While on a small FOB in Iraq, no one was awarded a CAB for IDF, despite the burn holes in the netting around our CHUs from shrapnel. Our medics were not awarded CMBs when the aircraft was shot at during missions, but did receive CABs. The CAB criteria was pretty stringent, with a requirement that ground fire at an aircraft had to pass within a certain distance. There had to be proof that the direct fire was directed at YOU!
While I did get a CAB for being shot at on a mission, ironically it was an AK-47 round from celebratory fire that came closest to hitting me. We were all sitting around smoking cigars one night when we heard small arms fire outside the FOB. I ran to ops to see if they knew what was going on. They said the Iraqis had won a soccer match and it was celebratory fire. We went back to smoking our cigars and the Myth Busters episode about bullets fired into the air became the center of discussion. In the heat of the discussion we heard a crack and some gravel flew up just behind the chair of the guy next to me. We all took off. To where? We had no idea. We ended up finishing our cigars wearing our Kevlar. The only casualty was my Diet Coke, laying over on its side.
