4 February 2012, 7:42 pm
Prologue: When I awake, all I can register is how hot it is. I’ve been in Iraq for two years now, and still haven’t got used to the heat. Born and raised in Vermont, heat isn’t exactly my forte. I struggle out of bed, and slide into my boots. “Look who decided to wake today,” says Hanson, looking down on me with his dark eyes framed by his bushy eyebrows. Like myself, he has dark brown eyes and light hair. His eyebrows dominate his upper face, making him look stern, but his country accent won’t fool anyone. He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He’s been my best friend since boot camp, and we were lucky enough to be deployed together. I let a slight smile and go back to lacing my boots. “I can’t tell you how much I hate it out here. It’s like a sauna.” Distracted by his canteen, he holds up a finger, signaling for me to wait. “9 more months, and I’m out.” We walk outside where most men are already up, getting the days agenda. I stride over to a group of guys playing football. “Jacky! Get over here, play a little.” Says an unfamiliar voice. I play for a while until I hear my name being called. “Stalling! Get over here!” I shuffle over towards Danny Farcast. He’s Staff Sargent. He’s tall and large. I mean don’t get me wrong, he;s a good, but if you’ve never talked to him before, you’d be scared of him. “Stalling,you’re your things together. We’re going out in the hummers at 0900. We have some reports of insurgent activity near the Al Bahsir quarter, we’re going with full body armor.” Finally, some action I think to myself. “Yes sir”. While we walk over to the the Humvees, I can’t help but think if anything is going to go wrong today. I hop in the seat next to a young man, looking at his shoes. “You think we’ll have some action today?” I recognize his voice, but I still can’t see his face. I tap his chin with my hand and his head springs up. “Sorry sir!” It’s Farrel. He’s the youngest in my squad at 19. He’s only been in Iraq for two weeks, you can see why he wants to look tough to the other guys.“Only if we get shot at first” I say with a chuckle. Although he still talks with his bravado, fear still lurks in his eyes. I remove my sunglasses and stare at him. The rest of the ride is silent. I stare at the passing city behind us. Civilians are out and about. Cars are bustling around. “Road block!” Says Hanson. “Hey, hey stop!” yells Farcast. A car lies in front of us in the road. The Humvee jolts to a stop. “Alright, Stalling, Hanson, Ferrel and Clements. You guys go up there and secure the car, now!” The four of us stand and jump from the vehicle. “We’re going to get blown to bits, you know that?” He’s shaking his head. “Yeah, nice knowing you.” I joke. The car’s about a hundred yards away. “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was like, hostiles in there?” I throw my hand in front of him. “Listen to me, soldier! You didn’t come here to be tough! You came here to protect! Now you will shut up and do as your told without a word, you understand me?!” He hesitates. “Yes sir!” I lower my arm and continue walking. “What was that all about?” asks Hanson. “I don’t know. He doesn’t need to be acting all tough.” Before Hanson can respond, I see it. A dog. It’s stuck in the gutter. “Look at that.” I say. “It’s a dog. So? Plenty of dogs around here.” He replies. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up in a second. I stride over towards the gutter. I stop and examine the dog. He’s black, I think. He looks okay, he’s whimpering. His eyes are open, that’s good. I walk over in stiff steps and kneel down. I start to stroke his nose. I reach in and grab his upper body. I start to pull and it’s immediately evident that he’s resisting. “All right then.” I mutter. I grab him by his under arm areas and pull as hard as I can without hurting him. Eventually, I struggle him out and lay him on the sidewalk. Still kneeling, I look him over. He seems healthy. Not too banged up. “Guys! I found a do-“ I’m interrupted by the explosion. It's supposed to be in past-tense, i messed it up on this computer. its a flashback.... Read More »
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