The Battle Past Dusk
The Battle Past Dusk
Mark B.B. Aguirre
Copyright Mark B.B. Aguirre 2011
THE AGUIRRE BULLETIN
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Dedication
To everyone affected by America’s immigration policies. We are a voice to the voiceless.
Preface
This short story is more than a story about war. It is about freedom and the consequences of our actions.
The story takes place in modern day Afghanistan and follows the life of one brave U.S. Marine. The plot is mixed with action, uncertainty, and surprise.
In developing a theme, I came to the conclusion of two major ones: immigration and culture. First, I wanted to express culture by writing a story filled with adventure and action. This led me to reflect and research current affairs. For example, Mexico’s drug war has put many Americans on edge. In fact, I wanted to show the negative attitudes and stereotypes we have towards Mexico and Mexican-Americans. This is a running theme, which transitions nicely into my second one.
This next theme has to do with immigration. Using the main character, I hoped to show America’s current policies regarding immigration and how they have affected personal lives, especially the lives of those who are serving our country. As those who know me, this issue is very important. My research revealed stories of Hispanics and other minority Americans being treated very un-American. I hope this story will make other think deeply about our sad division, which I believe stems from a history of racism and upper class superiority.
Ultimately, I wanted to write a story that resonates deeply in the hearts of all people. I truly believe stories of discrimination and controversy must be told, and what better way to contribute my point of view then through a fictional short story.
Let me remind readers that this is a work of realistic fiction and all characters and names were made up. The idea for this story came mainly came from articles and news clips. As I mentioned earlier, I have done research on real stories with these similar themes. Although the settings in this story may be real, the dialogues and characters are completely made up.
Finally, I wanted thank my girlfriend of four years, my family, and friends for your comments and support. I do take them into consideration. Enjoy.
Chapter I -- The Battle Past Dusk
As Andy Chavez closed his eyes he pictured his wife’s face and sensed the soothing smell of her perfume, but his mind abruptly wandered back to the mission. The Marine’s objective was to capture or neutralize resurfacing al-Qaeda insurgents in the selected region by night. Although Chavez and the other Marines entered their last deployment in Afghanistan, the actual task became a bit more complicated then hoped.
Six-foot-three officer Bravo led the battalion through the hills. Their target was believed to be the home of a re-emerging terrorist leader. Cautiously, the troops kneeled behind a nearby wall as Bravo ordered them to lie down and survey the outer premises.
Speaking in a firm deep yet low tone he said, “I think they’re not home boys.” Bravo continued as he chuckled to himself. “Hey Chavo, maybe we should have texted them before we came?”
In a serious appearance, unaffected by the officer’s dry humor, Chavez slid his right hand slowly across the hot dirt and suddenly raised it as if he were shaking someone’s hand. However, instead of gripping a hand, he gripped the handle of his weapon and aimed it at the al-Qaeda insurgent. Immediately, the sound of bullets echoed as he squeezed the trigger.
“Get the right plank son,” yelled officer Bravo. “I think we forgot to knock boys!”
“He disappeared in the rocks sir,” replied Chavez.
Soon after, he crawled to the outer wall and took a peek. He stuck his whole head out and saw an informant running from the camp with an AK 47 and explosives duck taped to his waist.
Chavez shouted, “I found one on the right side coming up fast!”
He took careful aim and shot along the lower valley. Dust soon filled the air in the location of the insurgent. However, bullets whistled right back out of the dust, and he consciously took cover again. Soon more bullets flew from the left plank. Chavez felt he had to something. He got up, but bullets ricocheted off the wall and nearby village; he sat right back down and Bravo peered right at him.
“Are you trying to kill yourself son, sit down!”
“Sir, we can’t just sit here, there’s a bomb headed this way,” he replied.
“Shut up Chavo,” Bravo said so calmly as if nothing was wrong. “I’ll take care of him!”
The staggering enemy made it near the wall, but Bravo took aim. Just as he was doing this a fiery ball of flame burst in the humid air. The bomb went off prematurely and threw Bravo back at least five feet. The gunfight quickly came to a 10 second pause as everybody stopped to see the cloud of smoke.
“I must’ve shot the explosives,” said the dazed officer.
As Bravo slowly picked himself up and brushed the dust off, more shots began to bounce off the wall. The ringing in Chavez ears soon faded and he heard the sound of bullets once again. The heavy attack by al-Qaeda was unexpected and pushed the battle past dusk. Despite their orders to exit early, night had fallen upon them, and their next option was to order Air Company. Shortly after, like shooting stars, ammo lit up the night sky. At this moment, Chavez shouted out, “It’s about time,” while pointing upward in relief.
The shooting was not from the enemy; instead it was from their Air Battalion. The flight squads blasted two locations in the northern hills and landed a missile directly on the camp. After they flew off with ease, the ground soldiers were met with an airlift. Although their mission was scratched, no Marines were injured.
Chavez and the men quickly returned to the base, but with little time to shake out the after battle jitters, he was given a letter from with a postmark from the U.S. government. He wiped the sweat and dirt off his forehead while pensively opening it..
He became motionless as he read the words out loud to himself, “Your wife, Juanita Maria Chavez, was accidentally deported to Mexico based on information given by an intense investigation by ICE.”
The letter continued “We send our deepest apologizes, as we know our troops are fighting for our freedom, we too must protect our country.”
Chavez demeanor shrunk as he continued to read the letter. Sadly, according to the note, ICE tried to locate her after the deportation but did not find her. Chavez could barely speak, but was given leave immediately. It was up to him now to enter Mexico and find his wife.
Chapter II -- Writing A New Mission