thedrifter
11-05-05, 06:55 AM
Article published Nov 5, 2005
Officer: War taught value of life
By Janet Braswell
Terrence Bullock survived an explosion that killed six other Marines, an experience the 25-year-old Hattiesburg police officer says gave him a better appreciation of life.
Six Marines died and 10, including Bullock, were hurt when the amphibious assault vehicle he was driving near Karbala, Iraq, on May 11 triggered an improvised explosive device.
The impact threw Bullock forward, smashing his face into a cargo hatch, breaking teeth and causing other facial and dental injuries. The explosion also peppered his arm, shoulder and back with shrapnel.
"It will help me be a better officer by being more compassionate, recognizing the value of human life," Bullock said of his service in Iraq.
Going to war reinforced her son's religious foundation, said his mother, Lessie Bullock of Hattiesburg.
"He was raised up in the church and I think this has made him stronger in the Lord," she said. "It will make him a better police officer. He's been able to withstand all the chaos and stuff over in Iraq."
Enemy contact
Bullock, 25, deployed to Iraq in March with the Marine Corps Reserve's 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion based in Gulfport. He returned last month.
"In talking with him, I think he has a newfound appreciation for the job here and his service with the department and the community," Police Chief David Wynn said.
Eighteen of the 107 officers on the department's roster are on military leave.
Wynn doubts Bullock will have difficulty working back into the routine of serving on the Neighborhood Enhancement Team, the department's community policing squad.
"He hasn't shown any signs of having any problems," the chief said. "If his behavior changed, his supervisors would pick up on it."
Bullock's battalion deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., where they had extensive training on how to spot and avoid insurgent bombs; training similar to that provided for National Guard soldiers at Camp Shelby.
Still, conditions in Iraq surprised Bullock.
"I didn't expect the amount of enemy contact that we received," he said. "We saw contact just about every day."
The type of fire varied - sometimes the enemy fired small arms at the Marines; sometimes they used mortars or rockets.
The danger from IEDs like the one that wounded Bullock was constant.
"I remember everything," Bullock said. "We were on a raid. We were going to our objective and that's when we struck the IED."
A lot of praying
Bullock was treated at a hospital run by the Air Force in Balad where he underwent surgery several times to remove shrapnel and to repair his teeth and face.
"He called me before I heard from the Marine Corps," Lessie Bullock said. "He told me that he got slightly injured. He downplayed the whole thing. When the Marine Corps called me, they listed his injuries as serious. The family got together and we did a lot of praying at church and also at home."
Terrence Bullock returned to duty, completing the deployment with the battalion.
His platoon lived inside a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River at Haditha. The Marines lived in a large room initially furnished with cots and eventually upgraded with bunks and mattresses.
They had Internet access but rarely saw television. They usually ate meals ready to eat, or MREs, and, although some of their food was freshly cooked, it left Bullock hungry for Popeye's fried chicken.
He missed what he calls the American way of life: "The freedoms a lot of people take for granted, the small things; nothing in particular, just the way of life we've grown accustomed to."
He's not sure how much of an impact his service had on the Iraqi people; he was never in a village or town long enough to develop relationships with the people.
"I think I helped them with their views of the United States military being friendly and courteous," he said. "They appeared friendly, but you had to be suspicious of their motives. You did not know what their motives were."
Since returning home, Bullock has enjoyed adjusting to everyday life, watching "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central, watching the History Channel, working out, going to church and cooking out with family.
"Definitely, when loud noises go off, you remember where you've been for the past seven months," he said. "But it's nothing traumatic that would cause instability of any sort."
He shies away from the hero label.
"The real heroes are the ones who went over there and didn't come back," Bullock said. "The fight's not over; it's not complete. They should be remembered."
Ellie
Officer: War taught value of life
By Janet Braswell
Terrence Bullock survived an explosion that killed six other Marines, an experience the 25-year-old Hattiesburg police officer says gave him a better appreciation of life.
Six Marines died and 10, including Bullock, were hurt when the amphibious assault vehicle he was driving near Karbala, Iraq, on May 11 triggered an improvised explosive device.
The impact threw Bullock forward, smashing his face into a cargo hatch, breaking teeth and causing other facial and dental injuries. The explosion also peppered his arm, shoulder and back with shrapnel.
"It will help me be a better officer by being more compassionate, recognizing the value of human life," Bullock said of his service in Iraq.
Going to war reinforced her son's religious foundation, said his mother, Lessie Bullock of Hattiesburg.
"He was raised up in the church and I think this has made him stronger in the Lord," she said. "It will make him a better police officer. He's been able to withstand all the chaos and stuff over in Iraq."
Enemy contact
Bullock, 25, deployed to Iraq in March with the Marine Corps Reserve's 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion based in Gulfport. He returned last month.
"In talking with him, I think he has a newfound appreciation for the job here and his service with the department and the community," Police Chief David Wynn said.
Eighteen of the 107 officers on the department's roster are on military leave.
Wynn doubts Bullock will have difficulty working back into the routine of serving on the Neighborhood Enhancement Team, the department's community policing squad.
"He hasn't shown any signs of having any problems," the chief said. "If his behavior changed, his supervisors would pick up on it."
Bullock's battalion deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., where they had extensive training on how to spot and avoid insurgent bombs; training similar to that provided for National Guard soldiers at Camp Shelby.
Still, conditions in Iraq surprised Bullock.
"I didn't expect the amount of enemy contact that we received," he said. "We saw contact just about every day."
The type of fire varied - sometimes the enemy fired small arms at the Marines; sometimes they used mortars or rockets.
The danger from IEDs like the one that wounded Bullock was constant.
"I remember everything," Bullock said. "We were on a raid. We were going to our objective and that's when we struck the IED."
A lot of praying
Bullock was treated at a hospital run by the Air Force in Balad where he underwent surgery several times to remove shrapnel and to repair his teeth and face.
"He called me before I heard from the Marine Corps," Lessie Bullock said. "He told me that he got slightly injured. He downplayed the whole thing. When the Marine Corps called me, they listed his injuries as serious. The family got together and we did a lot of praying at church and also at home."
Terrence Bullock returned to duty, completing the deployment with the battalion.
His platoon lived inside a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River at Haditha. The Marines lived in a large room initially furnished with cots and eventually upgraded with bunks and mattresses.
They had Internet access but rarely saw television. They usually ate meals ready to eat, or MREs, and, although some of their food was freshly cooked, it left Bullock hungry for Popeye's fried chicken.
He missed what he calls the American way of life: "The freedoms a lot of people take for granted, the small things; nothing in particular, just the way of life we've grown accustomed to."
He's not sure how much of an impact his service had on the Iraqi people; he was never in a village or town long enough to develop relationships with the people.
"I think I helped them with their views of the United States military being friendly and courteous," he said. "They appeared friendly, but you had to be suspicious of their motives. You did not know what their motives were."
Since returning home, Bullock has enjoyed adjusting to everyday life, watching "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central, watching the History Channel, working out, going to church and cooking out with family.
"Definitely, when loud noises go off, you remember where you've been for the past seven months," he said. "But it's nothing traumatic that would cause instability of any sort."
He shies away from the hero label.
"The real heroes are the ones who went over there and didn't come back," Bullock said. "The fight's not over; it's not complete. They should be remembered."
Ellie