Combat infantry carry the most, eat the worst, die the fastest, sleep the least, and have the most to fear. But they’re the real soldiers, the only ones conducting what can be considered “war” in the most classic sense, and everyone knows it. I once asked someone in Second Platoon why frontline grunts aren’t more admired. “Because everyone just thinks we’re stupid,” the man said. “But you do all the fighting.” “Yeah,” he said, “exactly.”
