In a way, it felt like dealing with new recruits in the war, the guys who had just graduated basic and been shipped out. They landed in theatre still wet around the ears and eager to get out and show those Gerrys a thing or two, prove what they could do. And then the mind-numbing monotony of daily life between battles threw them for a loop. Sergeant Barnes had hustled more than one private through the reality newsreels had never shown.
The way Mac fell into step just behind him, silently watching him if the hair rising on the back of his neck was any indication, reminded him of those privates. "How are you coping?" he asked after a few moments of that silence. "Anything creating a problem or issue?"