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

and decrease their ability to attack nearby U.S. Army and Marine combat
outposts. We wanted the enemy to know that they no longer could enjoy
safe haven here. This neighborhood was no longer theirs. We owned this
ground.
Pushing this far into enemy territory carried tremendous risks.
Though the nearest U.S. combat outpost was not more than 1.5
kilometers or so in a straight-line distance from our position, the
extreme IED threat and heavy enemy presence could render any support
we needed from tanks or armored vehicles extremely hazardous and
difficult, if not impossible. Although our Army brethren would come to
our aid if we called, we knew we would be putting them at great risk to
do so. It was a tactic we had learned from the U.S. Marine companies
stationed along the main route through the city: unless we had an urgent
casualty, we would hold our position hunkered down right where we
were. We would not call in vehicles or additional troops and put them at
risk unless we took serious casualties and absolutely needed them.
The apartment building our SEAL platoon now occupied provided an
excellent tactical position. With a higher vantage point above the
buildings around us, its thick concrete walls provided some protection
from enemy fire. There was only one problem: the building had only one
entrance and exit from the second story—a narrow stairway leading
down to the street. There was no way of watching the entrance or the
street surrounding it during daylight without exposure to enemy fire.
This meant the enemy could possibly emplace IEDs near the entrance
while we were inside and detonate them on us as we exited. We had
heard stories of how this had happened to a Marine sniper team and other
American units during our tour. To counter the threat, my chief and I
considered occupying a house across the street that would allow us to