bull

Sometimes you see things in a combat zone you don't ever see in war movies...

I remember one night in particular.   We were moving up Highway 1 (I think) in our AAV's and I was standing in the open hatch of the rear of the AAV; it afforded the opportunity to stretch my legs and watch all the commotion that ensued as the many different Marine units made their way north towards Baghdad.

As we sped by one of the dozens of settlements that border the main highways I noticed a group of Iraqi civilians gathered near a large blackened cow carcass lying in front of one of their businesses.  What was surreal was that the cow had somehow been partially gutted and flames were licking their way through the empty body cavity of the cow and up between the ribs and pieces of skin, like a macabre paper lantern.  We had seen burnt bodies on the side of the road, burnt vehicles and buildings, but that was the first burnt cow I saw, particularly the first one that looked like it got hit by a TOW missile.  I don't know how the cow died, or how it caught on fire, but briefly witnessing that scene caused me to realize in a powerful way that there was nothing exempt from being destroyed during the invasion campaign.