Brothers in Arms Read Online Free PDF Page A

if any future special mission you’re assigned allows you to select team members from outside of Second Platoon,” Yarwood said with a casualness that could only be feigned.
    He was about to scoff at the kid’s obvious belief in the exaggerated legends of his combat exploits, when he was suddenly reminded of his other duties as a platoon Gunnery Sergeant. Kellan’s voice echoed in Jonah’s memory with advice on developing young Marines, providing guidance and training, as well as command and leadership.
    “Jonah , ” Kellan had said, “you have to lead by example. Share that wealth of knowledge and experience with younger Marines. You can’t just yell at your men when they do something wrong; you have to explain how to do it right.”
    Jonah was filled with gentle warmth as his memory latched on to an image of Kellan Reynolds and wouldn’t let it go. His mind filled with Kellan’s open face, expression full of pleasure and enthusiasm.
    Jonah took a deep breath to steady himself and then answered Yarwood. “I appreciate your willingness and enthusiasm, Private,” Jonah said, reassembling his freshly cleaned M4. “I’ll keep you in mind if I’m ever given access to teams outside of Second Platoon.”
    “Thank you, sir.” Yarwood flushed.
    Jonah gathered up his cleaning gear and headed out-of-doors. Safety wasn’t optimal, he knew. The room had just become too close and stuffy. He needed to be able to breathe, and he couldn’t inside with the press of bodies and memories.
    He’d just gotten his sidearm disassembled for cleaning when Grizzly stepped out of the house and lit a cigarette.
    “Not disturbing you, am I, Gunnery Sergeant?” he asked, blowing smoke into the darkness.
    “No, sir,” Jonah replied, deciding it was best to keep the truth to himself.
    “Thank you for your vigilance and your cooperation today. I know you don’t like being in the dark about a mission. For what it’s worth, I advocated reading you into my mission parameters, but I was vetoed at the highest level.”
    “I appreciate that, sir,” Jonah replied, suspecting an attempt to blow smoke up his ass.
    “Scuttlebutt says you might make First Sergeant when this tour is over. You’ll deploy next time with your very own company commander to train up right.”
    “Have to survive this tour first,” Jonah replied.
    Grizzly fell silent as he smoked his cigarette. Jonah thought the conversation was over, but Grizzly spoke again. “Have you observed or encountered anything unusual in your recent contacts with insurgents or suspects?”
    “I can’t say that has been the case,” Jonah answered.
    “Are the IEDs any more numerous? Do they seem more powerful or accurate? Any rise in weapons caches containing M16s or M4s?”
    The specificity of the question made Jonah look up from the weapon he was cleaning. “I would have noted any shift in pattern you describe,” Jonah said. “I have not.”
    “Take it very seriously if you do, Sergeant,” Grizzly warned. “Don’t make any assumptions about coincidence or anomaly.”
    “Will do, sir.” Curiosity thrummed through Jonah.
    Grizzly tossed his cigarette butt out into the darkness, gave Jonah a nod, and then disappeared back into the house.
    Alone in the dark again, Jonah’s thoughts drifted back to Kellan. Jonah had known, almost as soon as they’d set foot back in Camp Pendleton after their first tour in Iraq, Kellan wasn’t going to re-up, despite his promotion to captain. Jonah had suspected when he’d received the invitation for beer at Kellan’s, he was going to be given the news personally.
    They sat on stools, facing each other, at the center island in Kellan’s kitchen. Jonah knew Kellan’s roommate was still deployed in Afghanistan, so there would be no interruptions. That thought made his heart beat just a little faster. Jonah cautioned himself that his feelings could very well be one-sided. Kellan had given no indication he was aware of any chemistry between