The Soldier and his First Battle

It was a sunny day but smoke filled environment made it look like a cloudy and stormy environment. He never thought he would find it difficult, after all this was what he always thought of. He was a soldier, who wanted to serve his country. He always wanted to be a soldier, ever since he saw his father in Army uniform.

And now at war front, he was facing enemy forced trying to intrude the boundary wall of his country. He always said, it was his dream to kill all the enemies of his country but now when he was facing them he found it difficult. "How could I kill another human, while I never lay a hand up on anyone before", he thought, "I never thought it would be like this". he was in situation where either he would fire or he would be shot by enemy.



Shouts and shrill cry of his fellow soldiers and those of enemy forces filled the environment, along with the firing of bullets and bangs of grenades. He was a well trained soldier, trained with his fellow soldiers to face any situation like this or worse. It was his third month as an Army man, and here he was getting the wish he always sought. But he found it amazingly difficult to shoot the person next to him. While on training, he only shot the targets which have no sense of pain, or has no family. But here in the war field he was aiming for enemies who were also human.

It was going like flashes of any war movies but yet there was a big difference that it was no movie. Some voice was banging his ear drums, he could not hear all of it clearly in the firing of bullets and banging of bombs but he could hear world like "shoot" or "kill" or "open fire". While he was still watching his fellow soldier firing bullets after bullets.

"Aahh" a gasp of pain shot out of his mouth, something hit his right shoulder and blood started to flow from that. He came back to his senses. It was not a dream but he was actually in battle field and if he did not shoot he will be shot dead. With another sound of bullet his fellow soldier fell dead.

He was properly alive till now and awake too. All his thought left his mind abruptly and all he knew as if he would not kill, he would be killed. He took a look at his shoulder and it was not so bad, he was lucky it was not a properly aimed shot or may be he would not be alive to think all this.

Now he started to take aim and pulled trigger. The machine gun made him vibrate vigorously in his arms. He could not look properly to take aim due to dirt mixed air but he knew the target, the enemy was at other side of this dirty mist of air.  He was no longer thinking about dying or that other were humans but to aim gunshots at the enemies.

He never looked at his watch to check the time. He fired round after round on the other side, not knowing how many times he had to reload and how much ammunition he consumed. And after hours, what seemed like days to him it was over with the last sound of bullet and a gasp of cry from other end. There was no sound of movement anywhere and with the command of his captain he moved forward along with other soldiers. Moving very cautiously and checking every body to confirm there was any sign of life, they final reached the bunkers which were source of heavy firing a few minutes or hours ago.

He didn't know which one of the dead bodies was his first target or which one of these shot his shoulder or his fellow soldier. All he knew was that he survived his first ever battle. And from now on he will be battling for his life. This was the fate he choose when he choose to become a soldier.