The group continued up the path and their wariness eased as the close quarters of buildings interspersed with bushes and other vegetation gave way to a sheer mountainous hillside.
Now on higher ground, Joe could see all around. They were above the squat buildings that ringed the center of town and he could see clearly the beginnings of a new combat outpost and the destruction along its periphery.
Apparently, the Taliban didn’t want the COP there, Joe thought.
The soldiers formed a single file formation strung up and down the mountain side and the once wide path turned into a narrow trail. They were out in the open exposed to the heat of the sun and potentially risking enemy fire. It was a calculated risk however, the enemy had followed a lower contour of the hill maintaining elevation before retreating beyond the hilltop and into the mountains proper. And, they had fire support from the valley floor as more and more forces QRF’d into the area.
The hilltop, approximately 600 meters above the narrow valley floor, was an island surrounded by mountains. Joe could make out an earth-colored dwelling at the very top, but that was it. The area up there was too small for more structures and he was sure that once they were in position, he would have line of sight on the immediate area of operations.
Having a good line of sight, or LOS, was critical for Joe’s team. You can’t kill what you can’t see, he reminded himself.
Breathing became difficult and the weight of Joe’s pack weighed down on him as he continued to climb higher. The straps of his heavy rucksack pressed on the shoulder harness of his plate carrier and in they turn knifed into his shoulders cutting off circulation.
The body armor squeezed his chest and breathing became a chore as the pressure of his kit and of the situation tried to suffocate him.
This was the life of a mountain recon soldier. Heavy packs, armed to the teeth, and no stopping – no quitting.
Embrace the Suck was their motto, and it did. It always did.
