by Brad Taylor
Readers sometimes chide me about the “miracles” that I have Pike survive, saying they’re far-fetched, and I just nod. Inside, I’m smiling at a private joke, thinking about Taz and the real-world miracles I witnessed him accomplish in the defense of our nation. Miracles that eventually ran out. Pike is fictional, but he represents something real. Something tangible. More so than anyone else, he represented Taz.
I learned more about combat skill just watching him than people could possibly understand, and yet he will remain a complete unknown to the American public. No flags, no parades, no Kathryn Bigelow movies made about any of his exploits. Just a black star on a wall few are allowed to see and a granite stone at Arlington.
In the end, he died valiantly saving the lives of others, and some would say he was killed doing what he loved, which should be of some comfort. I wish that were an absolute because it would make the pain less, but I’ve watched him with his family, and I know what was the greater love.
Like them, I miss him every day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the US Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, popularly known as the Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as classified operations around the globe. His final military post was as Assistant Professor of Military Science at the Citadel. His first three Pike Logan thrillers, One Rough Man, All Necessary Force, and Enemy of Mine, were national bestsellers. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.