This would be my first fic in a long while so I need some constructive criticism from you guys. Oh and do check out my collaborated Final Fantasy fic with ryansuthrugta: Where Are We? We appreciate reviews.
Disclaimer: Any person in this fiction work that bears resemblance to anyone in real life is purely a coincidence. Some of the situations and decisions made by the characters do not accurately reflect real combat experience. Some of the locations have been modified to fit this work of fiction.
Warning: The language used in this fiction is mostly in British English and may trigger some people.
What's Worth Fighting For
Chakh Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1300 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
SSgt. Timothy McLeod
"We need to pull back Staff Sergeant! Now!" yelled Corporal Adams as a mortar shell exploded near their position knocking down the Corporal and sending shrapnel everywhere. McLeod was deafened by the explosion and couldn't hear clearly. He looked up at the surviving members of his squad which was Corporal Adams, Corporal First Class Jackson and 2nd Sergeant Cohen all pinned down or wounded. 'How far up shit creek did we go?' McLeod wonders.
(4 Hours Ago)
Dash Towp Combat Outpost, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 0900 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
SSgt. Timothy McLeod
(Timothy's POV)
Dash Towp Combat Outpost. That's our base of operations. Nothing out of the ordinary yesterday, today and I can tell ya, nothing tomorrow. Sun's been trying to kill us all in this dustbowl ever since we were deployed here. For everyone, it was S.S.D.D.; same shit, different day. Squads, platoons, battalions came in and out for missions, some worse than others. Hell, sometimes they go out but never come back. That's when a S and R ops come in. They'll just bring back the casualties, treat the wounded, cover the dead up in a body bag and send them to be placed under the ground back home. Home, that's why we're fighting. We're all fighting to protect our home.
My squad has been out for 14 missions already in 5 months. Now that's something. I've lost a few good men under my command since we were deployed here at the beginning of the year. None of them were easy to stomach. I can never forget each one as I held them dying there some drowning in their own blood. Each one would tell me "Sarge, I'm scared." I would try to tell them "It's gonna be alright, soldier. I'll see you soon." But they know that they'll never make it. I can't do anything to help them. The medevac chopper couldn't pull us out because of RPGs' flying everywhere. And it happens a lot.
The insurgents are relentless, once they see a red cross on a chopper, it becomes a shooting gallery and we are left stranded with a dying man while getting shot at. Every day, I remember the lives I couldn't save as they breathed their last breath. It's a lot of weight on your shoulders when you are responsible for the lives of your men and each time I blamed myself for their deaths because I couldn't protect them. My squad has gotten 5 replacements already and I am sure as hell, I don't want to lose another anytime soon.
"Hey McLeod, Major's got an assignment for us. Say's he wants us in the briefing room in 10." Says one of the men as I am pulled back to the present. I nodded at him as he took off quickly as he arrived.
Oh, that guy who just spoke with me, he's Sergeant Cohen, my second in command. He's been in this unit with me way back when we first joined. He used to be a Corporal always disobeying superiors and getting all of us to do extra marching drills every now and then because of his insubordination. He had quite the reputation among all of us. That all changed when he decided to bring back one of our boys that got wounded in the leg in the open. When we were extracted out of the AO, one of the guys asked him why. He just said, "We're family, no one gets left behind." As cheesy as it sounds, he was right.
As I walked towards the briefing room, I had to pass through the mess hall. That's where we have chow when we aren't on missions. I scanned the hall and found my squad sitting down at a table joking and screwing about. The guy at the center of attention with everyone listening to his stories, that's Joker.
When he first joined my unit, I remember that he was a replacement for one of my guys that got killed on one of our missions. When I had a look at him, I thought he shouldn't even be here. Some young kid, all full of energy, wanting to kill the enemy. Yeah, that's what happened to the last guy. He didn't keep his head straight and ironically, got shot there. I thought that Joker had a death wish given our casualty rate. But right now, he's what keeps our squad together.
I smiled at that and moved on, thinking about the past squad members that I had lost over the last 5 months. Walking past the mess hall, I looked at familiar faces and new ones. I wonder how many more must die? How many sons, fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, cousins? How many graves must men be placed in before we win this war? The enemy keeps popping up every time we knock them down. I'm getting tired of seeing men killed and jarheads replacing them.
As I neared the Major's office, I saw Cohen waiting for me outside the doors. "Hey there, Mickey." I call him that cause he reminds me of that mob boss in the Prohibition Era. He just chuckles and shakes his head in amusement. "I wonder what the Major has for us this time McLeod." He asks me. I reply solemnly, "I just hope none of my men get killed this time."
"Hey, what happened before is not your fault. Shit happens all the time. There's nothing you could have done to -" He tries to reassure me but cuts off when I give him the look. "Let's just hear him alright?" He understood and I knocked on the door before the Major tells us to come in. We salute the Major and he briefs us on the latest from Intelligence. He is certain that the intel that we have been receiving over the past week is accurate. Hah, accurate intel my ass. The last time we had "accurate intel", another one of my guys got blown up by an RPG wielding insurgent hiding in the village. It was an ambush with at least a company of them in there. We couldn't find anything left of him after we drove off the remainder, and he was officially listed as M.I.A. but we all knew he was gone.
"Is that clear Staff Sergeant?" The Major asked as he looked at me with confidence. "Yes sir!" I replied as I took one last look at the battle plans.
"Good, you're dismissed." The Major said and went back to his admin duties.
"Mickey, tell the boys to get their gear, we're going trekking again." I told Cohen as I went to my bunk to get my field pack and M4 carbine from the armoury.
(20 Minutes Later)
I waited for my squad near our assigned UH-60 Black Hawk chopper while forming up our plan of attack. Its so damn loud, the chopper. Cohen comes up to me with the rest of the squad in tow. "McLeod, what's our plan?" He enquires. "I'll brief everyone on the chopper! Get on board first!" I yelled over the noise. We signalled for the boys to get on board the chopper. "Hope this time we don't get into another ambush eh Sarge?" Corporal Adams asks me. "Cause I sure as hell hope not." He continues. "Me too." I reply with a grim reminder of our past mission.
As the Black Hawk flies towards our designated landing zone or LZ, I brief the men on the situation. "Alright boys, intel says that there's a bunch of insurgents in the area around the village. Major has given us the job of clearing it out. It's a small village but be on your guard. I don't want a repeat of last time." I warned them. "Last time our intel was ran by a bunch of idiots. I hope the got replaced." Corporal Jones comments. Jones was the buddy of the guy that got blown up. Poor kid has been cynical about intel ever since. He now prefers to follow his instincts and I fear that this could get ugly real quick when it comes to orders.
"The LZ's just up ahead! Get ready boys and good hunting." The pilot tells us over the radio. "Copy that! We'll contact you once the village is secure!" I said back. When we reached our LZ, the chopper sets down and we unload from it. "Secure the LZ." I told my squad as they moved into crouch position rifles pointed and waiting to shoot anything that moves. The Black Hawk then takes off away back to the command post all safe and cozy in there while we're stuck out here. I just hope this mission doesn't go to shit as I look over at the small village in sight. The countryside was beautiful, but we weren't here for sightseeing. We had a job to do and I intend to get everyone back alive.
Chakh Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1030 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
(Third Person POV)
The squad then moved in towards the village after securing the LZ all the while with rifles at the ready to shoot at the enemy. The village was too quiet for their liking and everyone was on edge. "It looks like intel got one thing right." Jones remarks snidely as the squad took cover behind a wall. "Cut the chatter Jones." Cohen reprimands. "But yeah, you're right, I don't like this too. McLeod, what now?"
McLeod was assessing the situation that they might face now and decided to proceed with caution. "Alright, we split up into 2 teams. I'll take one and Mickey takes one. We fan out and clear out the village house by house. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. Move out." He said quietly over the radio in case there were insurgents creeping about.
After half an hour of breach and clear manoeuvres, the village was secure. "Cohen, status report." McLeod asks. "Everyone's alright here, McLeod. I've got Jackson on overwatch. Looks like everyone left huh?" Cohen reports back. "Yea looks like it. I'll report to the Major." McLeod confirms.
Chakh Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1100 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
Sgt. Cohen
(Cohen's POV)
I was resting up with my team in an abandoned building, consisting of Jackson, Joker, and Jones when McLeod radioed me in about the new orders. "Major wants us to hold this village until a detachment of the 101st Airborne comes in at 1600 hours GMT."
"Well, let's just hope this is a normal day." I commented. Everyone hopes its normal today. "Yeah, just keep your eyes out for suspicious activity on the road." McLeod instructs me before hanging up. 'The road. The damn road' It brings back memories of better days. As a kid, I was always travelling around the states due to my dad being in the military getting posted to different bases on a frequent basis. I don't remember why actually but it was what made me join up in the end, following in my father's footsteps. I suddenly felt lethargic cutting my musings short. Must be the heat. Before I knew it, I dozed off.
(30 Minutes Later)
'Is that gunfire I hear? We're under attack? Shit. Can this day get any worse?' I jolted up out of my sleep and cocked my rifle aiming towards the road. 'I knew it! The damn road!' I silently cursed the road as I returned fire at the enemy positions. "Mickey! You awake yet?" McLeod yells through the radio. I can hear gunfire from his position as well. This wasn't good. "Am now Tim! Where the hell did they come from?!" I asked still slightly disoriented.
"Everywhere! They just popped out and started firing at our positions! They must have tunnels in the mountains surrounding this place. Sons of bitches scouted us out when they heard the chopper!" McLeod yells back. So, this was all a trap? Shit. I don't think we'll make it out alive this time. "Jackson! Come in!" I radioed the Corporal First Class.
"Still alive and kicking sir!" Jackson replied. "There's too many of them! I'm seeing multiple foot mobiles approaching from the south of our position and a convoy of technical to the north. "Damn it! Can you pin down the foot mobiles?" I asked hoping to slow down the assault. "I can damn well try sir" Jackson replied and sniped at the hostiles with his Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. I trusted Jackson to hold them off for as long as he could while me Jones and Joker waited for the technicals to arrive. "I'm gonna kill every last one of these bastards for what they did to Hammerhead." Jones was focused, maybe too focused. I placed my hand in a firm grip on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, "WE are gonna make them pay." Jones nodded in agreement and loaded his M203 grenade launcher. "Joker, place some mines on the road. That'll slow them down." I instructed Joker as we finished our defences. Joker ran down the road and set up some anti-tank mines that were good enough to kill anything moving.
A few moments later, Joker ran up the road again and got back into the building that we were all in. "They're here!" He said panting. They must have been closer than we thought to have him running like that. We got ready to squeeze the trigger and waited for the column to advance when we heard a loud boom followed by a huge kick of earth into the air and then flames. More explosions then followed, and we could see the frantic movements of the front vehicle now as the driver tried to evade any more mines.
Unfortunately, we only had a few of them since our mission didn't detailed us to defend against an entire army of insurgents but we were expecting a lot more technicals to arrive soon. When the vehicle was in range, we opened fire on it with our M4 carbines. I saw that five of our bullets had hit the windscreen opening up holes in it. I guessed that the driver was dead but the gunner was still firing at us even though the car has lost control. The technical swerved to the left and flipped over crushing the gunner while the next one opened fire on us again with its PKP Pecheneg machine gun. We ducked for cover while the bullets whizzed and zipped over us. The house was shot to shit I can tell you that much but we were ordered to hold this area until we could get reinforcements.
"Jackson, can you take out the gunner? We're pinned down!" I yelled to our marksman. A few seconds later the gunfire stopped, and we peeked out of cover. The last few technicals were retreating away from the village. "Tim, we're alright. We've beaten then back for now." I radioed in my status
"That's good but we have a man down over here. Private Roberts has taken a bullet to the leg. We've managed to dress the wound, but he needs immediate evac or he'll bleed out." McLeod gave his status on his team position. Damn it, not another one. "I'll radio in base for medevac while you concentrate on him." "This is Gamma 3-1. Gamma Actual how copy?" I asked our combat outpost. "Gamma 3-1, Gamma Actual copies over. What's your status, over?" The radio operator asks me.
"We've got a man down and bleeding out soon. Request for medevac ASAP, over." I requested.
"Copy that Gamma 3-1, I'm redirecting a Black Hawk towards your position, over." The radio operator tells me. "Copy your last." Alright, that's good, we can evac one of our men today. I heaved a sigh and collapsed on the floor exhausted.
Chakh Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1215 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
SSgt. Timothy McLeod
(3rd Person POV)
The village was calm yet again with the eerie quietness engulfing the surroundings. McLeod was keeping pressure on Roberts' wound while Adams was trying to keep Roberts awake. 'Not again. I will not let this happen again' McLeod thinks. The team then hears a heli in the distance and McLeod prepares Roberts for evac. "Evac's here. Get him outside." The team then carried out Roberts on a makeshift stretcher and signalled for the helicopter to land at their position. Roberts was loaded onto the chopper with medics attending to him. Corporal Adams tells him that they'll see each other back at base real soon when this is all over. Roberts gave Adams a nod and the Black Hawk proceeds to fly off back to base.
Not long after take-off, a surface-to-air missile hits the Black Hawk sending it pummelling it towards the ground not far from the village. McLeod's team turned around to see the helicopter's tail destroyed and spinning out of control before hitting the ground in a ball of fire. A horrified expression crossed over his face as he watched another of his men die. "NO!" Adams yelled in anguish. McLeod was silent but kept his head down.
(Timothy's POV)
Another one had to die. Why? I lamented silently at my inability to save another life. Heck, the whole damn chopper even. "Tim." Mickey radioed me, his tone grim. He too heard the explosion and knew it was the chopper with the Private on it. I didn't bother to respond to him. Everything was flashing again before me. The same situations that happened before happened now. I was numb as if the world had stopped. I could hear Mickey over the radio calling me in on forming a search party, but I couldn't respond. Not with what was going on.
Adams came over and tried to tell me something, but I stared blankly at him. He gripped my shoulders and shook me hard enough to snap me out of my daze. "Sir? Shall we send out a search party?" I look at him and shake my head "No, its too far out. If we were to stretch ourselves any thinner, we'd risk losing our objective. We'll bring Roberts home, Adams." I promised Adams this. One I intended to keep. "Gamma Actual, this is Gamma 3-1. We have a K.I.A. and medevac bird is down. Be advised, there's a S.A.M. site near our position. Request air strike to neutralize, how copy?" I radioed in our combat post. "Copy that, Gamma 3-1, will send a Warthog to your position over." The radio operator told me.
When the A10 came, I directed it towards the missile site. It was quick. The pilot fired an AGM and a short burst of the GAU-8 took care of it. He promptly left afterwards for another mission. "Gamma Acutal, what's the status of our relief unit? We're sitting deep in enemy territory. They could rain fire down on us anytime soon." I radioed in having a bad feeling about the next few hours. No response. Well we're pretty much screwed. The Major thinks that this place is deserted according to his intel. Now, he doesn't respond after we radioed in our status. I guess its just us out here in the middle of nowhere with the area not yet secure. They're not sending in the Airborne units since they suspect more anti-air missile sites and RPG fire in our AO.
"Take cover!" One of my men yelled as loud a whistling followed by a loud boom rocked the village. I was rudely interrupted by the mortar fire coming from the surrounding landscape. I quickly rushed to the nearest sheltered house and waited for the barrage to stop. I tightly compressed my Kevlar helmet against my head to protect myself and assumed foetal position to prevent any injuries to my vitals.
It felt like an eternity before the barrage stopped and I could tell you that we were almost going insane from it. The fact that you could blow up anytime is the worst thing that one could think of. When the barrage stopped, I popped my head up and prepared for another round of mortar fire, but they never came. I stood up and radioed in my men. "Report in everyone."
"Everyone's still in one piece here Tim."
"This is Adams, we're alive." I breathed another sigh of relief and told everyone to hold their positions. I was certain that the enemy would now have found out our strength and are preparing for a huge assault on this village from all positions. "Sir, I'm seeing at least a battalion of foot mobiles headed our way from the north." Jackson informed us. "Right, Mickey you take your team and defend the north. "Sir, now I'm seeing another company of hostiles along with a column of technicals coming in from the south."
"Copy that Jackson, my team will defend the south." We were up shit creek at this point with no air support. I wonder how we will all get out alive.
(3rd Person POV)
Cohen and his team set up their defences at the north of the village which was facing an open road. Gunfire erupted almost immediately from the insurgents and Cohen's team was forced to take cover as more bullets flew over their heads. "Return fire!" Cohen shouted to his team. Jackson was the first one to return fire providing sniper support for Cohen's team killing a few of the insurgents before the rest took cover or dived to the ground. Cohen and his team were now able to open fire on the advancing insurgents and were doing a good job of slowing their advance. "Joker, toss a grenade out there!"
Joker took out his frag grenade and pulled the pin. He let the grenade cook for 2 seconds before tossing it at the insurgents. "Frag out!" As an explosion sent dirt and shrapnel flying. Jones was laying down suppressive fire on the enemy when he got shot in the left shoulder by an unseen sniper. Despite the injury, he continued firing his M4 carbine until he was shot again this time in the chest. The bullet impact knocked him down to the ground this time and he yelled that he was it to signal that he was now a casualty.
Without the additional suppressing fire, the insurgents begin to slowly gain ground albeit with a higher casualty rate. "Joker, get Jones and get out of here! We'll move back to our secondary defence point. Jackson you too!" Mickey said as their position was going to be overrun soon enough. Joker carried Jones back to the next house while Jackson made his own way back to another rooftop to continue sniping. Cohen was the last to pull back acting as rear guard. Joker then sat Jones down and applied pressure on his chest and shoulder wounds. Jackson was now covering Cohen's retreat and received sniper fire from the OpFor. He spotted the sniper and shot him dead before continuing to slow down the insurgent's advance.
Before anyone knew it, another barrage of artillery fire crashed onto the village. One of the rounds detonated too close to Jackson's position sending him flying off the roof and onto the ground in a heap back first. Cohen spotted Jackson and dragged him to safety while under fire. "Joker, cover me!" He told Joker to lay down cover fire while Jackson was dragged to the building. Cohen checked on Jackson's vitals and asked, "You alright there?" Jackson still in pain managed to utter "Sarge, I can't feel my legs." Cohen looked at his legs, but they looked fine. Cohen then turned Jackson around and still couldn't find anything wrong, so he suspected that he must have had nerve injury to his spine from the fall. Cohen told Jackson to stay while he and Joker slowed down the advance. "We defend this place at any cost. If the enemy captures this building, Cloudy's gonna have a hard time."
While Cohen's team was faring much better, the same could not be said for McLeod's team. The convoy of technicals were bearing down upon their position and had managed to critically wound Corporal Dunne. So, it was down to Adams and McLeod to hold off the insurgents. "Gamma Actual! We are under heavy fire and are about to be overrun soon! WE need air support now!" No response again. "Shit!" McLeod was fuming as he continued firing at the convoy. He loaded his grenade launcher and fired at the lead technical which exploded in flames killing or setting anyone near it on fire. As McLeod took cover to reload his carbine, he looked at Dunne who was lying still against the wall with a glassy look in his eyes and clutching his wound. He knew that Dunne was gone but there wasn't any time for that now. He still had to a place to defend.
The convoy then started to pull back which confused both Adams and McLeod when suddenly, a shell detonated above their building sending part of the roof collapsing down behind them. Now they knew why they pulled back. "Sarge, we gotta go!" Adams was anxious to get away from the explosive shells and ran out into the open. "Corporal, no!" McLeod tried to warn him. Just then, a shell exploded near Adams sending him hurling through the air and into the ground. "Shit" McLeod thought and ran out after him. Adams was still shell-shocked from that explosion and McLeod could see a lot of insurgents coming their way. McLeod hoisted him up and carried him to their secondary defence point which was also Cohen's position.
"Mickey, I'm falling back to the secondary point! Only Adams and I made it!" McLeod said with anger in his voice. "Copy that. I got 2 men down here." Cohen replied. McLeod reached the building that Cohen was in and set Adams down behind cover before shooting at the insurgents again. "Joker, go help out McLeod!" Cohen told Joker. Joker went to support McLeod in the opposite room. Both of them tossed their frags at the insurgents taking out a few of them. The insurgents AK's combined volume of fire on the house was too much to handle, riddling it with bullets but they had to hold out no matter what. Adams who had recovered from his daze helped Cohen to kill the insurgents as well. "How's Jones doing?" Adams asks.
"He's not doing too good. Bleeding out everywhere. Even if the bullet missed his heart, it got the lung. He'll drown soon." Joker tells him sadly. Just then, four technicals pulled up towards the house on both sides and begin to open fire on the house. "Shit! Everyone, get down!" McLeod yelled. The bullets ripped through the openings of the house and tore through Jones who promptly fell to the floor dead. "Jones!" Joker yelled. Seeing another of their squad dead, McLeod radioed in once more "Gamma Actual! This is Gamma 3-1! We have 3 men down and are on the verge of being overrun! Where the hell is our air support?!"
"Gamma 3-1 we read you. Re-routing another Warthog to your position. Danger close." The radio operator tells them. 'Finally, we get something.' McLeod is relieved that they still have a ticket out of here. "Gamma 3-1, this is Tiger 2. State your targets." The pilot requested.
(Timothy's POV)
"I'm popping smoke to mark your targets." I told the pilot. I grabbed coloured smoke from my pack and tossed one over to Cohen before throwing mine at the enemy. Cohen did the same and we prepared for the close air support. "Copy that Gamma 3-1. Beginning strafing run." I told everyone remaining to take cover as the multitude of bombs exploded near our position. "Gamma 3-1, how copy over?" The pilot asks hoping that he didn't kill any of our guys. "Tiger 2, we are fine. Thanks for the support." I gave the pilot the update while coughing the dust out of my lungs. The A10 then zoomed off in another direction to strafe more ground targets elsewhere.
The building that we were in was almost ready to collapse at any moment. I grabbed Adams and Joker who were still down and threw them out of the building before I did. As I landed on the ground, I turned back and saw the building caved in under the weight of the gravity. Around us were dead insurgents and flaming technicals. I then remembered Mickey and Jackson that they were in the house with us when the air strike was called in. "Mickey, Jackson! Respond!" I tried to contact them. I had no response and immediately feared the worst. "This is Mickey, I got Jackson with me. We're a bit banged up but we're ok." I was glad they made it out too.
We rendezvous with each other and assessed the situation. "We got 3 men killed, 1 injured and short on ammo." I told Mickey. "But, we could use one of these buildings to take up positions. They'll be back with more infantry and vehicles. And once they've spotted us, there'll be mortars above our positions. We can make use of theirs once our ammo runs dry."
Chakh Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1255 GMT
Unit: 10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
SSgt. Timothy McLeod
(3rd Person POV)
As the squad prepared for their last stand, the insurgents were amassing again and this time they knew what to expect from them. They quickly made their way through the village towards the squad. Since Jackson couldn't provide sniper fire anymore due to his injury, the task fell to Joker who was stationed at the top of the roof. "Sir, we got hostiles closing fast. Technicals are flanking us from our west." Joker was ready to pull the trigger on them as he took aim at one of the insurgents. "Drop 'em" McLeod said over the radio. Joker then started to unleash bullets into the advancing group while the remainder fired at them with their M4 carbines and the captured weapons once they had depleted all their carbine ammo. The insurgents were now rushing for cover and returned fire soon after. They brought up an RPG operator and he took aim at the building. "RPG!" Cohen shouted at the squad.
They abandoned their positions, but the rocket was already flying their way. The resulting explosion threw Adams, McLeod, and Cohen backwards. The three of them picked up their weapons and returned fire at the insurgents when another barrage of mortar fire shelled their position.
"Shit, Joker's up on the roof." Adams commented. "Joker! Come in!" McLeod radioed frantically. McLeod heard coughs and raspy breathing through the radio. "Sir, it's been an honour serving with you." Joker utters before hanging up. The roof had been hit with a mortar shell and Joker was missing his legs due to the close proximity of the explosion and promptly died from excessive blood loss. "Gamma Actual, wheres our Airborne unit?! We are down to 3 men. We got 1 wounded with us! We need that unit now!" McLeod yells. "Gamma 3-1, this is Gamma Acutal, we have a unit approaching you position, callsign Hunter 4-4. ETA in 10 Mikes."
McLeod's squad evacuated the building and made their way to where Jackson was located in another small house. "Grab Jackson! We are out of here!" Cohen tells Adams. "Hunter 4-4, we are in deep shit here! Our positions overrun, we are pulling back to the west of the village!" McLeod informs the Airborne unit of their situation. As the squad began to retreat from the village, they were suddenly shelled again by the insurgents throwing the squad into disarray.
"We need to pull back Staff Sergeant! Now!" yelled Corporal Adams. McLeod was deafened by the explosion. He looked at the surviving members of his squad which was Corporal Adams, Corporal First Class Jackson and 2nd Sergeant Cohen all down and struggling to get to their feet with the exception of Jackson who still couldn't feel his legs.
(Timothy's POV)
I was having another one of those shell shock moments again. Damn, that's a lot of them today. Recovering quickly, I remembered that the insurgents were coming our way and rushed over to Mickey who was still trying to get up. I got him on his feet and he carried Jackson while I got Adams up. We then made a break for it all the while the insurgents were firing at us with rifles, snipers, machine guns, you name it. Adams tripped and fell along the way. I paused to get him up again but this time he lurched forward suddenly with eyes wide open staring at me. I managed to get a hold of him while spotting 3 insurgents at the corner of my eye still firing at us. I took out Adams' M9 pistol and shot each insurgent twice in the chest before I laid Adams down on the road. He was gasping for air as he looked at me while Cohen was yelling at me to move on. I decided to carry him on my back as we ran towards the LZ.
I spotted Cohen running sluggishly and was struggling for breath. I suspected that he was wounded during the mortar barrage but I decided to ask him later.
"Hunter 4-4, we are at the LZ! Marking our position with smoke!" I set Adams down and tossed my last coloured smoke grenade behind us to signal our position. "Copy that Gamma 3-1, we are three Mikes out." The unit radioed back.
Cohen set Jackson down against a rock outcropping and handed him an AK to defend with while I laid Adams down. I had felt him go slack against my back as I carried him to the LZ.
"Tim, Adams is dead." Mickey told me painfully which made me even more certain that he had been hit. "I know Mickey. But I'm bringing him home." I tell him.
I then looked at Mickey seriously "Mickey, are you wounded? And don't tell me you're not because your movements have been sluggish." Mickey sighed and proceeded to show me his wound. It looked really bad but it wasn't a gaping one for now. The shrapnel was embedded into his side and it would be a struggle to take it out without cutting him open further. I stared grimly at the wound. He would not have much time left without treatment. He knew it too. "Let's fight one last time shall we?" He asks. I lowered my head knowing that this was our last fight. I then looked up at him and nodded with determination.
The smoke would have attracted the insurgents to our position no doubt. But I was going to give them hell for what they did to my squad. Jackson, Mickey and I raised our rifles waiting for them to charge into our line of fire. When we spotted them, we emptied our magazines into the oncoming horde in controlled bursts. The insurgents took some casualties and returned fire from whatever cover that was available. Jackson got hit 4 times in the chest, killing him instantly. It was just the 2 of us left. We were getting shot at with our captured ammo almost depleted I could hear the Black Hawk coming in to take us out of this place. I could feel it hovering over us as additional fire rained down on them from above. The insurgents seeing the sheer amount of firepower, retreated into the village.
I saw Mickey had stopped firing and I looked over to him. He dropped his rifle and hit the ground. I rushed over to him. He was looking up at the sky, his eyes contemplating something as if he were in a daydream. His face was turning whiter by the second "I need a medic over here!" I yelled as the Black Hawk touched down. The men unloaded and moved to secure the LZ while a medic injected Mickey with painkillers before removing the Kevlar vest and cutting his uniform open. I moved away to let the medic do his job. The medic managed to remove the shrapnel from Mickey with much difficulty and proceeded to bandage the gaping hole in Mickey's body. However, Mickey pushed away the bandages. "No." The medic looked at him confused but soon understood why. I looked at the medic then at Mickey and back to the medic. He was packing up his supplies.
The medic stood up, looks at me dead in the eyes and says, "I'm sorry." He pats me on my shoulder and looks back at Mickey. I crouched beside Mickey and offer him a cigarette to help him relax. I lit up the cigarette for him as he takes one last puff. "I'm glad to have served alongside you, brother." He tells me in between shallow breaths. He takes out a photo of his family and gives it to me with a trembling hand. "Tell my family, I love them and that I'll see them soon." I just nod at him "Yeah, I will." Mickey smiled peacefully and exhaled for the last time. And with that, I had lost my brother in arms.
Dash Towp Combat Outpost, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
16/10/10, 1500 GMT
10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team
SSgt. Timothy McLeod
When I got back to the combat outpost, I entered my squad tent looking around their bunks all neatly folded. I remembered the first day with this squad. They were all fresh out of basic all ready to go kill some bad guys. It's as if it was yesterday that I became their leader. I can still remember their faces as they realized that I was their commanding officer for the first time. They were all shitting themselves. I smiled wistfully at that thought. Leaving the tent, I saw 7 body bags being carried away into another chopper that was headed for Bagram air base. That's my squad in there. I went to turn in my carbine at the armoury and reported to the Major at his office. I knocked on the door twice and entered.
"Staff Sergeant. I'm sorry for your loss." He answers me quietly. He knows that the intel given was off, way off. I wanted to punch him right in the face right here right now for the deaths of my men. I forced out a thank you sir and gave him the report.
"Staff Sergeant?" The Major asks me before I took my leave. "Sir?" I asked back.
"I'm giving you an honourable discharge. Go home, take time to mourn those we have lost today." The Major implored me.
"But sir, with all due respect, I-" I tried to protest. "No buts, Staff Sergeant. That is an order. You've done all that you could son. It's time to let go." The Major says.
"Yes sir." I saluted him and went back to pack my things before taking a ride down to Bagram air base where a C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft would take me back home. As the coffins were loaded onto the plane, I took one last look at this country and remembered all the men that I had lost in half a year. While the plane was in the air, I had only my squad with me but this time they were all dead.
I thought to myself 'Was this worth fighting for?'