Mortar

The silence of the desert night is brutally shatterd by the screaming whistle  of a incoming mortar round.
The Earth rumbles from the impact.
The cool, night, desert air is suddenly filled with dust and debris.
Sleepy-eyed soldiers appear from all directions, in different stages of dress, some even barefoot, yet all with their weapons at the ready.
As we stand there with our hearts racing and our nerves on edge, one thought simultaneously rushes through all of our minds;
"Is tonight the night I'll fight the enemy face to face?"
As the minutes drag by while we wait for confirmation from the commander, the dust settles and we see that the mortar landed less than 100 yards away.
We're all scared but no one would ever admit it out loud.
Off in the distance we hear the artillery unit returning fire.
The sound of the helicopters flying overhead fills the surrounding area.
They're heading out to search and map the location of our attackers.
Within minutes word comes back.
It was a timed round.
The men who set the timer are long gone.
Luckily, no one was injured.....this time.