When Can I Stop Running? by John Podlaski

A vivid depiction of a terrifying night as an infantryman on a listening post during the Vietnam War.  Two teenage soldiers, friends and fellow Detroiter's, are alone and positioned in the dense jungle three-hundred meters beyond the barbed-wired perimeter and relative safety of their firebase - their assignment as a "human early warning system", is to listen for enemy activity and forewarn the base of any potential dangers.

As they were new to the “Iron Triangle” and its reputation, little did they know that units before them lost dozens of soldiers in this nightly high-risk task and referred to those assigned as "bait for the enemy" and "sacrificial lambs".

Sitting in the pitch black tropical jungle - with visibility at less than two feet - one character's imagination takes hold throughout the agonizing night, and at times, transports him back to some of his most vivid childhood memories - innocent, but equally terrifying at the time.

As kids, we instinctively run as fast as we can to escape imaginary or perceived danger, but as soldiers, men are trained to conquer their fears and develop the confidence to stand their ground and fight. At least in theory, this is how it's supposed to work.  But when enemy soldiers surround their LP - discovery or trying to run will result in instantaneous death...nothing in life had prepared them for this moment in time!