It's funny how some of the terms in battle come from the weather. To be caught in a shower of bullets. To be sprayed by enemy fire. How can an ordinary citizen make the connection between rain and war I do not know; I only know how this soldier makes the connection between the two.
It all starts off with that first drop-that first bullet. It's a signal for more rain to come cascading down on your head, as you attempt to duck and dodge as much of it as humanly possible to avoid getting wet. Regardless of your best efforts, you are drenched as the rain runs down your neck, arms and head. You lose the battle. You retreat inside to dry off for another confrontation with the rain.
Now I know that there are some differences between rain and war. The rain does not pierce your skin and tear apart the muscles and tissues underneath as it ricochets around your body. When struck with rain, you lose dryness and perhaps comfort; you do not lose an eye, an arm, the ability to move, or your life. You are drenched in clear water running down your arm, not red blood. When the rain dries, it does not leave behind a sickly red color and the odor of iron and copper. Your retreat is not weighed down by wounded men crying and shouting in agony, nor in the bodies of your comrades. You will not lose your sanity over seeing perfectly able people, some who had a bright future and who should have lived long lives, cut down by bullets or blasted apart by missiles. Rain does not give the option 'kill or be killed.' The rain leaves you intact with your innocence.
There are times when I truly wished that the only battles I had to face were the battles with rain.
I am Lieutenant Elizabeth "Riza" Hawkeye, and when it rains, I hear the gunshots of the Ishbalan Massacre.