a warning for listeners. This podcast features harsh language and descriptions of war,

terrorism, and violence. It's important to hear, but it can also be disturbing.

Matt Zeller was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. He was in Gosney Province in Southern Afghanistan,

one of the most violent provinces near the border with Pakistan. He was on a mission when the

lead vehicle in his convoy drove over an ID. Matt and a team of American and Afghan soldiers

huddled around the damaged Humvee. They were waiting for backup to pick it up.

Matt looked around. The team seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Their convoy was scattered

on an empty road. The only things in sight were farm and some small homes.

And that's what I turn and I noticed that the building that's in front of us, there's a guy

on the top of the walls with binoculars and a military radio looking down right at us.

So I turned my weapon up to put him in my scope to see because my scope is

telescopic and I can see him closer that way and he drops down.

Something didn't feel right so Matt walked toward his commanding officer to report all this.

The next thing I remember I was on the ground on my left side of my body. I had no idea how I got

there. I was in the dirt. The dirt in front of me was jumping. It was going up and down.

I started to hear sound again and it sounded like firecrackers going off around my head.

And that's when my brain kicked in. It made sense of everything. It's not jumping through.

The idiot. Those are bullets. Someone is shooting it. You were being shot at.

Matt realized that artillery fire was raining down around him.

Now I have shot artillery. I've shot artillery at people. I've never been on the receiving end

until this moment and it sucks. It sucks to be pinned down and to watch rounds get closer.

I know there's nothing you can do about it and I just remember thinking you're going to die today.

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