In the brutal calculus of war, survival is often credited to skill, luck, or the simple whim of fate. But for some soldiers, the difference between life and death came as a warning from the most unlikely of sources: a messenger who was already dead.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices