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In part 2, we get more of Ramadi through Blake Pepper’s eyes: river searches, javelin shots from bridges, a Mark 19 jam under fire, and the day Conde didn’t come back. Between firefights, we find the small rituals that kept a platoon human and the long road from anger to remembrance. It’s the texture of a deployment you won’t find in an official military publication, told without bravado and without flinching.

• night patrols with face paint and bridge overwatch
• two-day river search with no sleep
• javelin engagements on a stalled car and enemy buildings
• hooch grappling, volleyball mishaps, and downtime mixtapes
• candy for kids from ammo-can boxes
• chow hall clashes, saluting in combat zones
• weapon malfunctions, lubrication, and field fixes
• Okinawa and Philippines training to rebuild the unit
• "the Blue Mile", Arlington visits, and honoring Gold Star families
• Sergeant Kenneth Conde’s leadership, loss, and the crew’s aftermath
• mental health dips, reunions, and brotherhood as lifeline

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All music used with permission by soundbay: https://www.youtube.com/@soundbay_RFM