We’ve been out here in the bug infested jungle for three days now. Not moving at all. We’ve been waiting for our objective to enter the view of my scope the whole time. At last, he’s in my crosshairs. We whisper into our radios for permission to fire. “Negative” we received. “Stand-by”, we also received.
For three days and nights we’ve been waiting here for this guy to show his face in my scope. We got bitten by a thousand bugs and hallucinating and imagining shit that’s not there. I promised myself when I get back, I’m going to stuff myself with donuts and cake and drink all the carbonated drinks I can. And most of all, use a sit down toilet.
My objective moves in and out of my line of sight. I’m ready. My breathing is synchro’d, my finger is barely touching the trigger. Just waiting for the word.
Instead, we get, “Negative, negative. Do not fire. You are not, not, I repeat, not cleared to fire”. “Hold your position until relieved. How, copy?”
“…we roger that.”
I ask myself, and why did I sign up for this?