The Grind

The wheels of war continue to grind on. I am now back here on the depressing piece of real estate that we call a FOB. Everything is the same here for the most part. Still smells the same [awful], still looks the same [hellish], and still feels the same [prison-ish]. For the most part the past month up here was not too exciting. My platoon detained several bad guys, fought the fight and are still alive to tell the tale. The boys did well.

As the guys we fight with come closer and closer to being replaced the fight outside the wire doesn’t let up on them. We lost two guys just the other day. Good guys that I had the pleasure of knowing for a brief few months. They were killed fighting, guns blazing, fighting like soldiers. They were fortunate in a way. The died fighting like soldiers, fighting and enemy face to face and not by some cowardly, Koran hugging waste of life hiding behind a building blowing up a roadside bomb on them. I know its no easier for their families but as fellow soldiers it comforts us in a way knowing that the fought until the end and we will all miss them.

Their killers eventually received the same fate but brought in a series of 500 pound “smart” bombs sent with love from the Air Force and a team of it’s F-16’s as they screamed across the sky. The terrorist were killed along with their terrorist breeding wives and their future terrorist children. It is unfortunate that the children got caught up in the mix of the family’s poor decisions, but at this point in my life, I could not care less.

It’s the last day of August. If things would have never changed I would be a short 31 days away from a much cherished return home. But with an additional few months slapped on we are only now rounding third base headed for home plate. Just like the obedient little soldiers we are; we will fight on.

As for me it is back to work, back to the fight, back to the heat, the sand, and all the other luxuries we have here. By now most of you all can surely tell that I am burned out, despite my month long reprieve, I am burned out. But there is no need to fear my friends; I am still on top of my game. But as for now it’s back to The Grind.