• I stood there, back to the wall. My breathing was heavy and I was sweating like a dog. My hands tembled as I tried to keep my weapon steady. My teammates gave me looks of reassurance. I tried to give them a nod, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. My first live fire operation. God it was painful, just thinking about what I was gonna do, I couldn't help but feel a hint of remorse. Funny how people always talk about fighiting for their country, but never killing for it...well either way, it is for the good of our country. Right?

    Tom ran up to the door, flashbang in hand. He pulled the pin, and gave Hector a quick nod. In less than a second the door had been opened, the flashbang released, and the door closed. There were shouts of confusion shortly before a loud boom rang out as our team piled in through the door.

    "Breaching! Breaching!" we shouted, running in through a cloud of smoke, guns raised and ready to fire.

    We were met by several targets, staggering around the room in a drunken stupor. They lazily dropped their weapons and staggered around trying to shrug off the effects.

    "Weapons free." The Captain shouted.

    Alex quickly dropped two tangoes. Alex was followed quickly by Hector and Tanya who dropped the rest.


    They were quick to reloaded their weapons and promptly spread out into three man cells. I was with the Captain and Tom. Tanya, Alex, and Hector were set to clear the basement. They gave me the nod, and I kicked down the door. Room was clear. The place was a mess. AK-47's and RPG's littered the ground. What was even more disturbing was how it reminded me of my own home. Everything was there. Tables, couches, television sets, you name it. The Captain took the point as we scanned the room for any hidden enemies.

    "Clear." he said.

    We headed up the stairs slowly. The Captain was up first, followed by me, then Tom. We approached a closed door, before the door suddenly opened and a small object popped out and rolled across the ground.

    "G-GRENADE!" Tom yelled, promptly sticking himself to a wall.

    The Captain grabbed my combat jacket and pulled me behind cover next to Tom. A large explosion ripped through the room, leaving me and Tom with a loud ringing in our ears. The Captain was quick to ward it off and fired a volley of rounds into the door. The door creaked open as a body fell foward, hitting the ground. We split up across the floor. The Captain gave me the go ahead to check out the room while he and Tom check the rest. I crept towards the door slowly, weapon raised, and checking for any signs of movement. A door swung open to my left, nearly hitting me, as a large man lunged at me. Knocking my weapon to the ground he threw a punch at me and pushed me to the wall. He brandhised a large knife and lunged at me. I grabbed the weapon as he brought it towards my neck. His foul breath on my face, I punched him square in the stomach.

    He reeled back, but quickly came at me again, this time knocking me to the ground. I looked towards the Captain and Tom for assistance, but were too busy engaging other targets. I was on my own. I reached for my sidearm only to have him knock it out of my hands. Once again he brought down the blade, inches from my face. I grabbed it. With all my strength I tried to push the knife back on my attacker. He finally began to lose strength and I pushed him down to the ground. His knife in my hand, he struggled to keep the knife away. With all my might, I slowly brought the knife into his stomach.

    His face twisted into a grimace as he loosened his grip and slumped to the ground. He lay on the ground, motionless, as a pool of blood began to form on the ground beneath him. I fell back against the wall, my face red with exhaustion. The Captain and Tom, strolled in nonchalantly. Their weapons holstered on their backs. They lent me their hands and helped me up. The Captain gave me a pat on the back and handed me my weapon.

    "Good work son. You're gonna get a medal for this."

    I couldn't help but give out a little chuckle.

    "After that little fiasco...I'd have to courteously ask for two."