TenI glanced at the Major's watch as we stood in wait for the rest of the men to join us. It took nearly twenty minutes for them all to arrive back at the village. Huffing and puffing, they were all completely out of breath. Most were hunched over grabbing their knees. The remainder gagged and coughed, as the smell of the rotting bodies choked off their throats. They took in deep gasps, struggling for oxygen. I couldn't help but to feel superior. They were physically weak in comparison, every last one of them. In a strange way I was sorry for them.
A strong sense of leadership swept over me. I could feel it in the depths of my heart, and the pit of my stomach, that the lives of these men and women depended on me. I felt as if I was looking from a distance into the situation, rather than l
