That’s what they called the courage needed to stay within the ROEs. With the new counterinsurgency doctrine now fully adopted, our strategy in Iraq had changed from one of overwhelming firepower to a kindler, gentler type of fighting that looked more like neighborhood law enforcement with heavy weapons than a military operation. It took guts not to shoot on sight anything that resembled a legitimate target in a city where threats lurked around every corner, hid in every alley. Bombs, snipers, mortar barrages—the enemy practiced no heroic restraint, just suicide attacks, hit-and-run raids, and massive assaults on the forward COPs. Every time SEAL Team Five’s snipers pulled their triggers, the shooter reports had to be filed, investigations carried out. The men got to the point where they hated those things, and hated the sight of the JAG officers seemingly ready to second-guess every battlefield decision. After his first report, Adam told his OIC, “Boss, I suck at paperwork. Hell, I wouldn’t even know how to write my own name if it wasn’t stenciled on my gear.”
