Descriptive Essay: Operation Enduring Freedom

The small group of eight eager and young Soldiers stepped out of their vans, not knowing exactly what to expect. They had taken one of the biggest steps in their careers, putting them as the first line of defense in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The sky was mostly clear on this warm, sunny September morning in the Midwest United States, with a few light fluffy clouds listing lazily by. Each of them had a different vision of the future as they nervously waited for their new training partners. The young nervous Privates who had never seen the horrors of war eye glanced around at the others, looking for some kind of reassurance they had made the right choice. The Specialists’ whose lives were unaffected by the dangers of combat but had listened eagerly to their comrades stories of heroism and valor, longing to be the hero of the story. The balding and slightly overweight Sergeant who longed …show more content…
Rather they seek out minute traces of explosives buried underground or hung in the trees along the hard packed dirt roads of the Middle East. They are unsuitable for aggression training, unwilling to release the bite, not wanting to bite, or, as in the case of Alan, all show and no go. Their long noses are so sensitive to chemical compounds, they can smell a tiny amount of homemade Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil buried feet under the dirt. Each has their own way of showing that they are “in the scent.” Some turn lazily towards the source of the explosive, meandering their way carefully around any obstacles in the way and some take off as if shot out of a gun with no regard for anything in their path. As with all tools in the toolbox, their treatment and care is of the utmost importance. The Soldiers soon began to realize that they were at the disposal of these amazingly loveable four-legged dogs known as man’s best