Out of the wire...

I've been getting some chances to 'get out of the wire'.  This is the adventurous part of actually leaving camp on some sort of duty.  These trips are interesting, and at the same time a little bit harrowing.  I looked at the young soldiers around me in the vehicle, and while many are young, many are veterans.  Striking up discussions with them show that they're not your hollywood brute squad.  These guys are well educated, professional, and dedicated to their jobs.  It amazes me how professional they are, and how if something 'goes down' (like an emergency) how we will all be depending on each other - and the 'young soldiers' (this is where the term INFANTRY comes from) will be doing the bulk of the work to keep us alive.  It's a real different feeling when you realize that this is not training anymore.  Our weapons are loaded, and there is a group out there who opposes our presence and means to do us harm.  We've been under threat here at the camp before, but for some reason, people saw it as funny.  Experiences going 'out of the wire' kinda change that.  It also gives you a whole new respect for the young soldier.