As I sat and thought about what would captivate and hold a reader by the nose, an old photo on the wall distracted me. It's not much of an image, just a group of guys at work in a rather desolate place. This photo has a rather special meaning for me and brings with it a whole host of memories. The unknown is always worse than the known. Don't listen to the voices and don't try to imagine what it's like here. This is modern, sophisticated, highly technical and well-planned warfare. One I'm sure I'll return to safely. This war is not the one you see on television or talk about while sitting at your favorite watering hole. This is a war that must be fought here and now, not on the basis of past victories or failures. This is truly a war unlike any ever fought, yet it is a battle from which the world cannot turn away or hide. We are here to ensure the right of people to live in peace without fear that a more belligerent nation will tear away the thin veneer of civilization. They. A veneer that has been carefully cultivated for thousands of years to protect us from our most primitive instincts and from ourselves. The rights and freedoms of innocent people have been violated and the world... no, I can't turn my head and walk away. Yes, the profession I chose is that of a soldier. A soldier by definition trains to be skilled in warfare and in the ability to cause destruction as efficiently as possible. Perhaps this is why the soldier is also the one who hates war and combat the most. It is he who must carry the burden, endure the difficulties, the pain and the anguish of being the bringer of destruction. This same soldier who, after months of living in a hostile environment, surviving the artificial hell of a modern battlefield can often be seen giving food or perhaps his last piece of hoarded chocolate to a small child. A child who also survived the horror of war. Yet in the morning I carry on with a light heart. Knowing that what I feel is shared by thousands of other soldiers. Those same soldiers who will perhaps ask me to kill in a matter of days. For a soldier's part it is the bond or connection that exists between them. Because these professionals know each other by sight.