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& #39;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& #39;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& #39;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.
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