Battle Fatigue

glanced down at my feet. What was going to happen to the people in this country? Part of me wanted to say they would be ok but I knew that this generation would have the memory haunting them forever. Wouldn’t I also? What was it my business to try and do anything about the injustice of this war? Because if I can save one human life in the process than me being here would be worth it. Just one life. I look back up from my boots to look at the world around me. A little girl is running around in a bright pink dress. It reminded me of Megan. I closed my eyes.
Megan was lying on the bed of her fifth floor apartment. Only a bright pink nightgown on, her blond hair still curled from her performance earlier that day. She patted the pillow next to her and motioned for me to come lay down with her. That was the first time I’d been to her apartment. We’d been dating a week. We stayed up the entire night; I was holding her back against my stomach, our hands locked tightly together. Every once and a while she would let out a happy sigh and grip my hands tighter.
I went back to my tent and sat on the cot. After a few minutes I had found her letter, a pencil, and a piece of paper.
John,
I couldn’t wait for you to come home to tell you I found a house. It’s got two floors. Four bedrooms, two and a half bath. You always said you wanted a few kids. It’s really amazing. It’s got a big backyard and a sunroom. There’s a dining room and a family room next to the kitchen with a garage. It’ll only be able to fit your pickup, but that’s ok. I went ahead and put an offer on the house, but you can say no. I put in a few pictures so you can decide if you like it or not.
Big D said that when he was in the Army he didn’t have time to write letters. He was always off shooting with his friends or on some big mission. I don’t believe him but if it’s true than I don’t mind you not writing back. My niece really misses you. Laney keeps asking when Uncle Johnny is coming back. I told her not for a while. You’ve got her brother thinking he’s going to be in the Army too. Bobby keeps marching around carrying his popgun and calling cadence. It always makes me laugh to see him with his gun on his shoulder marching around the house calling, “Hup, two, three, four. Hup, two, three, four!” Maybe you can teach him a few things when you get back.
I love you,
Megan

I pulled the pencil back towards me. After staring at the pictures of the house I told her to have an inspector check it out and then, if the results were good, to put a bid on the house. Don’t do anything to high but keep the owners happy. I didn’t know what else to say except that I was fine. Maybe a scratch or two but I’m fine. I stepped out of the tent just as Reed reached to go in.
“John. I’m glad I caught you. I want you to go down with Max to the house next to the gas station. There’s a man there who has a bit to say. You’ll wanna hear him out. He’s the one with the light blue shirt and the cross around his neck. Cato can come to if he wants to.”
“What’s this all about?”
“I can’t say too much here. He’s on our side though.” Reed shrugged and walked off. I wondered what this was all about, than remembered he was higher ranking than me and started off with Max.
We came up to a house and rapped on the door three times. We waited for a minute. I put my hand up to know again but just as it rose in a fist in front of my face, the door cracked open.
“And who are you?” a short man with light brown hair came to the door.
“I’m John and this is Max. My friend Reed sent us.”
“Ah yes. Come in, come in.” We followed the man into a spacious room with dirt floors and a few chairs set up. Max went over to one of the chairs but the man continued to a giant painting of a weeping willow. The tree was deep brown with shining gold leaves. There was a knot in the trunk. The man folded back a three-inch square right where the knot was and reached through the painting.
“There is a doorknob on the inside of the painting. It is attached to the door to a bunker. Saddam’s not the only one with secrets,” he said with a smile, showing of gleams of gold fillings. We followed him onto a narrow staircase that seemed to go on forever. Finally we reached our destination. The secret room was hidden behind another door, this time with a silver panel and a knob with numbers to open. He glided the numbers back and forth. I stepped into the room, hoping to find a place to sit, breathing heavily. It was light by a bright flame jumping in a pit in the middle of the room leading to the fireplace in the main part of the building I guess. The room was otherwise dark and empty except for a bookcase in the far corner of the room and a silver filing cabinet next to that. I wondered emptily about what was in there. The ceiling was wooden. I expected that we were far under his house by now. The light flickered a bit as we wandered around the room. . “I expect you wonder why your friend Reed has sent you to me. I have been organizing a group of rebellions. We have recently come across some information from one of our spies. He has discovered that there is a planned attack on this village from the Arabs. We want your help to protect these people. Especially the ones who cannot fend for themselves.”
“Ok,” said Max. “Um, just tell us when and where I guess.”
“Tomorrow. We do not know the exact time. We only know that they can kill a lot with one tank and we don’t want that to happen do we?” I stared at the fire, sliding back and forth, licking at the air, each flame waiting to attack.

We lined up at different points along the boarder of the town. Cato and Max were to either side of me, about 100 yards away. I started pacing at my station, waiting, wanting to get it over with. Wanting Saddam’s men to attack so we could all just go home. But we wouldn’t go home. We would be back in a tiny little tent. Not home.
My thoughts were cut short by a loud slam in the distance, followed by clouds of dust forming on the ground. “Max!” I shouted. It had started. We were all in the middle of a war with a tank pointed at us and expected to do something about it or die. Die trying. What would it be?
Another bomb goes off in the distance. I can see Cato pull something from his pocket. He looked like he was concentrating really hard on it but I couldn’t see what it was. As a group of Arab soldiers came bounding for him, Cato slung his hand back and a half second later the group heading toward him was thrown to the ground. I had a second to laugh before the soldiers remaining divided to fight him and me. Three soldiers were on me at once. I was armed with only a few C-4s and my rifle. I took them out with my rifle. The tank was moving pretty slowly. Cato had taken out the two guys that were on him and was now motioning for me to come with him. We both knew that tank could easily take out the town. I ran over to Cato.
“Dude!” shouted Cato when I got over there.
“Man, that tank is gonna kill all the civis. We gotten take it. You think a C-4 would do the job?”
“Naw man. Save ‘em. I gotta better plan.” He smiled with the expression only Cato could manage in a time of crisis. “You ready to take out that tank?”
We needed a big distraction. James and Reed were onto that. They were creating a cover for us using the dust, spraying it in the air as we ran to the tank. Cato’s brilliant plan consisted of dental floss and grenades. I originally laughed when he told me this but when he explained a little more it made sense. We ran to either side of the tank with grenades. The pin on the grenade was tied to a string of floss that was around a hundred feet long. You know the Army. They gave us tons of floss. A lot of what we don’t need but what we’re desperate for is always scarce. We shoved the five grenades in any space that would fit it and ran hard as heck, still in the dust cloud. We cleared out of the dust and I watched Cato counting down on his fingers. Three. Two. One.

“Okay everybody. I don’t think we have to call today a failure.” Reed was standing in front of the group after the attack. Cato leaned over to me.
“Where’s the Colonel?” he whispered.
“Dunno. Maybe he’s talking to the rebels.” Everyone was looking a little anxious because Reed was at the front instead of the Colonel.
“Uh,” said Reed, hesitating. “Uh. Blaze and Jeff were killed in action. I’m sorry. You should also know that the Colonel-“
He’s dead. I know it. He’s dead. That’s why Reed is up there. He’s dead.
Reed looked desperate for help. He glanced nervously at his brother and to the ground. He scuffed his heel on a rock and ran his toe into the dirt. I could barely see dark lines etched under his eyes, just like the Colonel after a battle this long and hard.
“He was guarding the opposite end from where the tank came from. He didn’t think that there would be much going on over there so he only had Blaze and Mix with him. Mix told me that he narrowly missed being killed. He witnessed a particularly large group of men come and attack the Colonel and Blaze. They didn’t stand a chance. Blaze was taken out within seconds and the Colonel, well, he was wearing his insignia. They knew he was of pretty high rank and captured him. Disarmed him and took him with them in a stolen humvee. The Colonel is now M.I.A.”