Into the Hot Zone," the article Mick Ware writes about that night, is — David Bellavia

"Close behind Cantrell comes Staff Sergeant Jim, driving that glorious Abrams. First Platoon has no doubt benefited from their service. That battles under control. Now theyve come to bail us out."

"Its important to have different perspectives, and journalism supports that. Today, everyone has an opinion about everything. COVID-19 happens, and suddenly were all research specialists posting our findings on Facebook or wherever. What we dont do is properly consider the sources of our material, our "facts." Everyone responds emotionally to everything. We paint millennials in a bad light: the iGeneration is awful; but the truth is that my parents generation thought the same things about us. We were couch potatoes; we lived in our parents basements until we were twenty-five. Then the Twin Towers fell. Every generation is going to be tested. And some people are going to answer the call. Fortunately, I believe that many liberals shoot as straight as conservatives. I served with a lot of guys who hated George W. Bush and his reasons for taking us to war. Now they didnt vote for President Trump. But under fire, they saved my life and they made sure I came home. Those guys are my family. I love them to death. We argue about politics every single day, but we also see beyond that."

"I found that in the worst part of humanity, theres like this... its just like Gods grace just shows up. You actually feel the presence of God in the worst situation possible. And not just Americans, but the enemy. The enemy is doing beautiful things for each other because theyre in it together. It doesnt make me want to stop shooting, but it makes me respect the hell out of them, and it changes my life forever, too. Because were not fighting storm troopers, and were not fighting a bunch of yahoos. Were fighting people that are into their cause, believe in their cause, and will die for their cause."

"I never really thought about legacy when I was in a fight. A legacy is what old men think about when theyre dying. But now I realize how important that legacy is."

"My greatest regret has always been leaving the service I so dearly loved. I tried to make it work at home, but but the pull of the battlefield was too strong. Out there, I had meaning and purpose. You live on the raged edge of danger that forces you to confront your own mortality. Every breath becomes euphoric. You exist in a different emotional framework. In rural western New York, lifes color was drained away by a million little nicks. You stress over bills and taxes, a car thats become unreliable. The house needs siding, the floors in the kitchen need to be redone. All the logistical headaches of modern life take center stage and start to define your life. Out there, on the battlefield, none of that shit matters. None of it. The complexities vanish, and everything boils down to this: can you measure up? When you do, you feel like a rock star. Nothing- no drug in the world- can compare to that moment of self-discovery. For me, self-discovery in combat convinced me the essence of life distills down to one thing: proving to yourself why you are needed in the fight."

"We have business on the battlefield, but when thats over, you look back and say, "I hope every person in our country can see a stranger as important as themselves." If youre willing to do things for them, I just think thats the meaning of life. Im not going to get thanked, youre not going to know my name, youre not going to pay me, and I will still do it. The closest thing Ive ever seen to God is when you see people sacrifice knowingly without any concern for themselves."