"I've felt the wild revelry of drug traffickers in the slums, met the hostility of stray dogs by the dumpsters, and stood at the cake shop, longing for a woman to buy a piece of cake and wish me a happy birthday, but I had no mother."
"On my father's notebook, there were no essays or poems, only dates of menial work for others."
"I so loved to sleep, because then I wouldn't have to worry about an empty stomach, and I could dream of my mother, my mother holding me…"
"If I should fall, please take my ashes back to my hometown, and bury me next to my mother. Thank you, it's a bother, but please do this for me, comrade. May you have a smooth journey. I love Mexico, I love Victor."
A gust of wind caressed John Baslone's face.
the fallen comrades were wiping away the tears on his cheeks for him.
War, it's all very cruel.
John Baslone, wiping his tears, said, "Let's go, we need to clean up the brothers, can't let them go home ."
In the distance, Erich Manstein played the accordion.
"Erika, that's excellent," Fedor von Bock said with a smile as he sat down, passing his cigarette to Manstein, who hesitated. The other man simply stuck it into his mouth, "Smoke it, there's no such fine tobacco in hell."
"How are you? Feeling any better?" Manstein looked at him and asked.
"I won't die," Fedor von Bock waved his hand dismissively; his right pinky had been chopped off and was now simply wrapped in a bandage, "just a scratch."
Bock laughed, "It's just the Iraqis who managed a surprise attack. You'll see, the Americans will definitely strike back. The Iraqi ground troops look fierce, but their air force is a bit lacking."
Manstein agreed with this point. When they arrived, the command center had already analyzed the situation.
1 million VS 700,000!
The advantage is ours!
How could we possibly lose? Can Iraqi tanks fly like planes, or hit reconnaissance aircraft and bombers thousands of meters high?
Once all troops are fully assembled, we'll push them over.
It's just a minor setback.
"And besides, if worse comes to worst, we die on the battlefield, we'll meet at the Mexican Tijuana National Cemetery!"
Fedor von Bock took a drag of his cigarette, speaking quite nonchalantly.
These words caused a brief jolt in Manstein, who then nodded emphatically, "At the national cemetery, then!"
The rising sun behind them bore witness to their lofty spirits.
Inside Kuwait at Arifjan Base!
This place gathered over 300,000 Allied soldiers.
Just the daily consumption of food had to be flown in from neighboring Iran, and just feeding the people and horses was enough to give General Norman Schwarzkopf a headache. When he received the news of the battle in the east from Wolfrum, he was even more furious.
The Coalition Forces had over 2,000 casualties.
Thankfully, not many American soldiers died, otherwise, they couldn't afford the compensation.
Looking at an irate General Norman Schwarzkopf, his aid still brought him some good news, "In the war, we've killed over two thousand Iraqis and destroyed dozens of T72s. The Mexican Army performed particularly well—they repelled an attack by 1,000 Iraqis with just a machine gun squad, and one of them killed 178 people!"
"The Mexican tank crews destroyed 7 T72s in five hours with a single M1A1."
Norman Schwarzkopf's eyes widened as he looked over, those round little eyes somewhat skeptical, but this staff officer was always known for his precision and wouldn't lie.
He was immediately intrigued.
"Bring that Mexican unit over, I want to see them, and in front of all the Coalition Forces, I'll give them medals. Let them see that it's not just about hanging around; when it's time to pull their weight, they'd better do it!"
Norman Schwarzkopf intended to set an example.
With so many Coalition Forces together, there were plenty slackers, some even lying in their bunks refusing to come out, causing him great annoyance; it was problematic for him to reprimand his superiors.
Now that Mexico showed such spirit, it was worth showing them off.
The staff officer, upon hearing this order, hesitated, "General, Victor has tense relations with quite a few countries, I'm afraid..."
"Don't worry, can they really start fighting each other? I'm here, rest assured," Norman Schwarzkopf said, unconcerned.
The staff officer couldn't shake a foreboding feeling.