Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Kerry Barrett Reporting Although they train for years, nothing quite prepares you for that first round of gunfire aiming to take you out.
And while I was embedded in Iraq talking to the pilots of the 388th, I learned you can't escape the fact that you're experiencing it through a very human lens. It's another reality of Life at War.
Your heart beats rapidly. Your mind is going a million miles a minute. There's no room for anything else.
Capt. Chris Vasquez, Pilot: "I don't call and talk to Chloe or let Luke ramble on the phone before I fly because it just distracts me too much."
Much more than that and Captain Chris Vasquez is worried he'll break his concentration.
"There's always a certain amount of humanist to what we're doing. They're not robots. They're trained, but they're human beings. There's feeling, there's emotion."
The first sortie.. gunfire... calls for help.
"Okay, stop listening to the guys on the ground and start doing something about it."
Then it's over in a flash.
What they've become as a team, though, will last a lifetime.
Lt. Col. Peter Gersten/ Pilot, Commander of 4th Fighter Squadron: "By far this squadron has just binded completely together. When you get into an environment like this, you rely heavily on each other for survival. The brotherhood becomes a bond of survival."
Something Captain Chris Vasquez says is the main reason he does what he does.
"When I see those guys go in and out of the gate with the bullet marks on their cars..."
He trails off, looks away. It's definitely a balancing act for everyone over there. Bad days they may weigh on the side of staying home and finding a nice nine to five.
But it's his deep respect for the people he works with that will keep him coming back.
"I just have so much pride in our Army and the dudes who are actually on the ground. I'm glad I can support them. They are the true, no kidding, bullets-in-the-air heroes."
They say the key to maintaining composure is to compartmentalize. Focus on the task at hand, make sure they do it right and quickly the first time.
Coming up Wednesday, we caught up with Aubry Vasquez and her kids to find out what it's like counting down the final days until they arrive back home, what they're planning and how the kids are doing.
