Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

passed by gave enemy fighters more time to coordinate a serious attack
on our position. Within a few minutes, everyone was ready. We quickly
briefed the team and emphasized that we needed to move fast.
“Let’s do this,” was the consensus. Everybody knew we would likely
get in a gunfight. But we wanted that gunfight to be on our terms, not the
enemy’s.
With everything ready, we broke out of the building and emerged
onto the street, our weapons pointed in all directions, ready for a fight.
We quickly moved out and made our way through the streets, covering
and moving as a team past Iraqi citizens who stared at us with some
surprise. When aggressive men with guns pointed their weapons at them,
the locals knew to keep their distance. Anyone who didn’t avoid
interfering with a heavily armed SEAL squad was certainly looking for
trouble. Rapidly, we pushed past parked cars and piles of trash. Threats
were everywhere in this urban environment. Every gate, door, and
alleyway that we passed, the distant intersections down the street at
ground level, and above us from every rooftop, balcony, and upstairs
window—each presented the possibility of well-armed muj fighters
ready to inflict horrible wounds or death upon us.
Our tactic, which we had trained for, practiced, and utilized, was a
fundamental one we called “Cover and Move.” Within our OP2 squad,
we had four elements of smaller teams. One team covered, their weapons
trained on threats, while the other team moved. Then those teams
reversed roles. In this way, the teams leapfrogged in bounds, constantly
utilizing Cover and Move to ensure we were prepared to fend off an
attack as we maneuvered through the streets.
For about five hundred meters, OP2 moved along steadily, making
our way back toward COP Falcon. Then all hell broke loose. Fully