Veterans Share Disappointment About Fall Of Ramadi To ISIS

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- News that the city of Ramadi, Iraq fell to ISIS forces is difficult to watch for retired 1st Sgt. Jonathan Hill, a 21 year Army veteran who fought in Ramadi in 2003.

"It makes me very angry. I lost a very good friend in Ramadi. Staff Sgt. Frederick Miller to an IED. A real good man, good family man. He gave his life for those people in the specific area of Ramadi, and to that country and for us, to see that is just saddening," said Hill.

It's just as hard to understand for retired Cavalry Scout Tim Seckel. "It makes me sick."

He was seriously injured in Baghdad in 2007, when an IED exploded, hitting his Humvee.

"They pulled me out. I was paralyzed, couldn't walk, they pulled me out of while under fire and put me in another Humvee," said Seckel.

He was awarded a purple heart and says he looks at a tattoo on his right arm everyday to remember Lt. Jonathan Edds, who was killed in the attack.

Seckel believes the U.S. withdrew from Iraq too soon. "If I could go back everyday, I'd be there. And I have children and a wife. I'd still go back." When asked why, he said, "It's what I was meant to do."

Jonathan Hill agreed the U.S. should still have some presence in Iraq. He was awarded a silver star in 2009, after his platoon came under attack during the battle of Cop Keating in Afghanistan. Eight of his men died.

"The things that make me cringe the most is when I hear someone say it was all for nothing, and that's not the truth. We're always thinking about our country and the freedoms we fight for every single day of our lives. It's never for nothing," said Hill.

Follow Jack on Twitter: @cbs11jack

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)