Someone uses a white light.
More Soldiers come to life.
The bomb dog wakes up.
Just in front of the green-lighted door sleeps a large “kuchi dog” left by the family. Kuchi dogs have a reputation for ferocity and fighting. This one has slept without bothering a soul. There is something of a caste system for dogs in Afghanistan. Normal dogs often are treated badly, while the fighting and hunting dogs are treated with respect. A Soldier died this year from rabies contracted in Afghanistan. The risks are minuscule, but rabies is RABIES, and so we play it up big.
Door to the right: Troops head to the Afghan family toilet before continuing the mission.
The Soldiers abandoned the place before sunrise and the mission continued. There was a minor IED strike a bit later.
The majority of Soldiers are true professionals in Afghanistan. They have a mission, a purpose, and a paycheck. Many will return to no mission, no purpose, and no paycheck. Many will have medals they earned in full, some will have medals for nothing, and others will have metal inside of them.
As the wars wind down and the military shrivels like a raisin, we must become ever more serious about the AfterWar. Trouble is on the way.
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