Drone footage taken in Novomikhailovka, Donetsk Oblast. The idea that no service member will be left behind is a tenet of the U.S. armed services, such that decades after conflicts have ceased, teams of individuals travel the globe searching for the remains of U.S. service members that they might be repatriated. This institutional commitment is developed at the unit level, as dependent on discipline, camaraderie, and esprit de corps. In this video we see what happens when those qualities are absent. The MTLB has clearly seen the worst of an engagement, and it attempts to make good its escape with hatches swinging open and troops perched atop the vehicle. One of those soldiers dangles limply over the side and is either deceased or pretty far gone. Wounded or dead comrades litter the roadside, and one individual crawls desperately after the fleeing track. Another man, run clinging to the vehicle, but his pleas for salvation go unheeded. This is the product of sending mobilized conscripts and convicts into battle with little training and no opportunity to develop unit cohesion.

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs Triumph Sailing, a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through adventure and fellowship on the water. Triumph Sailing just completed its big yearly event, an offshore race in the Gulf of Mexico with an all veteran crew. You can support the mission and next year's sailing season at Tri-Sail.Org.