Just a silly story.

Iraq 2009, our platoon is on the last mission before heading back to a main base to prepare for going home at the end of our deployment.

We we're one soldier short to do a mission, having given some up for other duties in preparation for leaving. So command told us well just take the cook..

So everyone else is Jaded as F by this point as we'd been there 9 months now, but the cook gets assigned to my vehicle (stryker) as our rear gunner. His first time going outside the wire. He is scared shitless. I give him words of encouragement by quoting some movie lines at him. "If everyone starts shooting just shoot in the same direction." is the one I remember.

Then giving him some real instructions, like hey just keep your weapon on Amber, if you see anything tell us first before you do anything. We hadn't been shot at in months things were pretty peaceful at the time.

We park near a very small village as the dismounts go out to talk to the locals and the rear gunner says theirs some kids coming his way. I quickly tell him this is normal ask some standard questions to make sure the kids aren't a threat luckily everything's fine. He says I think they want something. Leans over the vehicle to listen better, and then tells us. They are asking if we have any Playstations or Xbox's.

I tell him that's a new one even for me.. And that he can give them some bags of skittles but tell them that's all they get so they go away. Which he did and it worked. Rest of the mission was uneventful.

I used to find this memory funny because of messing with a 'rookie' by quoting movie lines at him, but over time I think the funnier part is this is his one and only mission which I imagine is quite rare for cooks. Is him being asked for PlayStation or Xbox's. By some ridiculous kids.