GI ‘ready to die’ as missiles flew
The first details emerged Monday of the tension-filled minutes after US troops received advance warning of an impending Iranian ballistic-missile barrage in Iraq, with one soldier revealing he was “100 percent ready to die.”
The Americans scrambled for shelter and many of them hunkered down in Saddam-era bunkers — which were sturdier than American shelters at the site, according to CNN.
“I held on to my gun and put my head down and I tried to find a happy place, so I started singing to my daughters in my head,” Staff Sgt. Akeem Ferguson told CNN. “And I just waited. I hoped that whatever happened, that it was quick.”
Ferguson, who took cover under a vulnerable concrete slab, added, “I was 100 percent ready to die.”
The Islamic Republic last week launched more than a dozen missiles at two military bases hosting US forces in Iraq in retaliation for the American drone strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
At the Ain al-Asad base, the Americans received word at around 11 p.m. Jan. 7 that several missiles were headed their way. Most of the US troops at the base were sent to bunkers while others were flown out, commanders told CNN.
Only essential personnel, such as tower guards and drone pilots, would remain unsheltered to protect against a ground assault that never came the next day after the missiles struck.
No Americans or Iraqis were hurt in the attack at the base, roughly a third of which is controlled by the United States and lacks the surface-to-air weapons to defend against a ballistic missile assault, CNN reported.
The first missiles hit at 1:34 a.m., followed by three more volleys over two hours.
Troops at the site described the suspense, fear and feelings of defenselessness before emerging from bunkers just before 4 a.m.
“You can defend against [paramilitary forces], but you can’t defend against this,” said Capt. Patrick Livingstone, commander of the US Air Force Security Forces, referring to previous rocket attacks by armed groups.
“Right now, this base is not designed to defend against missiles,” he added.
Iranian missiles also hit the Erbil air base.