March 14, 2134
Lafayette, Louisiania
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I dropped down from the wall and joined Ty behind a tipped cart. We crouched behind it, and I looked through a loose plank to see a crashed Blackhawk. Ty said, “bet there’s a radio in there.”
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I nodded, “that’s my plan. Cover me.”
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I peeled away from the cart and approached the Blackhawk. It crashed in a courtyard, with multiple apartment buildings around it. On a few of the window seals hung a white cloth or dish towel. I got to the Blackhawk and peered through the cockpit window. Both pilots were killed, their torsos ripped apart by flak shrapnel. I walked into the cabin, seeing one crew chief dead on the ground. The second was outside of the helicopter, all of his gear was stripped away and his bare body was lashed with knife wounds.
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I climbed into the cockpit and pulled away the radio. I spoke into it, “calling all Rangers on this net. Is anybody left in Lake Charles?”
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No answer. I tried again, “calling all Rangers on this net. Is anybody out there?”
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The Confederates were known for hacking into our radio waves and they also controlled most of the radio stations in Louisiana. So as a precaution, we were told never to use a radio unless we absolutely needed to.
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I spoke again, “this is Matthew S. Rogers with Valkyrie Division of Division Group Juliet, Fourth Ranger Corps. Is anyone left?”
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Que’s voice came through, “holy shit Kid. You’re still alive? I’m not just hearing you?”
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“I’m here. Where are you located?”
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“Mark’s hotel. You better get here before they do.”
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I chuckled, “I’ll try. Hold tight.”
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I ran back to Ty and told him, “you know where Mark’s Hotel is?”
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He nodded, “not far. Why?”
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“That’s where Que is.”
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“I’ll take point.”
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“Okay, on you.”
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He got up and I followed him along the apartment walls until we came to a gate. He slid open the gate and we crossed the street. He stopped for a second, looked around, and then he tugged on my sleeve. As we were moving down a street, two Panzer IVs drove across the street in front of us. Ty and I both dropped to one knee instantly.
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Three halftracks followed behind the Panzer IVs. Once the haltracks rolled across the street, we continued to move. We stopped once more only a few feet ahead, when the recognizable muzzle break of a Tiger came into view. I held my breath as the Tiger drove across the street, and was followed by another one. Both of them had the TUC flag draped over the rear of the turret, and ETGA on the side armor. They were a part of Elite Tiger Group Alpha.
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Ty gave me a worried glare and we continued down the street. We came up to an intersection, and I could see the sign for Mark’s Hotel not far. There were four halftracks in the street. My heart sank. Were we too late?
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Ty and I sprinted as fast as we could towards the hotel. I started to slow down the closer we got. We vaulted over a low wall to get into the parking lot. There were probably sixty bodies scattered around. A few soldiers were still moving, some grunted while holding their wounds, and others were dead. The two-story hotel had suffered explosive damage on it’s right corner. I noticed a M240 there, it’s barrel melted to a 90° angle.
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There was also a crashed Blackhawk in the center of the roof. Que must have used its radio to respond to me. I navigated my way through the rows of civilian vehicles and over the mounds of bodies.
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I saw a body that piqued my curiosity. He was a younger soldier, with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair. He was holding onto an I-07 in one hand and a grenade in the other. He looked exactly like me. His face showed he died peacefully, like he was taking a nap on his front porch back home. I stared at him for a few seconds, getting lost in his blue eyes. For some reason I just wanted to shoot him in his pretty face. I had the urge to just- kill him, because he looked like someone I used to know.
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Ty whistled at me, snapping my attention away. He jerked his head up a flight of stairs, “mate. Let’s go.”
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I got behind him at the bottom of the stairs and we slowly moved up. At the top of the stairs was a dead Ranger and two dead soldiers. I looked down at his face. It wasn’t Que. I shook my head at Ty. He nodded, continuing across the second floor. He poked his head into a room, and slowly backed up. A barrel came out of the dorway, poking at Ty’s chin.
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The barrel lowered. Ty let out a sigh, “nice to see you too dude.”
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Que stepped out of the doorway and nodded at me, “you look like shit.”
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His pants were ripped down the legs, his helmet padding burnt off, his hands covered in dry blood, and his jacket soaked in the smell of gunpowder and lead. I smiled, “that’s a compliment coming from you.”
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He pulled us inside and we sat against a wall. There were three other Rangers, none of whom I knew. I asked Que, “what happened?”
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“Shit hit the fan. Just like it always does.”
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I asked the other Rangers, “name and ranks?”
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A Ranger sporting a M249 raised his hand, “Alex Ferro. Corporal, Ryan’s Division.”
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The Ranger in the middle, who had a bandage beneath his helmet, said, “Tim Jenkins. Corporal, Donald Division.”
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The final Ranger, who had two AT-4s next to him said, “John Craig. Private First Class, Flint Division.”
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I asked, “do we know where anyone is?”
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Alex said, “my entire Division got wiped by a MG nest. I don’t even know if we have the strength to attack them again.”
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John backed him up, “Flint Division has me, and that poor bastard outside. That’s it. We got fucked.”
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Que sniffed, “yeah. We got fucked. What about you guys? Where is everyone else.”
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“I don’t know. Carter, Anton, and Kyle are okay. I came back to look for you all.”
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“You came at the perfect time. Valkyrie's been gathering any stragglers and keeping them held up in the train station. That’s about a two or three mile hike into downtown.”
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“Valkyrie made it to downtown?”
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“Yeah. Him and a few other guys pushed as far as they could but got bogged down by helicopters and tanks. If we want to join them we’ll have to wait until night.”
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Ty said, “we’ll be blind.”
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I nodded, “so will the Feds. It’s better than sitting around here waiting to get killed.”
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Que nodded, “it’s settled then squad lead. We’ll wait until nightfall.”
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I kept watch at a window and Que stayed up with me. We sat in silence for a few hours, watching AA fire dart up into the sky and listening to aircraft fighting above us. Que asked, “you want to get some sleep?”
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I shook my head, “I’m fine.”
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He poked at my face, “that scar’s gonna get you bitches back home.”
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I smirked, “hopefully. Someone’s gotta like my ugly mug.”
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“What was that sniper’s name from Valkyrie's team? Melly?”
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“Kelly. Yeah we had a thing I guess.”
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“Man you’ve got deployment goggles on. She’s an eleven out here but a three back home.”
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I shook my head, “whatever dude.”
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He nudged my shoulder, “I’m just fucking with you. She’s a beautiful girl. You guys are gonna make some beautiful mixed babies.”
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“Seriously Que?”
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He nudged me again, “c'mon man! You gotta produce more Rangers for the future. Rare Breeds like me and you don’t last too long.”
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Rare Breeds were similar to that of New Breeds and Old Breeds. The Rare Breed was a special batch of Rangers who fought in and lived through some of the NCC’s most critical operations. I guess mine was Creole, and Que’s was Lake Charles. Rare Breeds would often take up training new Rangers or becoming a part of leadership. Rare Breeds were often expected to give back to the Ranger Corps when they got back.
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Everyone has their ‘moment’. It’s the moment when you feel your only option is to survive, and you would do anything to get out alive. Rare Breeds never had just one moment. Mine, personally, were getting off the beaches of Creole and escaping Lake Charles, Burg Hill, and now Lafayette.
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One thing I learned through Operation: Gulf Swing is war fucking sucks. I lost so many friends to get where I was and I had seen so much destruction, it was odd to even be alive. It just felt weird. Why did I survive? Why was I able to pull myself up and push on? I had the least amount of experience, least amount of drive, and I barely knew what I was doing. Who gave me the right to live, when so many people died before me? I felt guilty 24/7 for even breathing.
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After so much had been taken from me, how could I ever give back?
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*
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Night fell over Lafayette, and we began to move out. We hugged buildings and kept close to each other. I could barely see anything except the silhouette of Ty ahead of me.
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We were moving at a good pace, about a block a minute. As we were getting closer to downtown, the sounds of a massive firefight got closer and closer. I saw four cones of light stretching into the sky. I asked Ty, “is that the airfield?”
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Ty replied, “yeah. Looks like it.”
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Tim responded, “whole place is going to look like that before long.”
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I saw outlines of helicopters in front of the lights, and also their muzzle flashing repeatedly. They must have been hunting down any NCC stragglers.
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We crossed an intersection and ran into a subway station. As we were moving down, Que shouted, “Rangers! Coming in!”
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Four Rangers rounded the corner with their rifles raised. They lowered them once they identified us and said, “where the fuck are you supposed to be?”
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I told them, “we’re here to join Lieuteniant Valkyrie.”
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“You’re late. He’s leading an assault on the airfield.”
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“With what army?”
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“Whoever volunteered. We stayed back to protect the wounded.”
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Que shook his head, “that crazy bastard.”
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I nodded, “alright then. We’re gonna go help.”
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Ty asked, “are you fucking crazy?”
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“Yeah. A little bit.”
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“Hey mate listen, I know you can’t die and shit but we can.”
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I smiled at him, “Ranger’s don’t die Ty. They just go missing in action.”
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Ty shook his head, “don’t get me fucking killed Matthew.”
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I looked to Alex, Tim, and John, “anyone of you want to back out?”
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Tim shook his head, tightening his chin strap. Alex gave me a nod, “we’re with you.”
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I looked at Que, who shrugged his shoulders. I nodded, “okay then. Let’s go get our guys.”
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We ran up the stairs and started making our way to the airfield. As we were crossing the street to an open lot, two A-10s screeched over our heads. They were extremely low, almost knocking me to my knees. The A-10s fired their main gun and launched missiles towards the ground. One burst of fire ripped into a Confederate Havoc. The tail rotor spun off and the helicopter began to twirl towards the ground.
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We passed through an alley way into what looked like Hell.
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There was a small hill, at the top of that hill were hangars and an Air Traffic Control Tower. There was a raging fire behind the tower, and muzzle flashes popped up along the hill’s crest. The entire way down the hill was full of trenches, MG nests, and bunkered tanks. Four structures were at the base of the hill, and Rangers were using them as cover. They were also using wrecked vehicles as well.
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Two LAV-25s were on the left flank, putting rounds into the hill. A M2 Bradley and a L-15 were on the right, while three M1A2 Abrams were down the middle.
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I saw a group of Rangers taking cover by a log, and made my way to them. Bullets were spraying everywhere, I couldn’t even tell how to get away from them. A bullet snapped past my ear. I dropped to my stomach and began crawling towards the log. I noticed one Ranger was using his binoculars, and on his collar I saw a Major rank emblem. I asked, “Major Earns?”
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He turned his head and said, “alright boys! Is this all of you?”
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I looked back at my team, “yes sir! We’re here to help!”
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“Okay! Get up that goddamn hill and take that airfield!”
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Easier said than done.
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I got my team together and we pushed up to one of the structures. There were six wounded Rangers, four dead, and seven Rangers standing. I shouted, “everyone who doesn’t want to die- follow me!”
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Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I could feel the rush overclouding my thoughts. We’d be fighting in the dark caught in the crossfire. Looking back on it, I had no idea why those men and women followed me. Maybe because someone said what they were thinking, maybe because it was our only option, or maybe because they wanted to follow someone as crazy as me for the hell of it.
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I took my team and the seven Rangers straight up the hill. As we started climbing higher and higher, the volume of fire heading our way increased. We didn’t stop. I suppressed a MG nest while moving up, giving John enough time to blast it with one of his AT-4s. The nest exploded and sent an upper torso into the sky.
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We climbed over a trench, shooting six or eight wounded Confederates once we passed. We continued up, not even halfway. A Havoc swooped over us from our right. It turned around, firing a volley of rockets onto us. I ducked into a crater with three other Rangers, and the rockets exploded around it.
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With dirt, blood, and terror in my eyes, I checked my three Rangers and got up. I fired at the Havoc, hoping my rounds could penetrate the cockpit. After three rounds, the Havoc jolted forward but leaned towards the left, crashing into a hangar wall.
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That gave me time to notice Rangers on our right and left pushing up with us. At least we wouldn’t be alone. We pushed forward, crossing a MG nest and quickly clearing it.
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A Ranger to my right took a round in his chest, falling down. I saw another trench line. I fired at it as I got closer, and when I was about to jump in I unclipped Carter’s axe. I jumped into the trench and shot two soldiers with my rifle, before hearing it click. I slung it over my shoulder, pushing towards the nearest MG emplacement.
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As I was, a soldier came from around the corner, spooking me. I jabbed the axe into his chest and pushed him away from the blade. Once he was off, I pulled him to my rear. A second soldier raised his rifle at me. He was too far away to hit, but a Ranger behind me shot him. The soldier fell to the ground and began to crawl back, shouting, “help! Help me!”
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I nodded at the Ranger. He gave me a nod in return. I picked up an I-97 off the soldier I killed, since it would be easier to use than my scoped DMR. I took a few mags and continued down the trench. The Ranger followed me to the MG emplacement, and we gunned down both crewmen. I grabbed the MG72 and ripped it off it’s tripod, rendering it useless.
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I continued to push up the hill, axe in one hand, rifle in the other. I reached the crest, seeing my team waiting. I dropped to one knee, clipping my axe back into his holster and checking my rifle.
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I asked everyone, “we good?”
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Of the twelve Rangers that came up with me, only nine remained. That was my first feeling of guilt. My first time leading a move and it ended in Rangers dying. If we didn’t move, they’d still be alive. At least, that's what I thought. Now I understand that those Rangers would have died if they stayed put. Just like Creole Beach. You either move or you die.
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Everyone gave me a nod. Ty asked, “where we going SL?”
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I took a look around. The tower was a few yards to our left, and the long line of airplanes was to our right. Rangers were already moving into the plane yard with the help of the Bradley. So, the logical decision would be the tower.
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I took Ty, Alex, and Que with me towards the tower. I ordered everyone else to stay put until more Rangers arrived.
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Ty and I entered the base of the tower. It was a big, open room with desks and counters. I couldn’t see anyone right away, so I made my way to a flight of stairs. I moved up the stairs with Ty on my rear. The stairs were very tight, with concrete walls on both sides and a few steps in between landings. Only a few steps from the second landing, a soldier started coming down. Ty and I both shot him twice. He fumbled up the stairs and laid out on the third landing.
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At the landing, a second soldier rounded the corner and pushed me into the wall. A third soldier was behind him. I pulled the second soldier closer to me and shouted, “there’s another!”
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Now that Ty had enough space with the soldier on top of me, he jumped up to the third and hit him with his rifle. I unclipped my axe, and pushed the soldier away. He slammed into the wall behind him, raising his rifle. I used my axe to hit the front rail of his rifle. His rifle fell to his left and I kicked him in his left shin. I used my axe to hack into his side and pull him closer. I spun, slamming him into the wall I was on. I tore out my axe and chopped it into his collar bone.
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He used his hand to mess with my face, not yet dead. He shouted through blood filled teeth, “fuck you!”
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I pulled the axe out and swung it across his face. It left a huge gash, and blood began to squirt out. He dropped to his knees, his arm still moving like it was messing with me. I looked to see if Ty was okay. He had the soldier in a chokehold and snapped his neck. He dropped his body and asked, “you good?”
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“Are you?”
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“Yeah. Not dead yet.”
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I nodded, “let’s go.”
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We got to the top of the tower. I tried opening a door but couldn't move it. I heard the screech of metal when I tried to open the door. They barricaded themselves in. I signaled Ty to help me out. We both slammed into the door, knocking the barricade behind it down.
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There were three officers and four soldiers. None of them were armed or even attempting to hurt us. One officer said, “please! We have families! We surrender!”
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I shot him down. Ty sprayed the rest with bullets. As they were on the ground, I put a bullet in each of them. I let out a sigh, my adrenaline coming to a halt.
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Ty spit on their bodies, “fucking pathetic.”
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I gave him a pat on the shoulder, “you alright?”
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He nodded, “yeah. Just tired.”
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I looked out the window to see the LAVs pushing down the runway with three squads of Rangers. They gunned down every single soldier they came across. One LAV fired a missile into a hangar, destroying a Su-35. Ty sighed, “is it over?”
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I sighed as well, “I have a feeling it is.”
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I got onto the roof and lit a green flare. I held the flare in my hand and watched it burn for a couple of seconds. I propped the flare up on an antenna, signalling the airfield was ours.
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We spent the rest of the night bagging our dead and moving our wounded into the base of the tower. There weren’t many prisoners. Those of whom we did capture, we made them drag their dead comrades into a pile. We simply added them to the pile afterwards.
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I was at the end of the airfield, looking out at the city. We were drug through the dirt just to capture one piece of the puzzle. But, with their AA missiles knocked out and our Close Air Support being able to get closer, the scale was now tipped in our favor. I took out my canteen and sipped it. I just watched the city. Fires raged on every block, sometimes an artillery bombardment would hit the rooftops of buildings, and the outline of planes danced in the clouds.
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The orange glow washed over me. I bathed in the light, getting a tiny feeling of victory. I still lost three Rangers. But in the end I saved countless others. That’s what I told myself.
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“Rogers?”
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I turned around to see Valkyrie. I nodded, “LT?”
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His face was smothered in dirt, and his hands were red from blood. He smiled at me, “good to see you Ranger.”
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“Good to see you too.”
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“How are my men?”
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“Carter’s fine. I have Ty and Que with me. Plus three others I personally want to fold into my squad.”
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“Whoa big guy. Let’s talk about getting you your new emblems first.”
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I didn’t even realize I hadn't gotten my Sergeant emblems. I was still wearing my Private ones. Those Rangers, including Alex, John, and Tim, put their faith in me, a Private. Bold of them.
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I nodded, “yes LT.”
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“How are you?”
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“I’m okay. Holding on at least.”
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“Holding on is sometimes all we have left.”
“At least we have an airfield now. That’s pretty cool.”
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He chuckled, “yeah that is pretty cool innit?”
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I took him to my squad, and Savannah had joined them. He told me, “you’ve made a good decision it seems.”
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“Yeah. The best.”
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When morning arrived, so did a fleet of Black Hawks, Ospreys, and Dual Rotors. New, fresh Rangers stepped off the helicopters and got acquainted with their surroundings. They stood in awe at the skyline just as we did when we first saw it. Savannah smacked my arm, “let’s go!”
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I nodded, picking up the end of a stretcher and carrying it towards a helicopter. I did that again, and again, and again. A total of 37 wounded and 29 dead. Taking the airfield was a success. Now taking Lafayette was our only obstacle remaining.
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The new boots got briefed by Major Earns in a hangar, and I joined my team. Alex and John were sharing an MRE, Que was changing out Tim’s bandages, and Ty was cleaning his rifle. Savannah bumped my shoulder, “Tim should be on one of those helicopters.”
I asked Tim, “why didn’t you go?”
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He groaned at Que, “I’m not done yet.”
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Alex chuckled, “only helicopter ride I want is one towards the rear. None of this frontline R&R bullshit.”
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Major Earns stepped into my view, “Rangers?”
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We all perked into attention. He said, “at ease.”
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I relaxed, “anything we can help you with sir?”
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He nodded, “you’re all going home. With the fresh boots we got and reserves swinging in next week, High Command has cleared you all for duty. Ride out of here is tomorrow, 2300, don’t miss it. You’re going home. Good fighting boys.”
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He gave us a nod and walked off. I stood in confusion. I had been fighting to get home for so long, I didn’t actually know how to feel now that I was going home. I thought I would have died before I got the chance. I thought I would forever be stuck in the circle of carnage. It was about to be over. Two days left and I would be sent home.
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I took some time by myself. I was sitting behind a hanger, smoking a cigarette and watching my hand shake. Ty turned the corner, “there you are!”
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I hid my hand underneath my butt and said, “here I am.”
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He asked, “you want a friend?”
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“Sure.”
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He pulled a nearby box next to me and asked, “what’s your plans?”
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“I don’t even know. I got so caught up in the fight I forgot what it was for.”
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“Yeah. If you told my drafted-black ass we would leave this hell hole alive. I’d call you a lying piece of shit.”
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“You’re a draftee?”
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He puffed, “you think I’m gonna go die in a white man’s war? You people started this shit, my people just let shit go.”
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I nodded, “white men sure do love their wars.”
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“Don’t get me wrong mate, my culture’s got it’s fair share of war. Your culture has a tendency to drain it for every cent it has until everyone is dead or the bank is full.”
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“Well, maybe one day you’ll eat your words.”
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“Not until every man on the earth has seen war himself.”
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“You think we’ll be alive when that happens?”
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“I pray to God I’m not. That’s going to be one bloody fucking war.”
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I chuckled, “this one just isn’t bloody enough for you, huh?”
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“It's plenty bloody.”
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“You know, I was drafted too.”
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“No shit?”
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“No shit. Me and my best friend. I was planning to go to school, but when I heard he was going I turned in my slip.”
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Because my parents were both military, I was completely exempted from the draft. —- father served, but his name was picked from a box when there weren't enough draftees. Now I had to go back to the same town we grew up in, on my own.
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“You gonna come see me?”
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“Where do you live?”
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“Conway, South Cac-a-lac.”
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I nodded, “that’s a two hour drive for me. Count on it.”
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We shared each other’s addresses and wrote our home phones down. We talked about home for awhile, until Ty’s stomach started to rumble.
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Before leaving, he said, “don’t forget that whore you owe me.”
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I nodded, “I won’t.”
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