Broken Beginning

Scared new world

Our hero has found himself home on leave, awaiting orders to be deployed to the newest battlefield our country fights upon. He has lost his first love. His heart is heavy, his mind shaken to its foundations.

Jump forward 3 weeks:

Our hero awakens to his phone ringing, an incessant annoying noise rolling him out of dreamland at 3am, "0300" he tells himself. He answers the phone angrily, "what do you want??" 

He has recieved his orders. He deploys with the 3ID in two days. he has less than 24 hours to say goodbye to his loved ones. Our hero searches out Jackie, yearninjg to tell her one last time that he loves her before he flys halfway around the world. He forsakes his family, his friends. He spends the next 20 hours searching for her, and only finds her 1 hour before he must leave to be at the airport for his flight.

Our hero confesses his undying love for Jackie, telling her that she will be his only love. Forever.

Jump 4 months 12 days and 16 hours:

Our hero is outside of Zareh Sharan, riding in a convoy moving back towards the FOB close to Kandahar. He is part of an Army escort for British forces doing mine sweeping on the regions busy roads. The British commander calls a halt, and the American forces step out into the blazing sun. It must be 120 degrees this day just after noon. Visibility is clear, and the all clear is given. 

The troops spread out, keeping there eyes on the horizon for any movement. Ten minutes pass... then 20... Our hero's radio crackles to life. "saddle up 4-7 we're moving out". Our hero turns and starts to jog back to the MRAP, ready to get out of this God forsaken desert. 

As he grabs the bar to pull himself into the safety of the truck he feels immense heat, and it feels like somone has kicked him in the back of the head. He becomes disoriented, losing all knowledge of what just happened. He is knocked out.

As our hero awakens he finds himself under the MRAP, his ears ringing, his back feeling like he has been run over. He rolls over trying to orient himself to his situation, only to be pulled out from under the truck by his pack. His First Sergeanrt is yelling at him, but all he can hear is ringing. The FSGT smacks him on his kevlar, puts our hero's hands on his M4, and points out into the desert to the southeast. The convoy has come under fire. The hero was stepping into his MRAP when an rpg hit the hood of the truck following. 4 dead, 9 wounded.

Our hero pulls his goggles down, turns to the southeast and fires his rifle at any target he can make out.

Jump 2 hours:

The skirmish is over, the hero has survived. 4 Americans dead, 9 wounded. ! British officer wounded. 13 Dead insurgents, 9 wounded and captured. at least 5 insurgents escaped into the hills. Our hero's first taste of battle leaves a sour taste at the cowardice of the enemy in his mouth. As he steps into the MRAP he pulls a small photo out of his blouse pocket, kisses it and returns it to his pocket. It is Jackie and our hero at his senior prom.

JUmp 3 months:

Our hero is home, standing on American Soil. He drops his carry on, his eyes scanning the massive throng of people milling through the terminal by baggage claim. He decides to sit and wait for the crowds to disperse befoe he grabs his sea bag and heads for his rental. Our hero quit smoking during bct years before. He decides to wonder the airport in atlanta, and comes across a smoke room. The sweet smell of Marlboros draws him in and he spends $6.50 on a pack of cowboy killers. 

Jump forward 6 ciggerettes:

Our hero is mobile again. Driving north, dreading telling his father that slight injuries he recieved in combat have made him unfit for duty. The injuries have unlocked the disease that affects his father, making his back as weak as an 80 year old man.

Our hero is 20.