Operation Big Apple Pt.3

"This is building 2 we have some men still alive here. I think six men here with four dead." I was trying to catch my breath while talking.

With my mask covered in dirt I couldn't see some of my surroundings. All I could do is listen to artillery crashing around me and gunfire echoing. This was a bad situation. I repeated my concern over the radio. I was hoping that someone could come to us, but I don't remember any of us having soldiers that stayed back. We are stuck here unless we can get out of the city on foot.

The radio roared to life as another message came in from the soldiers that survived the other building. "More soldiers have been located that have survived the collapse. We are regrouping as close to the bottom as we can. We need to leave this city now!"

I took a breath before responding. "We will join up with you. I agree with us needing to get out of here quickly."

I directed my men to grab the dead and we started to make our way out of the building. When exiting the building I caught sight of what was left of the other unit sitting in what was left of the other building. They waved for me to back up into the building.

The radio roared to life as a message came across my headphones. "They have a sniper watching our positions. We can't move without taking any shots."

"How do we take care of this situation?"

They didn't say anything back. They just shrugged. I had to start thinking and had a solution. I went on my radio when I finally had a solution.

"Put smoke on the northern side of the collapsed building!"

The sound of artillery firing came mere seconds before smoke began to block view. I signaled for them to run, and we followed close behind them. A shot came through the smoke, and hit my arm. A roaring pain went through my arm, but I couldn't let it stop me.

More gunshots came through as I sent another signal through my radio. "We need the fucking trucks right now! We have to pull back right away! Hold the perimeter with the artillery!"

I wasn't done here and I'll make sure the leadership knows it. We will continue the fight for New York. Well I hope we will continue it. I don't want the men who died to have been in vain. A truck met us as we got to what was left of the bridge leading out of New York.

We got pushed out faster than any other operation I had been on. The most recent memory was back when fighting in the Middle East during a great civil war between the united countries and a new terror cell. We had invaded a city with united forces between the NATO countries. We fought in a massive city for two days until we had pushed out from the enemy gaining access to air power. Eventually we fully pulled out of the region after being unable to access the city again.

The situation in New York is massively different. It was strange being pushed out of an area so fast. We think it comes from the anger that people already felt against the government seeing this as a way to "Get back at the man."

It is hard to say that I hadn't had those same thoughts about it. I just don't ever think I have wanted to act on them. Violence against your own country would never solve the problem. This war is something that we never wanted to see come about.

I don't know how violent it will become.