Black Hawk Down (post #4)

"'Don't shoot,' Spalding shouted. 'She's got a kid.'

At that moment the woman turned. Holding a baby on one arm, she raised a pistol with her free hand. Spalding shot her where she stood. He shot four more rounds into her before she fell. He hoped he hadn't hit the baby. They were moving fast, and he didn't get to see whether he had. He thought he probably had hit the baby. She had been carrying the infant on her arm, right in front. Why would a mother do something like that with a kid on her arm? What was she thinking?" (pg. 106).

When i read this quote all i could think about was how terrible that soldier had to feel. The image of the woman falling, from rounds he had fired, with her baby in her arms must still be running through his head today. Thats just one of those things that would probably never cease to haunt your dreams.

Despite what a terrible incident this was, it had to be done. If the soldier would have held his fire, then the woman probably would have ended up killing him or one of his comrades, or maybe even more.