As we stared into the inky darkness, knowing an Iraqi tank convoy covered the horizon directly to our front, the radio chatter keyed up.
“We needed help out here and fast,” we pleaded.
We had no tanks with us at that moment; they had all gone to refuel a big problem. The only thing we had was several shoulder-fired AT-4s, rockets which are only good out to three hundred meters in the daytime. The Iraqi tanks would make easy targets of our highly silhouetted tracks long before that.
Our platoon sergeant, “the Gunny,” began calling our commander over the comm, the communications network.
“Colgate, this is Iceman,” we heard come across the net. “Why don’t we have any tanks out here?”
“The tanks say they’re not coming until they refuel, Iceman.” Colgate responded.
“What do you mean they aren’t coming till they refuel? We are going to be in some serious trouble here real soon!” Gunny exclaimed. “What about CAT?”
CAT is a Humvee with a TOW missile on top of it.
“CAT can’t make it out to us,” was the response. “Ground is too rough.”
“All right everybody listen up. This is Iceman. Everybody start your vehicles now. We are getting out of here as soon as the first shot is fired.” Everyone immediately started their trucks.
“No one is going anywhere. Shut your vehicles down now,” Colgate shouted over the net; the anger quite apparent in his voice. Just as fast as we started them, we shut the trucks off.
Mejia and I went into the troop compartment and unstrapped the AT-4s. We jumped out of the back of the truck, and called over to an infantry squad leader, a corporal, who had ridden with us.
“What’s going on, what’s up with you guys?” he asked.
“There are fifteen tanks coming this way, you guys need to get these ready,” Mejia said handing him the rockets.
After Mejia and I returned to the Amtrak, the wind picked up. Everything looked hazy as dust filled the air again. This was worrisome because now we couldn’t see the tanks anymore, only the dust. The whole world around us lit up once again into a Mars-like amber glow. It was as if a streetlight suddenly turned on over a dark foggy street.
Chatter is often useless, leading us nowhere. Babbling was no substitute for real action, real decision-making.
Weed out the fruitless noise and chatter in my mind and heart today. Fill it with the substance of you and the promises of your word for righteousness.
“…a chattering fool comes to ruin.” (Proverbs 10:10b)