Up Close and Personal With an IED

Jan. 23, 2007 — -- It was a frightening moment for the troops of the 410th MP Company when early today an improvised explosive device rocked their armored Humvee convoy as it traveled the narrow, dangerous streets of Baghdad.

ABC News' Chris Cuomo and photographer Bartley Price were in the convoy and witnessed firsthand the harrowing ordeal unfold.

According to Cuomo, the troops were en route to investigate the report of a burning police vehicle in Gazalea, a dangerous area in northwest Baghdad.

As the convoy of four armored Humvees rolled through the streets, it came under small-arms fire from insurgents.

The convoy then passed two dead bodies in the road that were hiding explosives.

The explosion sent hubcap-size shrapnel tearing through the steel sides of the Humvees, rupturing tires, and wounding several troops as insurgents continued to rain small-arms fire down on the convoy.

Under the direction of Capt. Jay Sama, troops fought off the insurgents to get out of the area with only minor injuries, said Cuomo.

Cuomo and Price were not hurt.

Cuomo said the troops' calm reaction and bravery saved his life.

The attack was a rare and scary glimpse of life in a war zone, and a sober reminder of the life-and-death events our troops confront every day.

In an interview with ABC News just hours after the incident, Cuomo talked about the situation from his point of view.

Question: Did you see any of this coming? What was the scene like in the streets before you started taking fire and the IED went off?

Cuomo: It was a regular street with people walking around, and then, a dismembered, faceless body, with a boy just casually walking by it. It is proof positive of the frightening norm here. It is truly surreal.

Question: How powerful was the IED explosion?

Cuomo: It rocked the entire vehicle, blew out the tires on two of the vehicles, destroyed much of the glass, and rocked the vehicles in a very, very big way.

Question: You seemed to be really in awe of the troops' response to the IED. What was their first move after it went off?

Cuomo: The troops stayed poised every step. At the moment of impact, Sama unflinchingly ordered his troops into action as if it were a drill in his backyard. The machine gunner, Santos, spit out glass and didn't miss a beat in saying he was OK and had not acquired a target. He didn't fire a single shot in anger.

Question: From the footage, everything seemed to happen very quickly. What was going through your mind during all of it?

Cuomo: I was thinking, "We are not getting out of this. I can't believe I put Bartley [the photographer] in this position, and that the insurgents were going to kill us."

From there I started thinking, "How are these soldiers so calm? They seem OK, maybe I should be too."

And from there it went to "They are saving me, they are perfect, they are beyond expectation, they are supermen in green outfits."

Question: So their reaction and ability to address the situation calmly really made a difference?

Cuomo: The calm in crisis is what separates [soldiers] in battle, and these soldiers made the point for all the military. They are the best. They saved our lives by getting us out of a terrible situation. These soldiers are just young men, being formed by very harsh experiences. They are clearly the best trained.

Tune in to "Good Morning America" all week to see more of Cuomo's reporting from Iraq, and log on to ABCNEWS.com, where he will answer more viewer e-mails and give exclusive insight to the city of Baghdad and the people living there.