US soldiers and an interpreter run towards the direction of the shooting from a marketplace.
Michael Yon is a former US Army Green Beret who covers combat troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. During one of his journeys with an Army unit, he managed to document the exact moment when they were hit with hostile fire. After an intense car chase, Yon and the soldiers dismounted and attempted to chase the suspects on foot. During this ordeal, even Yon found himself in possession of a weapon and returned fire.
What follows is not only his harrowing images that illustrate the intensity many service members go through in combat, but also the exemplification of the military's mantra for developing leaders: "Lead from the front.
The moment the bullets struck.
Three rounds hit the front soldier — one of them snaps the thigh bone in half.
The soldier's arm and leg had been wounded as well.
He attempts crawls into a firing position, as more rounds pierce the wall near the other soldier's head.
Undeterred, the soldier regains composure and begins returning fire towards the shop.
After some hesitation from the other soldiers, the senior-most ranking soldier, a command sergeant major, steps up and starts firing inside the shop.
Suddenly, a man with a pistol lunged toward the soldier and was met with at least three rounds in the abdomen at point-blank range. Unfortunately, the M4 rounds failed to subdue the person, who attempted to fire again. Realizing that he was out of ammo, the soldier dropped his rifle and went inside the shop, tackling the suspect.
The command sergeant major after his close-quarters-combat encounter with the terrorist.
The wounded soldier who was leading from the front turned out to be the commander of the Deuce Four Battalion, a lieutenant colonel. Here, one of his soldiers shields his eyes.
Source: Business Insider
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