As Staff Sgts. Larry Knoll and Ace Jones drove down the dirt road, the knobby tires of their all-terrain vehicles kicked up huge clouds of dust.
Goggles, strapped over their Kevlar helmets, covered their eyes. They wore gloves and heavy flak vests, over which an assortment of gear hung from the belts of their load-bearing equipment. And they had stubby M-4s — the latest type of M-16 assault rifle — slung over their shoulders.
The security forces airmen wore the tools of their trade. Friends and partners, they knew well how to handle their steel, plastic and rubber steeds on the bumpy road at Bashur Airfield, Iraq, an outpost 255 miles north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
They stopped near a row of tents, got off their vehicles and dusted themselves off. Around them, airmen sat on cots outside their canvas abodes, chatting and spooning down Meals, Ready to Eat. And after a long day on the job, the rations were looking mighty tasty to Knoll and Jones.
“What a day. We’ve been busy since we got up,” said Knoll, who has been a security cop his whole 10-year Air Force career. “It’s going to feel good to get off my feet for a while.”
But after 14 hours on the job, there was a chance they might not get any rest. At any moment they could get the call to switch to their other persona — snipers.