Let me try to put this into perspective. You've been in Iraq for several months and you're just about to go off the deep end, because you're tired of all the mortar attacks to your base, for the 13th time, you've got a Comm. blackout, but you don't know if its just because things are down or if someone from your Brigade has fallen. Two days prior to this, you were out on a mission, you were sitting in the internet cafe, using up your minutes on the computer to talk to your wife back home, when all of a sudden you and one of your buddies gets told to QRF because another platoon has spotted a torture room currently in progress and they need some back up, because there is a suspicious person wearing over sized clothing and with their experiences in the past, believe to be that this woman has a bomb strapped to her chest, and is told to stand outside the door and let them know if there is any soldiers coming. She is poor so for 50.00 she straps it to her chest, because 50.00 will feed her family. In the meantime your platoon has left the FOB and is ready to dismount. You get out of the humvee and head toward the direction of the torture room, keeping this woman in your site, because if you have to take her down, you will. You quickly spot the other platoon and are ordered to stay low and out of sight and walk silently so you're not noticed. You're in the lead and you're almost there, when an a dog, starts barking and you can't get it to be quiet. Your whole platoon is counting on you to make it to the others safely and unnoticed. You hush at the dog, but it still continues to bark and the suicide bomber is looking in your direction to see why the dog is barking. You order everyone to sit still and wait, the dog continues to bark and the suicide bomber leaves her area to investigate, like I said 50.00 is a lot to them. She must do her job. She doesn't get very far when she notices the other platoon hiding out waiting to make a run to capture insurgents and terrorists, she sets off the bomb. There are many casualties and there only medic is too hurt to tend to the platoon. The insurgents run out to defend what is there's and opens fire on the platoon you're in. In the midst of it all, your medic has been taken into the torture room by a few insurgents. You radio for more platoons to come and help. You radio for MEDEVAC to come to the scene because a few are dead and but most are wounded. You're MOS isn't a combat medic, but you do know CLS. So you do your best to to help those that are wounded until MEDEVAC gets to the scene.
I said two days prior for a reason. You've been up for days, because you can't sleep at night. You're disgusted with all of it and you have to force yourself to eat. You're at a briefing for your next mission, when a higher ranking officer stops it to tell you that they have found your medic and that they are currently in another torture room with the few insurgents that actually got away. His life is in danger and it is your mission to QRF to the scene, dismount and find your way through the dark without being seen by them, take down the insurgents and rescue your medic. Before you leave your higher ranking officer reminds you for the upteenth time that the mission comes first.
Suddenly, there you are with yet another woman with a bomb strapped to her chest, ordered to pull the cord if any suspicious activity arises. You and your platoon once again, dismount and head toward the torture room to get your medic and save his life before he falls victim to yet another video recording to be sent to training camps in Iraq for those that are training in the Al Qaeda army. This time you barely make it out of your humvee when another dog is lurking around, but doesn't notice you. You know that if you try to move toward the torture house, you will be seen by the dog who will then start barking at you. You know that if you try to hush it, it won't stop. But you have to get to the torture room, because that is your mission. Your medic's life is at stake and so is the whole platoons.
What do you do?
