A Combat Infantryman Stood In the Gap. Made the Calculation. Pulled the Trigger. But At What Cost?
A US veteran reflects on their experience a decade after serving in combat. The individual recalls the sensations of mortar fire and the smell of IED-charred roads, memories that still linger. Their time in service included 400 combat patrols, notably in the Sunni Triangle in 2007.
This was a period marked by heightened violence during the "Surge". The veteran notes that they are part of a small fraction of Americans who have made the decision to end another human life, a reality that sets them apart from the general population. Further details about their story are available from The War Horse.