Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
7:37 | It was a big convoy with over a hundred local Afghan national fuel trucks along with Marine tactical vehicles. As soon as they set out, torrential rains began and everything slowed to a crawl. Joe Diomede remembers the boredom of being stuck in one place for days at a time. This was interrupted more than once by attacks, including one that crippled his vehicle.
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Joe Diomede was one of five boys growing up in New Jersey in what was a pretty rowdy home. One of his brothers was serious about becoming a special forces member but it wasn't on Joe's radar. After 9/11 he was angry, like everyone else, but the memory had faded somewhat by the time he graduated high school.
After a less than stellar start to college, Joe Diomede ran into a Marine recruiter at a shopping mall and struck up a conversation. He was ripe for the picking. When he told his parents he'd enlisted, his dad had a little surprise for him.
After his train up, Joe Diomede's motor transport outfit joined the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit on a cruise. He spent a lot of time fighting rust on his trucks down in the hold but he had time to visit a lot of interesting ports of call and he got to meet a SEAL team celebrating a successful mission. (Caution: strong language.)
When he was the training NCO for his unit, Joe Diomede was proud of helping guys get their deserved promotions. The most memorable guy in his unit was Doc Curry, the Corpsman, who seemed to know everything and jumped right in to help with any task.
When Joe Diomede got to Afghanistan, he thought he had landed back in Twentynine Palms. His anxiety level started to creep upward when he saw gun emplacements but he knew he was well trained and ready for anything. He was a "Motor T" Marine who was there to run convoys so, naturally, his first action involved an IED.
It was their worst day in Afghanistan. Joe Diomede's Motor T unit was in a convoy when a truck up front hit a mine. Another truck moved up to help and it hit a mine. Then his truck got hit. Before it was over, at least nine trucks were disabled.
It was genius. Joe Diomede remembers how a wrecker operator fixed a truck with an MRE bag in Afghanistan, and it worked. When he returned to the states, it took a little time to get used to garrison rules again after living in the field. When he got out of the Corps, it took a few tries but he found his post-service calling.
A reunion with guys from his unit was very special to Joe Diomede. They were all a little heavier but it was like he'd just left them yesterday. He sought out counseling a few times, especially after the suicide of their beloved Corpsman, who'd gone off on a second deployment. (Caution: strong language.)
