“Cleared hot!” Carpenter responded.

As before, the A-10 unleashed a fury of 30MM bullets at the target, pulling back up into the overhead orbit after. Carpenter waited for a moment for the gunfire to return. There was none.

“Cajun 35, can you put your sensors back on the last target area and confirm there’s no movement?” he asked. He was hoping she could get infrared footage through her targeting pod to confirm there were no further armed individuals.

A few minutes later, Cajun 35 responded, “Previous target area has no movement.”

Carpenter turned and gave the thumbs up to Maj Hilton. He was still standing with the litter team as they waited for the landing area to be cleared.

“Pedro 71, you’re cleared in. LZ has previous enemy activity, recommend Pedro 72 orbit low cover while Pedro 71 receives casualties.”

The aircraft commander of the rescue helicopter agreed and directed the other aircraft to orbit, training its dual mini-guns on the two ridge lines for covering fire in case of another attack. The lead helicopter would be most vulnerable to RPG and IED attacks while on loading the patients.

The lead helicopter came in low and fast, landing just west of the cleared perimeter of the convoy while the other helicopter circled above in a right hand orbit. As its main wheels touched down, the two Air Force Pararescuemen exited with their rifles low and ready.

The litter team led by Maj Hilton approached the two PJs with Gomez as the other medics with the two injured walked closely behind. The lead medic gave the PJ the patient vitals and situation as they carried Gomez to the waiting helicopter. Once all patients were safely onboard, they closed the open side door and lifted off. From the time they landed until the offload, they had only been on the ground for three minutes. Carpenter was impressed.

“Pedro 71 is airborne, clearing to the east,” the lead pilot said over the secure radio.

“Sandman copies, we appreciate the work,” Carpenter replied.

With the casualties gone, Maj Hilton focused his attention on getting the damaged MRAP out of the ditch and back in driving condition. Carpenter helped secure the perimeter while maintaining communications with the A-10s overhead.

An hour after the Pave Hawks left with the wounded patients, an Air Force MC-12 checked in overhead with Carpenter. Using their onboard sensors, they were able to confirm that no further enemy combatants were nearby or along their route. They could also find no other hot spots or potential areas for IED emplacements.

With the MRAP wheel repaired and ready for action, the convoy mounted up once again, nearly four hours after their initial stop. To Carpenter, it had felt like much longer. He hoped Gomez was doing ok back at the base.

With Maj Hilton riding shotgun, Carpenter pulled through the gates of Bagram Air Base just after midnight. He had been gone for seventeen hours. To date, it was the longest time outside the wire in his four-month deployment.