He has sketched a ramp ceremony, been denied a ride on a mission to recover a vehicle, found out why, and had just seen what an explosive device has been capable of doing to a car full of people. He knows that seven people died in that vehicle. A vehicle conventioally seen as among the best vehicles in the inventory.
He also knows that the battle group with which he is travelling is one month away from rotation.
BTW, it is time that we stop calling Taliban ordnance "IEDs". They are no longer improvised devices. I have no doubt that they are being supplied with ordnance built to spec for the task by Iran. This regardless of the Afghan government's attempts to minimize the fact.
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You are absolutely right. IEDs sound warm and fuzzy; suppressed and depressed epople feeling left out and helpless cobbling together a sign of desperation.
These are clearly ISED. ISEDs for me from now on: Iranian Supplied Explosive Devices.