This is Jockel Podcast number 391 with Kerry Helden and me, Jockel Willink. Good evening, Kerry. Good evening.

We moved out just after 0200.

We functioned seamlessly as a unit pushing through the quiet pitch black night toward the compound rising out of the dusty Iraqi streets.

Our orders were to capture or kill the target.

We had confirmation that the terrorist was in the building.

The assault element, including myself, scaled the six-foot concrete fence in perfect silence while the designated security element circled the walled compound to make sure the terrorist escape was impossible.

We hit the ground with barely a rattle.

Within moments, I was shouldered up against the outer wall of a building just inside the fence, a string of men with me.

With practiced movements, I set a breaching charge on the door and on my signal, my security element, and I began to walk back toward the designated space around the corner where the rest of the assault element were already taking cover.

The moment we began to move, however, I realized with a sinking feeling that the reconnaissance images I'd studied earlier hadn't shown the mound of rubble in the same corner between the wall and fence.

Shit.

There was barely enough space left to cover most of the assault element. I wasn't going to fit.

And there was no time to scale the concrete fence and take cover.

It was a split-second decision. I backed myself as far from the door as possible and then dropped to my knees.

I covered my face with my M4 curling up to protect as much of my body as possible.

Based on the careful calculations for safe standoff, I knew I would still be relatively safe as far as the shock wave was concerned.

I learned early on from my previous direct action missions to calculate the safe distance from breaching charges in two ways.

One normally per the manual and one for situations like this for me.

The second calculation was important for times when I may not make it to cover but needed to have an absolute minimum safe distance.

It was a distance from the breaching charge that could cause injury but should not be incapacitating.

I was hoping to never use it.

Once I knew everyone else had cover, I quietly passed the call over the radio.

...