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Iraqi "Battle Axe" I Brought Home


bryang
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Took part in a clearing operation in western Baghdad in early '07. I provided overwatch security with a sniper team, as the Infantry guys went house to house (some were occupied, others deserted). As we climbed off the roof of one house and prepped to move to another, we noticed several items in one of the rooms of the deserted house we were on, primarily cordless phone components (commonly used to make IEDs). I found a crude axe, which I tucked into my kit before moving on.

 

 

At the end of the operation, a buddy snapped a photo of me. Wasn't until we returned to base that I realized that I still had the axe tucked into my kit.

 

Brought it home, and it now sits on a book shelf in my home office!

 

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USCapturephotos

I love the photo of you with your trophy. Thanks for your service!

I wonder what the history is on that thing. The blade and handle appear to have some age.

Paul

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I love the photo of you with your trophy. Thanks for your service!

I wonder what the history is on that thing. The blade and handle appear to have some age.

Paul

I appreciate your kind words Paul!

 

When I picked this thing up I also found a small solid brass pestle (common throughout the Mid-East for grinding coffee), which my wife has.

 

I've occasionally wondered how long this blade had been in use, and for what. Perhaps something passed along (like hand-me-down items)?

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Neat bringback. These small axes were very popular, usually with a hammer type back. It could have also been dropped by a Tomahawk soldier or another unit. We had several guys that carried hand-crafted tomahawks because of their native heritage.

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Very cool item with the photo and history!

 

Thank you for walking that wall and keeping us safe!

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