Orion's Belt

I have a very special infatuation with the constellation of Orion. One dark, clear night in Baghdad almost 20 years ago, my comrade and I guarded the Entry Control Point (ECP) to the radar site that controlled the air space for military forces across the country. We checked personnel and vehicles entering and exiting the area, maintaining accountability for all personnel on site. We rotated from the ECP, to the armory, to roaming duties, where we secured all the tents, equipment, and perimeter for our compound. On this night, as we sat atop a modified shipping container monitoring radio chatter and watching the dirt road leading up to the gate, we suddenly heard a loud whistle overhead. Just above us, a shadow raced through the night sky. A split second later, we were startled by a loud boom. I remember the container shaking, but I cannot attest to if it actually happened, or if it was just me. We ducked frantically. A missile had crashed into the earth only a couple football fields or so from our post. We were immediately on the radio, declaring what we saw to our security lead. While everyone else in our compound was under cover, we were exposed atop the container and providing our SALUTE report. After the initial response, driven by adrenaline, as the buzz wore off, I started to panic a little inside and became overwhelmed with a sense of longing for my young boys back home, a wee 2 and 4 years old at the time. My comrade recognized my change in demeanor. At this point, we laid atop of the bunker to remain low and protected as much as possible. He pointed to the sky and said “You see those 3 bright stars right there? Those are Orion’s Belt, a part of the Orion Constellation". He told me about the story of Orion, named after the hunter in Greek Mythology. Ultimately, in that moment, he focused my attention on the story of the stars and quieted my mind. Now, so many years later, I look forward to the appearance of Orion in the night sky, reminding me that even in the most chaotic moments in life, one can find peace and beauty in the night sky, and quiet, in the mind.