European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Les i dozed off in and checked in arc a couple was quiet it he should to. Hey sgt. 1 filled Eadi sgt Randy Willey concussion from the blast had just ruptured them. I could t do anything for him other than Lay there with him. Remember i got real mad at  and so they Lay together in the dark alone. Quot we got real close that night Quot Crighton said. Other soldiers in the area reported seeing them off in the distance. Most thought the two men were probably enemy prisoners and that it was too risky to Send someone after them while the Battlefield was still dark and chaotic. The cold rain started again. Willey pulled himself in loser to Crighton and tried to cover them both with his torn mechanics overalls. They Lay in the rain for 20 miserable minutes. Quot i was laying there thinking Man it s cold Quot Crighton said. A plus i was kind of going in Shock. I went in and out of Shock All night Long. I said Willey we got sleeping bags Back there you  Quot it Hadnot occurred to Willey that there might ill be something to keep warm with inside the vehicle. I went Back and found Crighton s sleeping bag which in t been burned in the fire. He crawled Back Over and covered up the motor Ergeant. I we stayed right next to each other hoping body. Fat would keep us warmer Quot Willey said. Both of their bedded uniforms were still soaking wet. A couple times i dozed off and he woke me up and picked on me Quot Willey said. Quot and there were a couple Les when he was quiet longer than i thought he it uld have been. So i d say a hey sgt. C., what s up pulled each other  pot Long after he got the sleeping bag the personnel pier s engine ran out of  and finally died now the Lio or parts of it could be heard making shrill beeps he night. Lilley again returned to the vehicle hoping there was outside Chance he could radio for help there was t. He located a flashlight and saw that the radio was bless. The speaker and a voice scrambler a i possible for the shrill beeps a were still surprisingly it. But the radio itself had been blown into shards Iny of them lodged in Crighton a Back. This time though Willey found two pistols that had in stowed in the personnel Carrier. Now he could fend himself against iraqi foot patrols be shut off the voice scrambler and crawled once Lin Back to his Friend in the Sand. The first hint of Dawn came before 5 . Just As Light Jan showing through the Clouds Willey found that he Able to walk again and made his last journey Back the wrecked vehicle. This time he located a handheld emergency Beacon that the soldiers had been Given. Finally at about 6 ., Willey saw a vehicle moving but  Tell what it was without his glasses. He d also been rendered partly deaf by the explosion and could t make out the sound. Quot hey Quot Crighton said. Quot i can hear a  Willey Wasny to sure. Quot what if that a enemy Quot he asked. The pain had gotten bad enough that Crighton did no to care who it was. Quot if that s enemy Quot he answered Quot they re Gonna come Over Here and shoot us anyways. So you might As Well just get up and walk Over there. So Willey held the Beacon up in his left hand and began waving his right hand. He heard someone say Quot americans. We be got to go help  the vehicle a Bradley came up. Someone got out Tard feelings shot up by our  i ise know j i was  j Terry Crichton looked at them and asked a what the hell Are you doing there Quot i done to know Quot Willey said. Quot you Tell us. We be been  they helped him look for his eyeglasses but he never found them. A month later Crighton sat at the dining room table of Willeys apartment in Amberg Germany. He got up to refill their Coffee cups pouring with his one hand. The other  ended at the Elbow and someone had written Quot ouch Quot in big Black letters across the  the time he was hoping to stay in the  and was determined to at least remain in Amberg Long enough to see the rest of his unit k troop 3rd so 2nd  Cav regt come Home. He joked about becoming a one armed pineapple picker Back Home in Hawaii. Teresa Willey was still picking shrapnel out of her husband s Back and legs and she kept some of it in a Jar on top of the television set. She showed it around when company came Over. She d also practice tying her shoes with one hand and told Crighton to remind her to show him later How it was done. Willey had shrapnel wounds an  without feeling Sas photos by Vince Crawley sgt. Randy Willay an m-1 Machalle la still finding bits of shrapnel in is Back and Laga. And nerve damage that gave him constant Back  was Riding his bicycle onto base daily except on Days when it rained. Then the Metal in him caused too much pain so he d have to get off his Bike and Limp to work. He also plans to stay in the  figuring his chances of seeing two wars in one career Ere slim. He expressed no hard feelings about what head been through though he was curious about Why it had taken four hours to get  How come we were out there so Long Quot he asked. No one at his dining room table knew the answer. Quot there be been people saying a of yeah. We seen you out there one of them said they thought sgt. had died when i covered him up with a sleeping bag. They were watching. That kind of upset  Crighton said he was also bothered a Little. Quot at least bring something up to us and protect us Quot he said. Quot Back two Bradley up and drop the ramp and pull us up in it. Or take my temperature. Or  still he said Quot i can understand it from the. Commander s Point of View. If you Start sending More people out More could get Hurt. It kind of went 50-50 Quot i Don t have any hard feelings for the decision that was made Quot the motor sergeant said. Quot even if we had got shot up by our own Guys i would t have any bad feelings. Because i know How chaotic it was. I was  in Early May he moved to Hinesville ga., where he owns a House and plans to accept a medical discharge this summer. The town of Amberg had a Homecoming ceremony for the troops in Early May. But when Willey showed up that morning to March in the Parade he was told to get  formation because he Wash t wearing a desert uniform., Willey explained that his uniform had been burned up the night he was shot. Somehow this answer was t Good enough and instead of marching in the Victory Parade he was put on a detail to set up tents and serve Beer afterwards. His sergeant major and colonel have both since apologized to him for the screw up. He s moving to fort Knox ky., in september. Quot in be done my time Over Here Quot he said looking Forward to the next assignment Quot in a ready to go  just 21, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 15