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‘Watch the f***ing alley’

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This isn’t a story about combat heroics. It’s just about doing what needs to be done, in the very essence of the phrase.

It was the middle of the Afghan night; the air was hot and my sweat was cold, matting my clothes to my body under my kit. I breathed heavily as the NODs weighed down on my face and peered into the crackling green night. I heard the rat-tat-tat of an AK-47, followed by the return fire of M4s. I wasn’t on the primary assault force — I was secondary for that mission, which meant I was just outside the target compound. We switched positions mission by mission, and that was my squad’s duty during this one.

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  • RB

    Good post. Shelf the ego. Do the job. Make a plan if there isn’t one. Be the pillar others can rely on. Lie down in your grave when the bell tolls and listen to the mourners give the ultimate praise. “He was a stand-up guy”

  • Bluto25

    Love it!!!

  • Fred C

    And when it’s your turn to be a door kicker you appreciate the fact that the others are not sitting on their butts smoking cigarettes because you’ve already cycled through that part of the job.

  • Chad D

    Excellent article Ryan. It speaks to exactly what it means to serve.

  • Micky M

    Agree LPD. ?