Keeping hope.

There is another side of war, another brighter side. When one mentions the very word, it brings an influx of images: strewn bodies, the smell of blood and gunpowder, shrill cries, heartache, and grim determination. Truth be known, those are the basics of war, yes. Every soldier knows those moments, and often his heart is heavy with them. However, stoicism is a soldier's best friend, is he can achieve it. A quote: "...Anything that gets in the way of success has to be eliminated—emotion, fear, pain. It's the mental things that will impede your survival."--Colby Coombs

What few realize is this other side. Nights of laughter, stolen moments of whispered stories of first loves and hidden dreams. Firelight that reflects off each man's eyes...eyes that are not always set ablaze in fear or pain, but sometimes with genuine glee and relaxation. Sometimes we have even been known to set up an impromptu game of poker. There is a sense of brotherhood between us. Those who would never sing, sing. Those who would never dance, dance. There are no boundaries, and the blood spilled by one onto the rest is the blood of more than a friend, more than a comrade. We must partake in these carefree moments, because otherwise, the mind would go insane with the worry , insane with the pain and fear and dread. And if war were something that were a constant barrage of grenades and gunfire, then soldiers would likely lose themselves to suicide before losing themselves to enemy fire.

You see, not every day is construed of dodging bullets that no one can possibly dodge. War has its tedious moments, too. Cleaning machinery, for instance. Or the days spent walking in a spider's trail from one post to another...versus, of course, the days spent huddled in a strategic position, unable to move for the fear of losing it.

These light moments...we hold onto them. It happens more often that one may think.