The Story Continues

1 of 7: It was a Sunday. There also happened to be no mission today.

15 years ago today, 1st Platoon, A Company, 1-15 Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division cleaned weapons and checked fluids on the 4 Bradleys and 4 up-armored HMMWVs.

2 of 7: Today was a rare day in which all vehicles would stay inside the wire. No patrols.

The patrols were exhausting. And constant. Most were hours long. Many were tedious.

1-15 Infantry's focus was to always have a presence in sector: give the insurgency no quarter.

3 of 7: Tomorrow a a route recon the next day. This was a clearance mission: clear the route ahead of a resupply convoy. The patrol would take the platoon to Diyala province.

4 of 7: Today, Lt. Leon Matthias, the 24-year-old platoon leader, wanted desperately to sleep. He'd returned two days prior from leave in DC with his fiancé Donette and was still wrecked by jet lag.

"Sir, stay awake today" his platoon sergeant told him.

5 of 7: The platoon sergeant was right. Leon needed to get back on the local sleep cycle. He hadn't been on patrol since before he left for leave. Tomorrow night would be his first ride out of the wire in almost 3 weeks.

6 of 7: Leon leaned on his Platoon Sergeant. They all did. All 42 members of the platoon knew what they had in a leader. Smart. Caring. Thoughtful. Knew his business. Would bring them home.

FINAL: That afternoon, that platoon sergeant did PT. He called his three children. He attended a company leadership meeting.

He did these things never knowing that his destiny lay before him.

Tell the world his name.