I have had a number of conversations with Captain Perozeni since Oct. 4 of last year. In all those conversations, I never heard Captain Perozeni blame anyone, cite a lack of resources or indicate anything other than that it was the insurgents who were responsible for the attack. It was clear that from the day Captain Perozeni assumed command of his team until today he considers himself fully responsible for ODA 3212. Regardless of what the future holds, Captain Perozeni will carry the weight of the loss of his teammates and brothers for the rest of his life, not because he was the cause of their deaths, but because, in spite of his best efforts, he could not save them. Knowing Captain Perozeni as I now know him, if I were in a position to serve, given the requirements of combat, I would gladly serve with him, serve under him and seek him out to serve as a member of my unit.

A few days after Bryan was killed, my daughter-in-law Michelle and I were visited by an officer in Bryan’s chain of command, who offered his condolences and provided what information he could about what happened. During that conversation, he revealed how the team was left on its own for an extended period of time after the attack began, and even longer before kinetic help was available. A vivid memory hit me as I listened: I served under a great Marine during the first gulf war. At one point he turned to me and ordered me to coordinate what I considered an excessive amount of fire support to engage what I assessed to be a minor target. Our intelligence officer confirmed that assessment, and I then expressed that assessment to my commander. His reply was direct and cold, “I believe the enemy is in there. And I will use every goddamn round I have to save the life of one Marine.” I never forgot his words nor did I ever forget the lesson I learned that day: Anticipate a worst-case scenario and provide every available asset to your unit to maximize their chances of success and survival. Remembering all this as the condolence visit continued, I burned inside. After the visit ended, I walked outside with the officer and away from Michelle’s earshot, and asked: “I mean no disrespect when I ask this question, but why the [expletive] was Bryan’s team sent out without support?”