Jun 24, 2009 1:57 pm US/Eastern
Local Soldier Caught On Tape During Close Combat
COLLINGDALE, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
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Marine Chief Warrant Officer John Daly, Jr.
CBS
Every soldier is someone's son or daughter. But when you look up at the Evening News and it's your son in a firefight with the Taliban, the war in Afghanistan becomes very personal.
Pat Ciarrocchi met the family of Marine Chief Warrant Officer John Daly, Jr. in Collingdale, Delaware County and they told me they're amazed by what they witnessed on television and on the internet.
Daly's family didn't know exactly where their son was on duty. However, they learned he was deployed on a mission on the outskirts of Now Zad, when a friend called and told them, "John's on television."
Recently, the Associated Press had a news crew travel with Daly's Marine unit in Afghanistan to illustrate the tremendous challenges facing the U.S. military as it begins to deploy 21,000 troops, as part of a surge to bring the Taliban under control.
"This is real war," says Jean Peterson, Daly's mother. "This was not a TV movie with actors and everything. This was our son."
In the news footage, they could see their son, a 38-year-old career Marine, moving through a compound with high walls, when two Taliban fighters jumped up and opened fire.
John Daly, Sr. learned the details from his son when he called home.
"He said he'd seen tracer rounds going by his body and his head. He said it was surreal."
Another Marine had barked out orders to come back over the wall. The family could hear the cover gunfire on the video. But most importantly, they saw their son jump to safety over the wall.
He did sustain a severe ankle sprain. It was the only injury in what could have been a tragedy.
Peterson said, "It is scary to see your son actually in battle like that."
The fact that Daly's family could see him, even on YouTube, was a surprise to Daly when he called home.
His mother said, "The first thing I said to him was, 'Can I get your autograph?' You're all over the news."
Since the beginning of the war, we have covered so many stories, where families are mourning the death of their young soldiers. So, "dodging the bullet" does raise questions about mortality and divine protection.
In that phone call from the base hospital where his ankle is healing, Daly told his father, if he had nine lives, he felt one of them was used up. Daly told him, "I can't believe they missed me."
But he did have a theory that had nothing to do with training or strategy.
As Daly discussed the close call with his soldier buddy, the friend gave credit for his survival to the Bible he carries with him into battle. It's then that Daly admitted wearing a St. Michael the Archangel medal -- a symbol of the patron of soldiers. Their conclusion? That the Bible and St. Michael saved them both.
Thinking about what could have happened, Jean Peterson teared up. She knows, this outcome allows for one more e-mail signed, "Love, Your Baby Boy."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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