Uphill on the Downhill Grind.

[Jake Cowan]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Privledged a chosen few to spend our time in hell


The Struggles,Triumphs,pains and pleasures of Jake

[Jake Cowan]

2 years and change ago...

"Three minutes", the voices around him echoed letting him know they had three minutes until they hit the objective. The sounds of the chinook blades drowned out any other talking and so screaming was needed. He tensed up for a moment and double checked himself.

"Yep..Magazines..Ifac(infantry first aid kit), and etc", he confirmed as the voices around him screamed, "One minute".

He Felt the others tense even more as they approached the landing zone and touched down. It wasn't unlike him, the fear had a hold f or a minute but the need to get things done and live overpowered blind panic.

They all ran out of the rear of the helicoptor quickly, and set up security as they had been trained and knew.


Several Hours Later

He walked over the dirt hills and through the fields and felt the heat beating its way into his skull. Sweat poured off him and he barely saw out of his sunglasses, gripping the rifle in his hands and keeping his eyes peeled.

Something did not feel right. He couldn't quite say what but the feeling had done right by him before and he thought to himself right before it happened, "Too calm".

Then he noticed the lack of kids in the villiages around him. The time in afghanistan he had so far told him that lack of kids playing meant trouble..always did. He then noticed the road before him and unlike the unfortunate individual fifteen meters in front of him; the misshappen shape of the road.

BOOM! The dismount ied went off and so took the life of the man in front of him, but not quickly. He heard the screams as he ran with another team mate to the nearest cover; a sand wall. He felt and heard the shots land around him, the snap/crack and pop of the shots being fired and whizzing by him.

He felt his heart beating a mile an hour and heard his buddy in pain and felt a part of him die off. A coldness settled over as he lookver over the wall and sent several shots into the body of the nearest one. The enemy fell clutching his neck and knocked back by the shots to his chest, gurgling. He heard the cries die off as the remaining few ran away, and his higher ups called in back up and choppers to intercept.

He heard the medic working on his friend but he knew there was no chance, he was too close to the explosion and so his odds were not in his favor.

"Got lucky this time..", he thought, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. He knew there were only a couple of months to go, he just hoped he would make it.

He was always lucky..