This accounting picks right back up where we had last left off. We had successfully instructed the Delta Force Squad to paint a target with the newest.

Equipment. We had painted a high-value command and control bunker, and the
Air Force dropped a GBU28 and struck the target. I got the after-action
assessments of that, where they go in later and inspect to see, well, at that time. You would get a report of how many people had been inside the structure.

I knew all the numbers, but there were too many and more than I cared to consider. It would be difficult if you did not develop this mentality.

Our last mission that night was considered a high-value target and a must-hit if intelligence was accurate. You always want to be successful, if possible.

There are times when failure is unacceptable. Now, it is counterintuitive, as many would think if it is that high value, why not just bomb it or fire a cruise missile?

Coalition forces in Operation Desert Storm were not there to inflict mass casualties. As police officers are trained, they use only the force necessary to accomplish their task, limiting casualties on both sides.

The reason you have a target designated in such a fashion is generally one of two reasons. 1.)Satellite telemetry is not giving you enough information to determine whether it is a valid target. 2.) Other means of intelligence gathering have failed to determine whether the target is valid.

This target was so important, and that is what it was. Iraq, at this time, had rudimentary chemical and biological weapons capabilities. I will not run down the complete list, but things like VX Nerve Gas or Aerosoized Anthrax.

These are scary and nasty weapons, difficult for foot soldiers to protect against, and capable of causing a great deal of harm if appropriately delivered. Coalition forces had the objective of destroying all of these sorts of things we could.

Joint Command had identified this must-strike target as a hub for weaponry housed in a school. Yet they did not have the confidence to strike it, so we were to go there and find out what it was.

When filling out paperwork with the recruiter, one does not think about the prospect of getting anywhere near such lethal agents. Yet, it must be done. It was our job to do it. I was not vastly experienced, but I do not recline at anything I do. We had to cross six blocks to get close to the possible target.

Once the position was scouted out, we took a position across from this building, and it was the first difficult test of my judgment. These are not calls anyone would ever want to get wrong; there is no "Oops, sorry." If you call for a strike and are bad, the cost is in human lives.

That is a big deal, even if we are told they are the enemy. The primary goal of this mission was to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait, our ally. Using superior all-domain, combined arms tactics combat tactics with superior weaponry to surgically remove the enemy military and significantly weaken their offensive military capabilities. We also kept casualties to a minimum across the board. As well as we could, at least. A public misconception many people have is that you can take significant military action and only get the bad guys.

This significant military action involved several combined arms contacts attacking two cities. There would be casualties, and it was not always just the bad guys. It is called warfare for a reason. We were not there for a ping-pong tournament.

This target was my worst nightmare because of what it might be. Plus, there were mixed signals as to its disposition. There were significant troop movements here, but then again, Baghdad was under attack. It would be odd if there weren't, so I had no tell-tell signs when deciding. This is not ideal for someone in my position. There was only one thing about it, and I wouldn't say I liked it.

In such a case, you have to kick the door down to see, which puts my men in danger. We assembled in the alley across the way, and I told Sgt. Gunner, we were going to have to have a look. He agreed, so we told everyone to check ammo and prepare for possible close-quarters combat.

My sergeant told me it would be best for a couple of gunners and me to remain in the alley, and he and the rest of the team would go. I told him no; if I sent my men, that would include myself. He would have to get used to that. He was doing his job to assist me and see to my and the men's well-being. I did not get irritated at Gunner. He was to see to my safety as well. He would have to accept I was not going to be hands-off.

We got ready for a possible hostile entry and flew across the street toward what looked to be a loading bay. Possibly to deliver supplies to the school, possibly for much darker reasons. We would soon know as we stealthily entered the structure. The power was out, and our night vision gear was a Godsend. Most Iraqi Republican Guard members did not have them, so they could not see us, but we made them quickly.

There were approximately 8-12 of them carrying AK-47s, and what they were looking after could have been the most frightening thing I had seen yet. There were no signs of chemical or biological agents; they were there protecting a group of middle school-aged children. They had probably been brought here at the beginning of the attack. This is another moment when one finds themselves praying. You ask that if the Iraqis spot us, they do not open fire and that your men's training holds well. The last damned thing we wanted was a live firefight with a group of children between them and us.

Eventually, we were noticed and hit as many of them as possible with high-lumen lighting. The member of my team who spoke the language the best, Corporal Wiry, yelled at them we were American Special Forces, to place their guns on the deck or they would be fired upon. Thankfully, they had the same thoughts about the children that we did. They began looking at one another and placing their weapons on the ground before them.

Several of my squad members who were designated for such moved forward placed their hands and feet on the ground and secured their hands and feet with zip ties. Those kids were scared to death, and Wiry and Gunner moved closer to them and began to calm them down and tell them everything was okay. No one would be harmed; we were not there for them to remain calm. After the guards were secured, two of my men closely watched the children. This is a sad fact of war. Some could have weapons on them. Thankfully, if any did, none of them used them, and I am sure they were scared to death.

Two of the men from my unit who were trained in biological/chemical weapons gave the structure a thorough inspection. I was also inspecting, which is another thing that happens in significant conflicts like this. Whatever intelligence Central had received about this location was incorrect. There was no sign or type of either on the premises. Nor the equipment to work with such things. None was stored here, so it was time for us to go.

The children were informed we were leaving, and they were told not to attempt to follow us and stay indoors. It was truly dangerous outside. To wait for a few minutes after we departed and they could release the guards. We did not have the means or human resources, and too much was taking place to take them as POWs till this mess was over with. Radio produced a satellite phone, and I called central and gave my ID and code. I informed them that this particular target was a definite no-go. There was a civilian juvenile presence in the structure.

I asked if an evacuation was possible, as we still had no idea how the battle in the skies was going. I was told to stand and coordinates for an evacuation via helicopter would be available there in approximately twenty minutes. I did not want to miss it, so I looked at the place one last time. The sight of those scared children is another thought I often have. The device we used to navigate was fed the coordinates of where the helicopters would be.

We would have to huff it to meet them on the other side of the city we had begun on. I will say that the Army helo pilots are outstanding. They could fly in low over the desert and evade the AA system. Now, some guys stay all night in the city, spending days in lovely places like the sewer system or wherever they can hold up. My team had to go in and be flown to Riyadh to be debriefed and to give an accounting of the general resistance and state of things in the city we had observed.

We were all tired, but this leg, we really moved on; we didn't want to miss getting out of this for a bit. We hiked at a quick pace to the coordinates that were clear of the city and waited at the designated coordinates. It was out somewhat southwest of the city. It wasn't too long before two helicopters flew up and landed. We loaded and were lifted into the darkness of the night. It was too loud to talk, plus what we had just been through. I don't think anyone felt up to that anyway.

We were taken to the Riyadh staging grounds and assigned a bunker. It would be several hours before Gunny and I could rest. The intelligence guys wanted to look you in the eyes and get you the information. Eventually, I made it to the sleeping area and could lie down. The longest night of my life was over. We had all survived it; many people had not. Sleeping after that was hard, but exhaustion eventually took over. That was my first night in a combat theatre. We were not done yet; we would probably be sent back the next day, but it was sleep for now, and my dreams were already bad.