This is your guardian angel brief

Nothing introduces you more to war than as soon as you hit the combat zone, your sergeant issues you 60 rounds and orders you to "shoot to kill."

I haven't fired the rounds yet; the situations haven't warrant it.

But I get anxious sometimes.

I was given the task along with several other Marines when we first got here to make sure that the bus drivers driving us to where we were staying didn't try anything stupid. We were the guards for our convoy. My Sergeant's exact words were, "There are no warning shots, shoot to kill."

I listened patiencely and wondered if I would actually have to fire at someone that night. Luckily, I didn't have to. I was prepared though. I held the magazine tightly in my hand and kept an eye on the driver at all times. I had to fight off exhaustion and sleepiness all the while maintaining a very keen alertness on where we were going. I glanced over to the other guard from time to time. He was intently focused as well. It was times like this that I am reminded of that scene in "A Few Good Men," when Nicolson's character tells Cruise's character that people die when Marines don't follow orders.

I hope that doesn't happen anytime here.