American soldier in Pakistan

American soldier in Pakistan

fiction
edward w pritchard

see serving in Pakistan 1/06/11

It's snowy here in Pakistan and the snow doesn't stop the US army in our goals and objectives so we fight and die despite the snow. Tonight there's a thunderstorm, and it's raining and raining and the rain is melting the snow. It's thundering and lightning too and all US military operations are shut down. We can't pursue our objectives and none of us will die this evening. None of the enemy will die either tonight for not even our overhead unmanned drones can work in this weather.

I am snug in my tent, the stream of water racing through my tent and under my ground cloth doesn't bother me because I am laying in my sleeping bag on a crate. Next tent down, Howard and Winslow gave me the crate. They found two and the other is in Howard's tent about five feet away from me and they are using the crate to run a craps game on. They have five non-coms stuffed in there rolling dice and gambling. Williams keeps yelling he is going to go over to his own tent and get his rifle and shoot Boggs if Boggs rolls out of the allowed area with the dice again. Boggs is bemoaning his bad luck about his dice rolls.

I am enjoying the storm. There is nothing to do with fighting for at least half a day when it's like this. It's night but flashing lightning snaps every minute or so and the thunder is far off like our bombers usually sound. Man it's nice being here in my tent in this. I feel really safe, snug.

That damn Boggs. He keeps talking about the odds. Winslow tells him that he has more of a chance of dying here during his rotation than of his rolling point without crapping out with a seven. Winslow figures that one in six American soldiers will die. I am trying not to listen but Winslow is explaining his reasoning.

Now I am thinking about my odds of dying here, I have three brothers and my Dad had two. That's seven of us and I am the only one to have been in combat. I suppose that I am figuring wrong just being fearful. I wonder how long the storm can last for.

Jaggers brought me some baby back ribs and some Cheetos. He was coming by to show Howard a picture of a girl from Texas AM in playboy and saw I was alone and wanted to cheer me up. Jaggers tells me about what the girls look like in Texas and New Mexico and then has to leave when a spot opens up in the craps game.

The storm is high up and the winds are powerful. The thunder rolls a long time. Lightning flashes over and over. I think I'll sleep soon. The game is still going on next tent over.