Timothy Arthur Rote

December 23 2011 about 9PM My MP squad was on QRF. We had super squads. You had to have 20 guns and E7 or higher to be in charge of squad. Another squad was out with route recon check for IED’s. An IED went off. And one of there trucks drove into IED hole. We took the wrecker out to recover the truck. When we got there the other squad self recovered the truck. The other squad took the wrecker back to the FOB Shinwar. We waited till route recon filled the hole so it could come back over it. We went to US highway 1. Route recon went right back towards Jaf. We went left back towards FOB Shinwar. A quarter mile from FOB my truck was hit with IED on TC side. Everyone in my truck was knocked out. Came too the smell of the smoke is a smell I would never forget. I fractured my neck and lower back and TBI. We were all put in for Purple Heart. We all got one. In July 2011 I was promoted to E7 but to another unit. So when our Purple Hearts were approved I was no longer in the 307th MP company. So I got mine in the mail. I had 5 surgeries on back and neck. The last one was October 29 2025. I can’t work. The biggest thing about it was getting it in the mail. Every E7 and above got a bronze star. But me. And I was the only one to get a Purple Heart. 

Narrative submitted by the Purple Heart recipient.