Daryl Bristowe - Battle reaction
Running time
58 sec
Date made
Copyright
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Transcript
But when I was with mortars, you know how we're talking about you never know how you'll react? Well one day, waiting for fire missions, I was asleep on a stretcher on the outside of the perimeter of the vehicle. I should have been on the inside, but I was on the outside. And all of a sudden there was this one hell of an explosion. And it's amazing what your army training kicks in.
The stretcher was this far off the ground. By the time I rolled off the stretcher with my SLR, 'cause it was always next to me and having never fired it with the mortars, I had the weapon cocked instantly and by the time I hit the ground it was ready to fire and I'm looking out there. And from then on, I never worried that I would panic under fire.
