Student Review: Combat Patrol 30 Aug – 1 Sep: ‘Shitbreak’

It was dark. The kind of dark where you can’t see a foot in front of you. Your support hand is out front touching your battle buddy as you move down the steep slope. You reach the bottom, cross a small wooded expanse and come upon a power line clearing. Halt command is passed down and the group moves into a herringbone formation with 360 security. The squad leader signals for linear danger crossing. As rear security, you and your battle buddy move up to the front and individually cross the open area. Scanning the woods on the far side, down the clear cut, and covering your sector you signal back to the rest of the squad. The whole squad moves silently across the danger area. Moving forward and navigating the steep terrain, the objective is spotted. Squad leader signals for halt and you take a knee. The canopy is thick here, darkness reigns. You can barely make out the outline of the man next to you. The half moon lights up the outline of the trees above but no light makes it to the forest floor. The only light comes from small, miniscule patches of bioluminescent fungi eerily glowing off decaying logs. Above the trees and over the next ridge the sky is momentarily lit from heat lightening racing from cloud to cloud. Suddenly the sentry at the objective starts lighting up the woods with a flashlight. Has the enemy spotted us? Your heart starts racing. Everyone goes prone and does their best impression of a log…