Battleland

Combat, Up Close

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Two things are striking about this just-posted three-and-a-half minute video of a firefight in Afghanistan’s Kunar province last April:

— Just how unseen the enemy is.

— Just how unconnected Private 1st Class Red Daniels of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division is.

Clad in body armor, he’s hit four times and falls to the ground. He yells “I’m hit!” over and over amid the 25-minute firefight — just like they did in World War I. He doesn’t seem outfitted with a radio to summon help, nor is there apparently a fellow soldier nearby who can quicky come to his aid.

Talk about feeling absolutely alone.

Luckily, none of the bullets penetrated his armor. Daniels, who recorded the action with a helmet-cam, returned to duty after treatment.

Two things are striking about this just-posted three-and-a-half minute video of a firefight in Afghanistan’s Kunar province last April:

— Just how unseen the enemy is.

— Just how unconnected Private 1st Class Red Daniels of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division is.

Clad in body armor, he’s hit four times and falls to the ground. He yells “I’m hit!” over and over amid the 25-minute firefight — just like they did in World War I. He doesn’t seem outfitted with a radio to summon help, nor is there apparently a fellow soldier nearby who can quicky come to his aid.

Talk about feeling absolutely alone.

Luckily, none of the bullets penetrated his armor. Daniels, who recorded the action with a helmet-cam, returned to duty after treatment.