The greatest and most powerful of all men rise from the ashes of hellfire. Think of the legends: Achilles, Hercules, Samson, David, Gideon, Washington.
Scarred and scabbed they push on despite the lacerations of flesh and even morale. The long hours, sleepless nights without end; tossing and turning replaying the days battles and bloodshed through their minds for hours on end. Eyes wide open. Bloodshot. Enraged. Afraid even? But fear is not a viable option for the hero, sure it exists, but it must be tamed. It must be confronted and mangled into a weapon that can be utilized against the enemy. Like steel under fire becomes a sword, Fear under the fire of willpower becomes strength.
I lay awake writing this at 0321 hrs from Camp Beuhring, Kuwait. Right in the middle of the freakin’ desert. As I write, crunching on the sand still in my mouth, I am currently finishing up my mobilization and preparing to move north to Iraq with the purpose of bringing the war here to a close. They say the war is over. It’s not. Men are still dying. Daily. This will be my first visit to combat, my introduction to this so called hellfire. My first war.
As a soldier I know the importance of having a strong mind and a strong body. Yet, having just a strong body isn’t enough. I want more. Why settle for mediocrity? I want to be the strongest, I want to push further and fight harder. So follow me as I make that push, as I find the way out from the ashes of hellfire.
This will be my log for the duration of my deployment, until the culmination of the war…
War forges the strong. War forges the hero. War forges the future.
I’m at War.