Watching the shells toss dirt and debris into the smoke-clogged atmosphere, Bill felt the chill of anticipation. He knew he would have to abide with the consequences of his decision, possibly the death of some of his men or his own. He accepted that when he volunteered for the infantry two years earlier, despite having an engineering degree in his pocket. At the time, he wanted to prove his mettle in battle-he had long since done that. Now he had command of a rifle company because he had that rare mix of courage, quick wits, and battle-hardened experience to handle combat command. Another time check revealed that the artillery prep had almost finished. The moment had arrived. Bill rose to his feet and motioned to the lead platoon leader to start the advance.

He stepped forward setting the example for his men. After taking a couple dozen paces toward the impacting artillery rounds, he looked back to check the movement of his troops. All he saw behind him was one very frightened radio operator. Book jacket.