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ways to impress the veteran members of the platoon with their zeal and willingness to do the hard work it takes to become a good infantryman and teammate. “At first it is hard fitting in, but once you get here and get settled it’s not too bad,” explained Bailey. “Our new guys are eager,” said Biddle with a smile. “They want to go out on patrol.” Butler tries to keep his new soldiers as ready as possible. In his mind, their eagerness is an asset, but he has tried to temper it with his experience. “When the new guys showed up I told them, ‘I’m not here to be your friend. I’m your sergeant and my job is to get you out of this alive,” he said with a straight face. “If they don’t like me, I don’t care as long as they are back home with their families when this is over.” A smile broke over his face before he continued. “I’ve tried not to get too close to them, but it’s hard.” The platoon marched for another hour before it doubled back through Salman Pak’s town square. The town’s people filled the downtown area getting haircuts, buying food, drinking chi and going about their daily lives. As the soldiers walked by, many adults greeted them, many children came out to shake their hands or give the squad a thumbs up, but everyone was watching. For many soldiers, this would make them nervous. Not for these seasoned veterans. “Normally people don’t bother me,” explained Butler. “The more people there are; the safer you are.” Butler explained that when the people clear the street he gets worried. It is his belief that in the smaller areas outside Baghdad the townsfolk look out for one another. He feels that the tribes are close and go out of their way to warn each other before something bad is going to happen. “They know when things are going to happen. So if they aren’t here or the children aren’t out in the street, I get scared.” That fear isn’t something that stops him, however. He explained that it was something he has just gotten used to. “You learn how to fight it, because when stuff starts happening what are you going to do?” asks Butler rhetorically. “Turn around and run? You aren’t just going to leave your guys there hanging.” As the patrol ended the NCOs went around and made sure all of their soldiers were drinking water and reminded them to get something to eat. The soldiers were tired and hot, but as Staff Sgt. Sean Holtz, a native from Columbus, Ga., started joking with several members of his squad, smiles started appearing on once weary faces. At this point, there was no mistaking that this unit was something like a family. “It’s because our senior guys know your only family is your platoon over here,” explained Biddle. “Line units are close. I mean, we can decompress and relax around each other no matter what rank we are. When we are lying around upstairs (where 18 of them are jammed into a little room together), jokes just fly back and forth across the room, but jokes go out the window when we are on patrol.” The closeness of the platoon can make Biddle’s job as a combat medic hard sometimes. “I can work on “some guy” all day and it’s not hard,” explained Biddle with a serious expression. “Working on one of my guys is different. The personal ties make it harder. It’s like working on a family member. You have to learn to set aside your emotions and get the job done.” Biddle went on to say that being a line medic is tough that way. “Part of you wants to get hysterical along with everyone else because your buddy is hurt, but you have to be able to push all that aside and remain calm and focused on your job, he added” As the tired squad trudged up the stairs to their room, several members from another squad in the platoon were gearing up to provide cover for two tanks outside the compound in Salman Pak. Jokes were exchanged as the first squad quickly caught the other one up on what happened on the previous patrol. For a moment, it didn’t even seem like they were in the middle of a war.
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