Authors Notes: At some point we must all come to terms with what God has called us to be and search for those things which he has given us as our support and our confidence. This is really not a story about a soldier; it is a story about someone who searches for God in every situation.

A Soldier's Understanding

"There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;" Psalm 33:16-18

SPC Mark Hately recited the verse to himself as he felt the M998 Humvee come to life around him. He stood tall in the gun turret that opened up on the top of the powerful machine and lowered his goggles to protect his eyes from the constant abrasive sand and the mind numbing brightness of the Iraqi sun. The desolately brown scenery began to drift by, obscured by the haze of dust and sand that was being kicked up from the vehicles ahead of him, as the convoy began to role out.

Hately clenched his lips shut tight and began to exhale deeply, trying to keep the sand out of his mouth and nose as the convoy accelerated. For the tenth time since he had mounted the vehicle he spared a glance down to inspect the massive 50. cal machine gun that was perched at his finger tips. The weapon was lethal, with the power to annihilate a vehicle or even a small building and for that reason Hately both loved and hated it.

The convoy rolled out of the gate at top speed and began its long trek through the desert. The dust turned from an irritating haze around him to a painfully abrasive storm as the heavy wheeled vehicles that lead the convoy made their way across the crumbled roadway. Hately ate the pain as his eyes stopped focusing on any one object and began scanning the world around him for any sign of danger. He lost track of time and space as he constantly absorbed hundreds of details, analyzed them for threats and forget them. Both his conscious and subconscious mind were alert for boxes that were oddly placed along the highway, dogs that did not move when the trucks approached, partially filled trash bags sitting in the middle of the road, freshly painted portions of the curb and dozens of other indicators that could mean death if not avoided.

The wind washed soldier sipped absentmindedly through a long tube that was connected to his CamelPack. In the back of the soldiers mind it registered that the water had turned warm, which meant it had been about an hour since he had filled the pack, which meant that they had been on the road for about forty-five minutes since they left the gate, which meant that they were over halfway to their destination. He kept sipping the warm, wondering what else he would learn from the bitterly warm liquid.

It was not a matter of if an attack would come, to Hately, it was only a matter of when. An attack always came. The enemy was relentless and cunning. He might not see their face he might not ever get the chance to defend himself but he knew as surely as the sun was beaming down around him, turning the world into a furnace, that an attack would come. It did not matter; the enemy would strike and Hately would be ready. His grip tightened on the handles of the devastating weapon that was mounted in front of him.

"The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is his name." Exodus 15:3

The pop of a round ricocheting of the inch thick armor of his mount brought Haley's attention around to the side. He brought his weapon to bear on the direction of the attack just in time to see a man leveling an RPG at his vehicle.

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…" Job 13:15

Hately fought.