By all rights, I am the very first Purple Heart of Operation Restore Hope.

You know how we all pointed and laughed at the Russians for not knowing that you don't invade until you've got logistics established?

Well, evidently, that's been the US doctrine since forever, but nobody told me.

I was a radio operator with Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 548th Supply and Service Battalion (BN), the largest battalion in the military (or, it was at the time). 548th is weird, though. We're stationed at Fort Drum, but we aren't technically under 10th Mountain Division (LI). Technically, we're FORSCOM and attached to 18th Airborne. Which is to say that 10th Mountain grumbles up a storm any time 548th needs anything, but also 10th Mountain has no problems requesting our Medevac helicopters to shuttle dignitaries or asking our Chemical unit for shower points in the field.

At any rate, 548th was given short notice to get our asses to Mogadishu, Somalia to support the incoming 10th Mountain division.

So, HHC deployed the BN Commander (CO), the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), the S-shop leads (officer and enlisted), and a couple of junior enlisted (myself included). All said and done, there were 12 of us. All of the companies under us were under similar obligations.

Now, I didn't discover this until the moment we were landing, but the BN CO stood up with the (civilian) aircraft intercom and announced that we were literally the first of the US military to arrive with the exception of a very small team of Navy SEALs who had captured the airfield a few minutes ago and were now bringing the flight in. "The runway is in the belly of this aircraft, so thank the civilian air crew because they can't take off to leave until the engineers have built the runway."

After he was finished, I asked the BN CO, "You said that we're the first ones here besides the SEALs. Who is protecting us? Shouldn't the infantry be here first?"

"What the fuck are they supposed to eat and drink? Where do you think they'll get their fuel and ammunition?"

"They've got rucksacks like everybody else."

"Fyseek, the military doesn't go anywhere until logistics are in place to support it."

At any rate, back to the Purple Heart.

We plunged through Mogadishu and out the other side and established a base on the West side of the city. We had to kick a few hundred squatters out of the Russian Tank Factory (what we called it), and then it was ours without much other fanfare. We started setting up a quick perimeter and guard roster including all the senior officers and senior enlisted. We were *that* shorthanded.

And that was life for the first 24 hours.

But, the next day, some fucker shot at us. Shot at the building where I had been setting up the switchboard and radios and whatnot. The building where the senior officers were setting up the S-shops.

And, so we all ran across the hall to find out what had happened. The S-1 said, "It came from that direction!" and pointed across the street.

And, while we all stared out the couple of windows, the fucker shot again. But, this time he hit one of the window louvers and that pane exploded into great big glass chunks.

"Fyseek, get on that!" somebody yelled.

As I went to set up a supported position on the window sill, I saw all that freshly broken glass, so I swept it away so I could lean across it.

And, I ripped my palm open.

Now, not much else happened. We fired some shots in 'that direction' and nobody returned fire, and 5 minutes later, everybody was bored.

"I have to go see the doc (we had an actual surgeon) for a bandage," I said, and everybody else said, "Yeah, yeah, go on."

And, with that, I walked over to where Doc was setting up his office. "I need a bandage," I said.

"Sign the book," he said.

And, I did. I signed the very first line on the very first page with the very first entry.

And, while doc was washing and bandaging my cut, I said, "Injured... in conflict... with an armed adversary, right?"

"What's that?"

"For the Purple Heart. Isn't that the only requirement? Injured in conflict with an armed adversary?"

To which he said, "Get the fuck out of my office. I have shit to do."