Wounded Iraq Veteran: What is Clear-Cut Definition of Victory in Iran?

David Kendrick Jr. knows the cost of war better than most. Serving in Iraq in 2007, Kendrick, an Army veteran, was severely wounded by a sniper’s bullet, leading to years of recovery and eventually ending his military career. 

Just one day after getting hit, the same sniper gunned down Kendrick’s best friend.  So, when Kendrick talks about having concerns over another war in the Middle East as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to simmer, and with his sister now serving, his reservations come from the heart. 

Kendrick, from Rochester, New York, served as a cavalry scout, sent to Iraq in the middle of a troop surge in 2006. He was patrolling the outer fringes of Sadr City when his life changed in an instant. 

“I was shot by a sniper, and it took three years to heal after that, so I got shot June 17, 2007, and I was out of the Army in 2010,” Kendrick told WHAM in Rochester. “And then the next day, my best friend got shot and killed by a sniper.” 

The bullet ripped through both legs. 

“I took a direct hit to my femoral artery, and the bullet shattered my femur,” he said. “Hit my femoral artery, and it clipped my sciatic nerve, so I can’t move the toes on my left foot anymore.” 

While he eventually overcame the physical pain, the psychological damage was difficult to shake. 

“The hardest part about it was a survivor’s guilt,” Kendrick said. “You build these really, really close bonds with your friends.” 

Finding Help 

Kendrick came home from Iraq but struggled to leave the war behind. And resources to support disabled veterans were lacking, he said. 

The pain became too much to bear. He tried suicide. 

Gripped by paranoia, Kendrick was racked with nightmares of the sniper hunting him down to “finish the job.” U.S. forces finally did find and kill the sniper, which somewhat eased his fears.  

Finally, through Warrior Salute, a veterans organization in Webster, New York, Kendrick was able to change the trajectory of his life. He was hired for steady employment and received therapy to help cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

He wrote a book, “Calvary: A Soldier’s Memoir,” published in 2021, and started the Lion Speaking Agency, sharing his story of trauma and mental health battles as a keynote speaker. 

Sister Continues to Serve 

In recent weeks, with the war in Iran escalating, Kendrick’s mind has drifted back to the Middle East. 

“My sister joined. She joined initially as a combat engineer, but now she’s a mechanic, and I don’t want her to be involved in the same war that I went through,” Kendrick said. 

He fears his parents receiving the same call they did in 2007, reporting their child has been injured in combat or something much worse.

While the conflict with Iran hasn’t transitioned to ground troops yet, Kendrick believes the war destabilizes the whole region. He’s reminded of the dangers improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq posed and how advances in warfare technology make killing even easier. 

“Now you have these drones, so it’s like the IEDs are flying now,” he said. 

The Army veteran is also concerned about what the “end” of the war will look like. He doesn’t want another decades-long engagement like the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even with a severely limited defense system, Iran could rebuild its military, including its alleged nuclear arsenal, opening the door to smaller pockets of force.  

“You take out one enemy, another one’s gonna pop up,” Kendrick said. “So, what would be the clear-cut definition of victory?”