The Iraqi's have to feel the same! If they even know we're coming? Does the grunt on the other side even have a clue? Can he imagine what's going to hit him? For his sake, I hope not. If they come first, I hope they don't have their shit together like we do. It'll be a long war for the country and a short one for our sorry asses. If they come, I'm afraid that our road home goes through Dover. I guess it could be worse, going through Dover beats the fuck out of being buried in this slop hole. Go figure; I'm picky about where I want to be planted.
0845 Wish I could say I saw the sun rise, the sky went from black to gray. The Arabian desert is the last place I ever thought I'd feel like a drowned rat. Goddamn rain! No sign of the Iraqis; holding tight, trying to stay dry.
1315 Squad's morale is sinking. Rumors persist, each one worse than the previous; I think they're all full of shit. Brigade still thinks an Iraqi attack is immanent. REMF types are scarce. Another sign of 7th Corps concern. All we can do is wait for 'em and try to stay dry. Feeling like a fish in the desert.
2010 We're calling ourselves the desert fish. Still no Iraqis; I ain't complaining. I'm nervous about Mitchell - he stopped bitching. The squad's biggest whiner, not saying a word. It's fucked - gotta keep an eye on him. I'm glad I have someone to keep an eye on; keeps my mind off myself - feel a little more in control.
***
Jan 16th, 1991
0345 Everything is quiet, too quiet. Every noise sounds like the distant rumble of Iraqi tanks. To make it worse there's cloud cover, which kinda muffles everything. There's no starlight, it's all too murky, all too eerie. Too much time to think.
I increased the pace of my rounds, helps keep me focused. Mitchell still has a stiff upper lip, he ain't complaining about a thing, barely even talks. I tell the guys to try to relax, that if they're going to come, the Iraqi's will wait till sunrise, that's their habit. Get a wink or two, I tell 'em. I hope if they come, they'll come at night. It'll be our advantage.
0830 Nothing! A squadron of Apaches flew over our position 'bouts an hour ago. What a sweet racket, you could feel everyone's spirits rise. Turning in, need to get a few hours shuteye.
1945 Back from a patrol up the wadi. We ran into a few Syrians a few clicks up the wadi. They seemed surprised to hear anything about an Iraqi attack. They claimed to know nothing. I wish I believed 'em. I don't trust the look of those bastards. I did manage to trade off my desert hat for one of their berets; If I'd known someone in logistics, I could have made us a fortune selling the Syrians our kevlars. I asked 'em why they want our helmets so bad. While pointing to his head and saying bang, a Syrian says in broken English that it is best stopping bullet. It's kinda nice to know that others want what you have.