Lt Neil Prakash

Posted on by

I’m a news junkie and was reading this report from Fallujah when I came across a tres Desi surname – Lt. Neil Prakash.

Did some googling and it turns out that Lt. Prakash is a recent neuroscience major from Johns Hopkins whose hope as he joined ROTC was to be in the tank corp and see some action. Like many Desi’s, he was on a path to med school –

1st Lt. Neil Prakash is the platoon commander, in the lead tank. Prakash was born in Bangalore, India, and came to the U.S. as a baby. His parents are both dentists and he was planning a career in medicine like his siblings when he enlisted in ROTC and discovered his true passion. Prakash doesnÂ’t smoke, but heÂ’s having a cigarette now. While waiting for the order to go in, heÂ’s just gotten word of video images from an overhead drone. They indicate that squads of insurgents are on many rooftops armed with machine guns and RPGs…

While I’m working on my facial tan from the glow of the CRT on my desk, Lt Prakash is perhaps 25 yrs old and is the platoon commander leading 4 70-ton tanks crewed by 16 soldiers through the streets of Fallujah. Sure makes me feel like a slacker…

Suffice to say, Prakash survived the RPG fire and had a prominent role in yesterday’s Telegraph report on the fighting in Fallujah–

“Guys with short brown hair, dark pants and carrying AK-47s were moving in groups of between two and five across the road to a yellow building,” said Lt Neil Prakash, the tank commander. “Then some started throwing Molotov cocktails and pouring gasoline on the road to create a smokescreen.” …Lt Prakash was asked to provide a grid co-ordinate.

(warning – somewhat gory details ahead)

… “[Remote artillery] landed on the left side of the building and I saw three bodies fly into the air,” he said. “It was awesome.” Lt Prakash radioed that the rounds were right on target and requested 10 more to ensure maximum killing effect. …”One of the men was in a sniper position on the building,” said Lt Prakash. “I saw him fall off, hit the ground and bounce up. There were about five bodies that went three, four, five storeys up in the air. I’d already counted between 40 and 50 men going into that building. There were men running out, coughing and doubling over. The second lot of rounds took them out and all those who had been crossing the road.

Belated Veteran’s day honors from Sepia Mutiny – Lt. Neil Prakash.

20 thoughts on “Lt Neil Prakash”

  4. “I am glad Indians now finally have the chance to colonize someone.”

    There are plenty of Kashmiris who would say that India has been behaving as a colonial power for over 50 years.

  5. Depends on which Kashmiris you ask, Sunni or Shia; Gujjar or Bakkerwal; rural or urban. But certainly not this Kashimiri (Pandit).

    Kumar

  6. from the excerpt, it appears that he said that it was cool to see the bodies fly. my respect for him immediately dwindled in view of such a crass comment, but then i checked out the telegraph article and apparently that quote was from someone else. my respect for him has been reaffirmed.

  7. I grew up with Neil in the same town in upstate NY and I can tell you unequivocally that I have nothing but respect for him regardless of my feelings about the war itself.

  9. “…breaking new ground to be bitches for the white man in a whole new industry. finally!”

    Right, eventhough the treatment Indians mete out to other Indians is traditionally far worse. Maybe the Americans should adopt the policy of the Indian Army in Kashmir, and not let in the international media at all.

  10. KXB: “…Maybe the Americans should adopt the policy of the Indian Army in Kashmir, and not let in the international media at all…”

    Umm…no, wrong again. First of all, the Army doesn’t set policy, only the GOI.

    Nowadays, the NYT and Washington Post have stories datelined from Kashmir, or incorporate Kashmir-based reportage, quite regularly. The BBC has a office in Srinagar, for gods’ sake! As well, all the int’l newswires (Reuters etc.) have local correspondents in Srinagar, as they do in other parts of the world. NYT, WaPo, BBC, Reuters all qualify as int’l media orgs. I think.

    BTW, even when the GOI was reluctant to allow in media (at the height of the terrorism), they were not very vigilant about enforcing the policy. As a result, there has always been an int’l news presence in J&K.

    Kumar

  11. KXB, your wish has been granted…

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1298039,00.html

    Iraqi security officers stormed al-Jazeera’s Baghdad offices and sealed the newsroom with red wax at the weekend after the US-backed interim government banned the Arabic television station from broadcasting in the country. The raid followed a decision by the prime minister, Ayad Allawi, to close the station temporarily in August because of its apparent failure to support the US occupation. Officials said al-Jazeera had now been shut indefinitely because it had ignored the original ban.

    http://www.strike-the-root.com/blog/archives/000640.html

    Iyad Allawi, Iraq’s prime minister, has established a media committee to impose restrictions on print and broadcast media, a government official announced yesterday. The step underlines an aggressive new attitude towards press freedoms, in spite of US efforts to nurture independent media. Ibrahim Janabi, appointed to head the new Higher Media Commission, told the FT the restrictions – known as “red lines” – had yet to be finalised, but would include unwarranted criticism of the prime minister.

    http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles7/Fisk_US-Censorship.htm

    The unprecedented dispute between an Anglo-American occupation authority supposedly dedicated to “democracy” in Iraq and an Arab station once praised by Washington for its services to free speech in the Arab world comes at a time when the US administration appears to be laying the ground work to close down Al-Jazeera’s operations in Iraq –along with those of the Arabia channel –for alleged “incitement to violence”.

    http://www.umanitoba.ca/manitoban/20040121/co_01.html

    On Nov. 24, 2003, the U.S. appointed Iraqi Interim Governing Council (IGC) banned the Dubai-based Arabic television station Al-Arabiya from operating in Iraq. Al-Arabiya’s offices were raided, its journalists were threatened with imprisonment, and the IGC is planning on suing Al-Arabia in Iraq’s courts. The length of the ban was left unspecified by the Governing Council as a ‘certain period of time.’

  13. Anonymous of November 13th and 18th and beep. Your arrogance and condescension regarding Neils service in Iraq are dispicable and infuriating. Your ignorance and cowardice are so apparent. What have you done in your pitiful lives that gives you the right to even have an opinion regarding such an exemplary an honorable american. You probably still live with your Mothers. Go back to whichever countries might take you back. Better still, go to Iraq and show the Insurgents some compassion and understanding. Maybe they will just cut your genitals off (if you have any) rather than cut your throats. Then you may actually survive to return and tell us about THEIR colonies and industries.

  14. Neil Prakash and my husband are serving together in Iraq, and he is one of our best friends. He has seen this post and was awful proud. Thanks for writing about him; he’s a man of honor and worth.

  15. All I know is I am damned glad that Neil Prakash is an AMERICAN. He has shown amazing courage and cool in the face of incredible danger. Proud of you Neil!

  16. All the lake effect snow and frequent blizzards seemed to have forged a very tough and rugged soldier. George Patton must have be saluting your exploits. Best be careful, DC or Marvel might make a comic series or graphic novel out of your stories.. LOL

  17. Hi, I’m friends with CPT Sudip Bose (M.D.) who recently finished his 14 month tour of Iraq. If you guys are interested in finding out more about his experience in Iraq, check out his website…www.sudipbose.com.

    Neil, I pray for your safe return back to the states.

  18. South Asians fought in Mesopotamia in WW I and played a big part in Engerland keeping that as a colony after the war

  19. Anonymous of November 13th and 18th and beep. Your arrogance and condescension regarding Neils service in Iraq are dispicable and infuriating. Your ignorance and cowardice are so apparent. What have you done in your pitiful lives that gives you the right to even have an opinion regarding such an exemplary an honorable american. You probably still live with your Mothers. Go back to whichever countries might take you back. Better still, go to Iraq and show the Insurgents some compassion and understanding. Maybe they will just cut your genitals off (if you have any) rather than cut your throats. Then you may actually survive to return and tell us about THEIR colonies and industries.

    Who lets the trolls out!? Woof…woof..woof..woof…

  20. Neil Prakash is born Indian and bred American…but whatever he may be, he is defined by what he has done…and what he has done is to help liberate a country which was under one of the worst, most murderous dictators of history. Regardless of what many people, including I, feel about America’s war in Iraq and its correctness in terms of international relations (which is a crock of bullshit anyway, cos all that those bureaucrats do is sit on their lazy behinds while kids die of thirst in Darfur), I am sure everyone will agree with me on Neil’s personal honor and intergrity. I feel safe in the knowledge that such men still exist, and proud for him being an INDIAN-American.