Our situation... We were so-called peacekeepers, although we were to shoot rebels on sight

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Short Story Coursework

Seek and Destroy!

Our situation… We were so-called peacekeepers, although we were to shoot rebels on sight. ‘Take no prisoners!’ we had been told. I was a young sergeant in the Australian army, sent to some hellhole country to fight rebels that had been causing trouble to the local population.

My squad of twelve were heading through the thick tropical jungle to find the rebel camp said to have 50+ rebels; all fully armed. Our commando unit was the best in the area so we were their first choice.

The day was ‘muggy’ like a sauna. With all our equipment there was no way of stopping the sweat pouring from us.

The jungle was hard to navigate but eventually we found a recently used path. We staying just off the path to hide our tracks as we followed it.

“Weapons ready”. My instincts told me we were close but in dense jungle it was hard to tell. The group was tense although their training kept them calm. My hand gripped the rifle hard and my finger rested softly on the trigger. The radio operator behind me stopped… I froze and looked. My sweat went icy cold, the hair on my neck stuck up and my mouth went bone dry. One man lifted his rifle pointing diagonally to the right. I readied myself for combat. A flash of movement caught my eye. The radio operator opened fire. “Hit the Deck!” I shouted, Three or four of my men were firing at the rebel as he ran desperately to cover. The rounds split and broke trees next to him as he ran.

Join now!

He reached the bunker and continued to fire at us. We moved up to cover behind some trees. “Bring up the 50 cal.!” Two men run up and landed next to me, “Load that weapon and keep him pined!” I yelled. I ran over to the Radio operator with the sound of the 50 Cal. bursting behind me. I hit the floor next to the Radio operator, “Get HQ and tell them we have made contact with the enemy.” “Yes Sergeant, Alpha Charlie this is Bravo 1 5, Contact made grid ref…” his voice faded as I left him.

I ...

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