Page 8 of PSYCHOlogical

Irritated that he’d question my response, I narrowed my gaze. “Shep’s a damned good Marine.”

While in Fallujah, Shep, a Private First Class at the time, saved many men’s lives. He identified and eliminated a sniper who was firing upon my Marines. His advance to the sniper’s nest was a suicide mission that he somehow managed to pull off without injury. The act of heroism earned him a Bronze Star. Later, in Afghanistan, he dragged three wounded Marines to safety while under heavy machinegun fire. A second Bronze Star was awarded for his actions during that battle. His acts of selfless bravery saved the lives of many Marines. In New Dawn, his actions had saved the lives of many civilians.

Wallace shrugged. “I guess that’s good enough for me.”

Masking my annoyance wasn’t an easy thing to do. Nevertheless, I maintained my expressionless stare. “Anything else?”

He shrugged. “I guess not.”

I walked away uncertain of what was gained from our little meeting. In all honesty, I wondered why he was part of the program.

Originally funded solely to support the elimination of terrorist cells that were being developed—or inserted—on US soil, New Dawn’s program was quickly expanded to include any threats to the security of the Nation, foreign or domestic. That broad stroke of the brush allowed the Director of National Intelligence to choose anyone as a target that he deemed to be a threat.

It wasn’t my place to question the targets that were assigned to me. I simply had to live with the mental aftermath once the mission was complete.

From the first war the United States fought in until the last, the enemy was identifiable. By either a uniform, the color of clothing, or an appearance that was altogether different, the opposition could be recognized.

That recognition allowed those fighting in the wars to quickly react when confronted by anyone that fit within the description of the opponent. The identification of the enemy was a critical part in the mind’s ability to process the death of those killed as justifiable. The soldiers were able to compartmentalize the death based on appearance alone.

Good versus evil.

Participating in the program was different. Killing a US citizen with ties to ISIS wasn’t an easy task to digest. Second-guessing my actions had become commonplace. Although I repeatedly told myself the assignments I completed were for the betterment of the Nation, I struggled to accept my actions as being a necessary part of accomplishing that task.

Nevertheless, I’d taken an oath to oppose all enemies, foreign and domestic. When I made a promise, I kept it at all costs.

The cost, in this circumstance, was my own sanity.