The Essence of War

By Travis Smith

During the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a group of young devil dogs must rely on their training and each other if they are to survive this hostile city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Book Bureau
• Release date: Jul 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960548092

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Copyright © 2023 Travis Smith

All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including as photocopies or scanned-in or other electronic copies, or utilized by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the copyright owner.

Interior Design by The Book Bureau

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN:   978-1-960548-08-5 (paperback)

             978-1-960548-09-2 (ebook)

Dedicated to all the men and women who volunteered in the war on terror

and to those who didn’t make it back.

The

bright red dot of a camera recorder bleeps in the bottom right of a screen, capturing grainy and washed images of palm trees and muddy irrigation channels. American attack helicopters fly overhead, hurling side winder missiles over the tops of palm trees in a thick fog of orange haze. Holding the camera is Corporal Rivera Mustang Sanchez, riding with his squad in an open top Humvee which lunges and bumps over potholes in the road. They cheer and holler as he catches the action, seeing the world burn through the lens of twenty-first-century digital technology. Staff sergeant Jason Drill Bit Rodgers is the driver and squad leader of the vehicle which is part of a convoy heading toward battle in the opening days of operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff sergeant, you getting this?

I’m too busy driving, dawg, pass the camera over to Hoop, let him catch some of the action.

Danny Hoop Carter is an African American from Baltimore, now riding shotgun in the back. Mustang passes it to Hoop, and he begins shooting images from the left side of the Humvee. The convoy comes to an abrupt halt, and all the marines are ordered to take up positions by the side of the road. Jason stops the vehicle in unison with the others and the young men get out with their weapons at the ready, dropping to one knee and scanning the chaotic cluster of missiles, attack