A Day in the Life of the Battle for Marjah: US Marine Walks Away from a Shot to His Helmet

Aimee Herd : Feb 18, 2010
News Staff – Washington Post, FOX News

As the aggressive battle wages against the Taliban in Marjah, may this story remind us to pray for the safety of our troops and those Afghans fighting alongside them.

This week, US and Afghan troops have been fighting Taliban forces in Marjah, Afghanistan, and the opposition has been fierce. Hoping that they will be able to root out the enemy strongholds in the city—much like they were conquered in Iraq's Fallujah—the Afghan and US troops in Afghanistan have endured some of the most intense combat so far.

Out of that mêlée, though, came a miraculous story on Monday, when—as the report states—an insurgent sniper hit Lance Cpl. Koenig dead on in the front of his helmet, and he walked away from it with a smile on his face. (Photo by: Bryan Denton/CORBIS)

The Marines of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment had been under "near-constant attack" from the Taliban, as they held the ground they'd taken—a former drug lab and roadside bomb factory.

Cpl. Koenig, a designated marksman looking for Taliban targets hidden amongst the surrounding neighborhood, had been up on the roof of the one-story outpost. He was reportedly reaching for his rifle when a sniper's round connected with his helmet, knocking him backwards.

He yelled, "I'm hit," and belly-crawled to his fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Gabrian, who checked him over and then found the huge dent in his helmet. Checking underneath the Kevlar that saved his friend's life, Cpl. Gabrian found no wound and said, "You're not bleeding. You're going to be OK."

"I don't think I could be any luckier than this," Cpl. Koenig stated about his near-death experience.

His miracle is not the only one of that kind, however, as brother-in-arms; Cpl. Christopher Ahrens' helmet was also grazed by enemy rounds three times in Iraq, and twice since the ensuing battle in Marjah.

But, Cpl. Ahrens didn't attribute his experiences to luck…

"I don't need luck," Cpl. Ahrens explained, as he pulled a card from inside his helmet depicting Michael the Archangel stomping on Lucifer's head.