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Courage under fire

Jun-19-2005 » Filed Under: Homefront

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By Lara Brenckle

CENTRE HALL -- In the alternate reality that is Iraq, Army Spc. Christopher Swales knew everything was OK if he could hear bullets zinging and guns firing as he patrolled the northern city of Mosul.

"It's when you don't hear it that you worry," Swales said.

The bullet that pierced his leg during an insurgent attack that thundered around him one March day was silent.

It didn't even hurt, Swales said. He looked down in time to see his left leg split open. "Oh, that's not good," he thought.

The 29-year-old from Centre Hall has swiftly rebounded from being a critically injured patient with a severed artery to a cheerful, upbeat man just happy to be home in his mother's recliner.

His injury earned him a ticket home, and his actions under fire may earn him medals and accolades from his superiors.

But Swales doesn't consider what he did unusual. He's just an average soldier, he said, who joined the Army for the adventure and a chance to make this world a better place.

There are many others whose names aren't on lists for commendation but who deserve them more than he does, he said.

"Whenever I was in a firefight, I never fired to protect myself," he said. "It was always about the other people."[...]


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