Worst Day on the Job

Daniel P. Velasquez

Dr. Ticey Hosey

COM 301/Module 1 Case

24 November 2010

Worst Day On The Job: Death Of A Fellow Soldier

Many jobs in this country are dangerous but it is not every day that you can lose a coworker you see 7 days a week. The Army for me has had many good days but this by far was the worst day not just on the job but in my life. This incident did not only affect me it affected family and a team. I this situation you have to stay cool not only for yourself but your soldiers. I do not wish this experience on anyone and hope to make it through this paper trying to explain.

I had been in Iraq about five months and everything had gone fine up til the night we had to work around the clock. I ran back to the office to check on something and my soldier runs in and tells me that SGT Gray had been pinned between two vehicles. I ran back outside to see SGT Gray lying lifeless between a M1A1 Tank and M88A2 Recovery Vehicle. You could only imagine the shock I was in. I had just stepped into the office two minutes before the incident.

As we waited for the medics we did what we could to try and help but it was already too late. My soldier who was at the scene of the accident was in tears and needed to be calmed down. He was saying “ It’s my fault.”. All I could do was try and explain that it was a mechanical failure and he had no idea the recovery vehicle was going to jump into gear. When the rest of my teammates found out all they could do was shed tears for SGT Gray. A friend, a father, and an excellent soldier.

I was extremely saddened but had to present an example for my team and try not to show emotions. In my job you have to set an example I am not saying you can’t cry but it is about morale and showing the soldiers that I am still there for them. I had to tell my soldiers if they needed to talk they could come to me. I was there for them and every time they wanted to talk about it I had to relive the moments of...