Kodiak Sky

Начало книги

As a rule, forward operating bases were harrowing posts to defend, even for battle-tested veterans. Deployed deep in hostile territory, occupying FOB forces were able to depend only on each other and the assets at hand. Air support might be just minutes away, but that could be forever at an FOB.

FOB Henry Porter was no exception to the “harrowing” rule. In fact, it was the poster child.

Camp Porter was three clicks north-northeast of Daran, Afghanistan, a tiny, dusty, inconspicuous, sunbaked dot on the sprawling map of Asia. Named for the first American to die there, it was home to Third Battalion, Fourth Marines. A thousand crazy-brave warriors hunkered down behind low walls constructed of loose rock and mud brick that provided only a brittle first line of defense against fanatical indigenous forces.

The majority of a Marine’s time was occupied by combat patrols outside the walls, prepping for those patrols, sentry duty, and short bouts of fitful sleep. The small gymnasium and cramped Internet café were always jammed. So most free time for men not on patrol became a war against boredom — which created an opportunity for enterprising young boys of Daran.

Читать дальше →