This is Jockel Podcast number 357 with Echo Charles and me, Jockel Willink. Good

evening, Echo. Good evening.

Sims kept moving and I stopped him by shouting to his back. Sir, anything you

asked me to do, I am here. You know that. Sims stopped slowly pivoting on the

P-stone. He walked back to me. I know that, Stas Sergeant Bell. I've never once

questioned that in you. I took a moment. It was a cool night. The silence of this

area of open nothingness was now invaded by giant generators humming.

Blasting lights brighter than a Texas high school football stadium. An area

that was essentially a path that required night vision two weeks ago was now

amassed with army heavy equipment, trucks, cranes and conax trailers of

worker bee contractors and soldiers endlessly moving equipment 24 hours a day

for the big inter-theater move to Fallujah. What do you got, Sergeant? I am more

worried about losing people now than losing people in 10 years and I don't

mean to disrespect where you were coming from. I just can't think that way.

We are going to lose people. We will lose some of these men. The reality of what

he just said seemed to impact him in real time as if he was unaware of what was

coming out of his own mouth. He paused. Sergeant, I don't know if I'm prepared

for that either. We both looked at each other. All I wanted was the Fallujah

fight. I dreamed for this test. I was so excited about the prospects of

actually impacting this war. Now with Captain Sims the reality of it seemed to

hit me at once. He looked at me. Bags under his eyes. Stress. Worry. His

wet eyes seemed red from long hours and late nights. No way around this. I need

...