Story #5: The Great Escape

The Great Escape

Bang! Bang!  Bang! Shots fired! Everyone is jumping out of bed grabbing their rifles. The taliban are attacking at the break of dawn. Everybody is trying to get into position to attack back and get the advantage, but it was to late the taliban had gotten gotten in and out before we were able to get set up. After the shots calmed we tried taking role and finding everyone who was hurt, dead, or missing. We had found and treated everyone but... Captian!

We had lost the one guy who knew everything about war and strategies to get a successful raid on the leaders of the taliban. Now everyone was in a panic trying to figure out who was the next highest to make a leader... And that guy ended up to be me. I had been in the army for four and a half years now and I haven't had anything like this happen. I have lead searches and attacks, but I have never had to lead a rescue mission. I guess there is always something to keep you on the edge while you are active in the military, while surviving your eighth tour to Afghanistan and Iraq.

I have been searching making ideas of where he could be. I have it narrowed down to where he might be and now I'm working on a plan of attack so we will be in and out faster then ever. But while I was working Privet Johnson came in and ask me, "Do you think we are going to be able to get him out?" I told him, "Don't worry about that leave it to me and we will be fine." Privet walked out and went back to the firing range. I stayed awake until 4:30 am that night getting my plan under control and to make sure it was impenetrable.

Once I woke up in the morning it was time to get the high ranked leaders together to tell them my plan and to brief them on who has him captured. They all agreed with my plan. OS now that they know the plan I sent them out to get their men ready and to get them to the shooting range so we know that if we have a firefight that the men are able to hit and not miss. I went back to my tent and grabbed my rifle, all my gear, and anything else I thought would be useful for this mission.

Now that all the men have finished their firing and have all their gear packed up. It's time to get on our way. It isn't a short fifteen minute drive. The location we have to go to is four and a half hours away so we will make it there right in the middle of the night which is the perfect way to set this attack off with. We were all quiet and thinking about our jobs on the mission. We had no idea what to think, but we knew we had to do this because we knew he would do the same thing for us.

Finally four and a half hours of a silent ride we have finally made it to the base. Now it's time to get this mission started. "Fast and quiet boys!", I said to everyone. Move out! One group was sent to the left back side of the base, one to the right back side, one to the left front, one on the right front, and finally my group went straight through the middle. We busted in the door, BANG BANG BANG! Three shots three kills. "Move up!", yelled the second commander. My group lead up the stairs.

We had also sent a group downstairs to just in case I was wrong and they had him held downstairs. But we kept moving searching,looking, and killing. We had finally made it to the end of the hal.. One room left to search and only one clip per soldier. We opened the door, "FRAG OUT!", yelled Private Johnson. We all stayed behind the door until we heard it explode. Once it exploded we ran in guns raised and ready. BANG BANG BANG! Three shoots to the head of their leader, and right next to his dead body laid our Captain alive and injured.

We called to the second search team and informed them that we was alive but not in the best shape. But that was the least of our worries. We were low on ammunition and still had to fight our way out of the compound. It wasn't going to be an easy battle but my men were ready for it. We got our captain and rushed our way down the stairs, guns up ready for anything. Lucky we ran into the other group who still have plenty of ammunition. We teamed up and rushed our way to the helicopters. We had done it we made our way out of the compound and we didn't have a single mistake. We had done it! Everything was perfect!

Once we got back to our base we rushed our captain into the hospital tent and got him all fixed up. He was thankful for having a squad who would do anything for anyone on the team. He had called me the night before we were heading home and told me, "It's time for you to take my place, I'm going gonna be the one presenting you with the Medal of Honor for sacrificing your life for me and I will be promoting you to General, Your deserve it son. I owe my life to you. Thank you."

We all flew out the next day and headed home. Captain kept his promise and promoted me to General, he also presented me with the Medal of Honor. Me and him stayed close for the next few years even during my next four tours to Iraq where I earned eighteen new medals for courage and saving lives. After earning every medal possible and doing everything for my country I retired at the age of thirty-eight. I had three kids with my wife Madison and lived the rest of my life as a farmer, and lived my life helping my kids see the way of life everywhere not just here in the United States.