The darkest side of war are the moments of one-on-one struggle between the soldier and the person we call enemy. A fight to survive in which only one will be victorious. The arena of gladiators whose stories are told not by the fallen, but by those that outlive and outlast. Yet even when the stories are recounted, most of those that listen, who have watched the sanitized images on the daily news, lack the stomach to endure the reality of this type of conflict. After all, war is hell, and what it takes to walk in the shadow of Dante's inferno is the realization that the choice of life or death may rest in the actions of your own hands.

"As Patton said, 'You don't die for your country, you cause the other bastard to die for his.' That's what success is," spoken during a rest period by Lt. Colonel Grimm.

The conflict that these soldiers face is defined by narrow alleyways, corridors and rooms, and an enemy who blends in with the landscape of the citizen mass. It is an urban battlefield, and by it's nature, elicits a doctrine of warfare that demands that a soldier face the realities, both mentally and physically, of hand to hand combat. It is as much a state of mind as a toolbox of techniques.

The combatives instruction is just that... a process of awakening the awareness in the soldier of the desire to fight and live. It brings the soldier to the boundaries that most people choose never to face; that caliginous part of our being that will fight for life at all costs. It is less about techniques than the mental state of acceptance.

"If this is what it takes to survive and win, then this is what it takes," commented Lt. Colonel Grimm.

There are no guarantees in war. The mission of this Brigade, now termed Task Force Phoenix V, is focussed on the training of the Afghan National Army with the goal that it will become a self-sustaining fighting force. One must never forget, however, that Afghanistan is still a country in transition, with an active insurgent force that would prefer to see Americans return home maimed or dead. Teaching soldiers the means to fight and survive is a necessary part of their preparation. It is not a place for debate or considerations of morality; these are the polemics left to the home front for citizens to decide. Survival is one of the soldiers primary objectives; hesitation may cost him his life.

"I've been deployed before; I do my job. As long as I do my job, I know I'm coming back home," responded Staff Sergeant Cox.

"It's either you or them," were the words of Lt. Colonel Grimm summing up the day.

It's a choice that few should ever have to make. It's the reality of war.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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