Read Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC #7) for Free Online Page B

a position of safety. After giving the order to provide medical attention to Marines in his command, he advised First Squad Leader Todelli to carry out a flanking maneuver, distracting the enemy as he crawled across an open street further exposing himself to enemy fire. After sustaining life threatening injuries in the deadly blast of an IED which completely disabled his convoy, Staff Sergeant Jacob positioned himself behind the cover of an abandoned vehicle and single handedly eliminated the three snipers who had been accredited with the death of no less than nine US Marines prior to his platoon’s arrival. In doing so, Staff Sergeant Jacob sustained four gunshot wounds, a broken jaw, multiple lacerations, and shrapnel wounds. His actions, however, preserved the lives of his entire platoon. By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Staff Sergeant Jacob reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps.” He paused and lowered the sheet of paper.
    “Son, you’ve been put in for the Bronze Star with Combat ‘V’. You’re an official war hero,” he said with a smile.
    Feeling elated to a point of almost shedding tears, and incapable of doing much more, I returned a blank stare.
    “I envy your courage,” he said as he nodded his head in my direction.
    Tied to the bed, filled with emotion, and now with a mouth much drier than it was prior to his speech, I couldn’t speak. I glanced toward the side of the bed at the pitcher of water sitting on the table.
    “Get these restraints off of my Marine,” he bellowed over his shoulder as he reached for the pitcher of water.
    The two nurses immediately came to the side of the bed and removed the restraints from my arms and legs. After pouring glass of water and handing me the cup, I took a slow drink, realizing as I did so, it would take time for me to fully recover from my wounds. Aching from head to toe, but unwilling to admit it, I shifted my eyes to the Lieutenant Colonel and cleared my throat.
    “My Marines. They’re all accounted for? No KIA?” I asked.
    “That is affirmative. Your actions saved the entire platoon,” he said with a nod.
    Thank God.
    I exhaled what little breath remained in my lungs and tried to sit up, only to learn the pain in my hip was much greater than I realized.
    “Permission to speak freely, Sir?” I asked.
    “Granted,” he said, his mouth curling into a slight smirk as he spoke.
    “With all due respect, I don’t want – nor do I need – a medal of valor, Sir. I need someone to get me out of here. I don’t belong here. I need to get a ride on a transport back to Fallujah and command my men through that operation,” I said.
    He chuckled and glanced at the Major. As he shifted his eyes in my direction, he continued. “Your commanding officer advised me of your gung-ho hard-charging attitude, and I, we, hell the United States Marine Corps appreciates your willingness and desire to fight, but you’re going to be given a medical discharge after what you’ve been through. They’ll be shipping you stateside.”
    Stateside?
    Home?
    You’re shipping me home?
    Emotionally, I collapsed. I felt like he had plunged a knife into my chest. Going home would mean no longer being a Marine, and I couldn’t fathom the idea. My heart sank. The mere thought of leaving, especially after seeing the level of fighting we were exposed to in Fallujah made me feel useless, weak, and as if I was letting down the men I had risked my very life to defend. There wasn’t another man on earth who would give the level of devotion to my platoon that I had. Under anyone else’s command, there would certainly be lives lost, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. Going home was not an option. 
    Not if I was alive and able to fight.
    I fought against the pain and did my best to sit upright. I fixed my eyes on the Lieutenant Colonel. “I