D-Day
The convoy that we were to be inserted with was by far the largest i had ever ridden in and i remembered feeling slightly uneasy about this as we all loaded packs and mortars onto the back of our truck. When there are alot of moving parts involved, there are an infinite number of possibilities that can go wrong. And naturally, right before we leave a line of departure, my mind always seems to process every single one of them at a rate that would make even the Rain Man let out a low whistle. But theres nothing that can be done about it now, except for get on with the ritual. After i have made all of my pre-combat checks and there is nothing to do except wait, i always reach into my drop pouch and pull out the iPod to listen to some AC/DC. This is my ritual. I dont even particularly like the band to be honest, but i must admit, there is something about hearing Angus Young that releases that perfect mixture of pure rock and roll and adrenaline into my bloodstream. I suppose its more of a psychological thing, but it helps to get me in the zone that i need to be in. So i slip on the headphones and decide upon "For Those About to Rock". It produced the desired effect, i was ready to get on with the mission at hand.
And what was the mission at hand? it depends on which news agency you ask, but essentially the elections are coming up very rapidly. September 18th as a matter of fact. Right now, the goverment of Afghanistan is in such a delicate state of affairs that these elections are a critical turning point for the future of these people. A successful election, historically speaking would be a first. A successful election, is most definately a possibility, providing there arent any major disruptions. And am not referring to dimpled, hanging, pregnant chads, nor missing ballots. I am referring to the Taliban who are very much against progress of any sort and are willing to do anything to make sure that September 18th is just yet another failed attempt for this country to stand on its own two feet. And that is where 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines enter the picture. We were to be strategically inserted in various parts of the hornets nest so to speak, with the intent of hunting down and killing as many taliban as we could. The more, the better. But as far as i was concerned even if we just walked away with one kill, the world would be a much better place. You could say that i was excited about what we were about to do. I likened it to a healthy dose of retribution for september 11th, which is what every red-blooded American yearns for deep down inside whether they will admit it or not.
As the truck jerked forward and the convoy started to roll out towards our destination, it was tonight .. tonight. .. I was feeling thankful that i was the one in the position to be that nemesis on the behalf of the 3000+ people that died on 9/11.
.........to be continued.
The convoy that we were to be inserted with was by far the largest i had ever ridden in and i remembered feeling slightly uneasy about this as we all loaded packs and mortars onto the back of our truck. When there are alot of moving parts involved, there are an infinite number of possibilities that can go wrong. And naturally, right before we leave a line of departure, my mind always seems to process every single one of them at a rate that would make even the Rain Man let out a low whistle. But theres nothing that can be done about it now, except for get on with the ritual. After i have made all of my pre-combat checks and there is nothing to do except wait, i always reach into my drop pouch and pull out the iPod to listen to some AC/DC. This is my ritual. I dont even particularly like the band to be honest, but i must admit, there is something about hearing Angus Young that releases that perfect mixture of pure rock and roll and adrenaline into my bloodstream. I suppose its more of a psychological thing, but it helps to get me in the zone that i need to be in. So i slip on the headphones and decide upon "For Those About to Rock". It produced the desired effect, i was ready to get on with the mission at hand.
And what was the mission at hand? it depends on which news agency you ask, but essentially the elections are coming up very rapidly. September 18th as a matter of fact. Right now, the goverment of Afghanistan is in such a delicate state of affairs that these elections are a critical turning point for the future of these people. A successful election, historically speaking would be a first. A successful election, is most definately a possibility, providing there arent any major disruptions. And am not referring to dimpled, hanging, pregnant chads, nor missing ballots. I am referring to the Taliban who are very much against progress of any sort and are willing to do anything to make sure that September 18th is just yet another failed attempt for this country to stand on its own two feet. And that is where 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines enter the picture. We were to be strategically inserted in various parts of the hornets nest so to speak, with the intent of hunting down and killing as many taliban as we could. The more, the better. But as far as i was concerned even if we just walked away with one kill, the world would be a much better place. You could say that i was excited about what we were about to do. I likened it to a healthy dose of retribution for september 11th, which is what every red-blooded American yearns for deep down inside whether they will admit it or not.
As the truck jerked forward and the convoy started to roll out towards our destination, it was tonight .. tonight. .. I was feeling thankful that i was the one in the position to be that nemesis on the behalf of the 3000+ people that died on 9/11.
.........to be continued.