In the Line of Duty

February 20th, 2007
Kandahar, Afghanistan

The last thing anyone heard was the shrill ringing of the alarm before a mind splitting boom drowned out all other noise and a rush of fiery heat surrounded us. 

My mind went totally numb and a surrealistic feeling shot through my basic senses and all feelings of fear or pain faded out of my awareness.  I felt like the world was moving in slow motion as some unknown force threw me backwards until I felt my back come into contact with something hard.  I was beyond any possible comprehension on what was going on, as my vision blurred and my sense of reality began to waver as a strange sensation of vertigo passed over me.

I fought to keep myself awake as a peaceful dark threatened to send me into un-consciousness; every moment of holding my fading awareness was an example of sheer human will power.

Part of me was trying to remind myself of where I was and what was going on; while another part of me felt like I was somewhere else, watching dumbly as events played before my eyes.  I heard muffled screams through the humming in my ears as a weight on my shoulder shook me rapidly.

I felt myself turn my head toward the source of the faint sound. I saw a strange shape grasping my shoulder and yelling at me, I blinked a few times as the shape continued to yell and shake me.  Without even realizing what I was doing I mumbled a few incoherent words to no one in particular and tried to stand, only to fail and fall onto my back and let out a wheezy cough as a sandy dust filled my already strained lungs.

I felt a stinging in my eyes and clamped them shut while meanwhile my subconscious noticed that I was being lifted up and moved.

The humming noise in my ears was replaced by silence as my remaining senses clouded and my entire world went dark...
                                                        --     
~Dedicated to our troops fighting in Afghanistan~