The Road to Unafraid by Jeff Struecker

Author:Jeff Struecker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Sky diving into a training mission while in the Ranger Reconnaissance Detachment.

Eight

THE ALL-NIGHTER

MAJOR CRAIG NIXON WAS THE SECOND SENIOR RANGER IN Somalia, and he came heading my way not long after we drove back into the airfield. I knew him from all the way back to Panama, where he had commanded a Ranger company, and I respected him greatly. “Jeff, you need to get the guys ready to go back out there again,” he said. “We don’t have everybody. In fact, it sounds like half the assault force is stuck at the first crash site, where Wolcott is. And nobody’s made it to Durant’s crash site yet.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, not letting myself think about how ugly this effort was sure to become.

“This is the toughest thing I can ask of a bunch of soldiers,” he added. “You guys already know how hot it is in there. It would be a lot easier if you didn’t know what you were getting into. But you do. So make sure your men are ready for it.”

Looking around, I asked, “How many guys do we still have?”

“I don’t know—figure it out.”

I knew I could count on some from McKnight’s column that we’d just led back, although many of them were too wounded to help. Major Nixon broke into my thoughts to add: “The Tenth Mountain Division has already answered our call. And we’re asking the UN to jump in with some of their heavy armor, too. The Pakistanis are going to help us out, and so are the Malaysians.

“So get us lined up, and we’ll go to meet them up at the port, so we can put together a serious rescue convoy.” With that, he turned away.

Two thoughts ran through my mind. One was practical: As long as there are Rangers still out there in the city, my job’s not over. I have a significant responsibility here. The other was reflective: I really am going to get killed tonight. I’ve made two runs already and lived to tell it—but now comes a third one. This is probably it for me.

I was not distraught about the likelihood of dying. I actually felt calm inside. I believe God gave me that peace, an extension of knowing that I belonged to him, and my future was in his hands. My stomach didn’t churn; I already had faced the facts about mortality and eternity. Based on that understanding, I turned to the task at hand.

“Rangers, over here!” I yelled. Some fifty soldiers gathered around me, while I stood up on a metal folding chair.

“All right, men, listen up,” I began. “Here’s what’s going on. We’ve got a bunch of our guys pinned down at Wolcott’s crash site. So far as we know, nobody’s yet made it to Durant’s crash site. The plan is now to put together a massive force—us, Tenth Mountain, and UN troops—to roll in there and rescue everybody.

“Yes, it’s going to be complicated. We’ve never operated with some of these people before. The Pakistanis and the Malaysians even speak different languages.

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