Pair of Marines Reconnect Through Wounded Warrior Project and Knock Down Mental Health Barriers By Raquel Rivas, Wounded Warrior Project
Marine veterans Nick Bennett and Dan Miller held a box of shrapnel in their hands. It’s not the sort of thing that helps most people bond. But the jagged metal pieces were surgically removed from Nick’s body after a rocket attack in Iraq – an injury that Dan felt guilty about for years. This is the story of how the pieces that tore them apart in combat, later brought two warriors together. Nick Bennett always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfathers. He grew up hearing his grandfathers’ WWII survival stories and developed a strong urge to take his place in their legacy. He enlisted in the Marine Corps straight out of high school and served in the early 1990s. He came home after he was honorably discharged and built a family. After 9/11, Nick thought about how fortunate he was to have a family and to enjoy watching his children grow up. “When the children were old enough, I reenlisted,” Nick said. “I arrived in Iraq close to my 35th birthday, and some of the younger recruits seemed like kids to me. I had already experienced being a dad and got to enjoy my children so if something were to happen to me at this point, I’d been OK with it.” 10
WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / MAY 2022
Nick was put in charge of the internet café, where he had the chance to get to know fellow brothers and sisters in arms. He liked what he was doing but aspired to be on the front lines. He asked to be moved closer to combat. “These were my guys, and I wanted to be there to protect them; I wanted to be out there with them,” Nick said. He pled his case and eventually was assigned to base security. He helped run gate security, checking all vehicles that came into the base. With support and training from Gunnery Sgt. Dan Miller, Nick eventually worked his way into missions beyond the gate. On one occasion, he joined a unit sent to apprehend someone suspected of attacking U.S. troops. The mission went as planned and the person was apprehended. Shortly after, the base was attacked in retribution. “The week of Nov. 11, 2004 (Veterans Day) was our worst week in Iraq,” Nick said. “We lost half our guys that week.” Nick remembers the day he barely survived a rocket attack – in blurry details. As the unit prepared to go out
