Riding in a caravan of armor-plated vehicles with the blazing sun and unforgiving desert at his face, the typical U.S. Army soldier scans the horizon for insurgents and the road ahead for improvised explosives.

It’s been more than 48 hours since he last rested. He’s been shot at and made to run miles carrying heavy weapons and a metal-plated bulletproof vest. He’s hungry. He’s tired.

He loves it.

Weathering conditions on a daily basis a typical person would find unbearable, the U.S. Army soldier is the tip of the sword in Iraq, and he loves his job, according to U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Felipe Leal, Jr. of Kenedy.

Leal’s platoon, named Chaos, is full of proud, well-trained soldiers. Since they first hit the sand in Iraq, they’ve detained 43 insurgents, found 15 improvised explosive devices, destroyed seven cars, been hit by nine roadside bombs, and had three platoon members wounded in combat.

Not a single man in their group has been killed.

Some are on their third tour of duty, and some are in Iraq for the first time. Speaking of the men …

Staff Sergeant Leal — One of the men in charge of leading Chaos Platoon, Leal is on his third tour of duty in Iraq. Age 31, Leal has extensive combat experience and is the only one of the bunch to have been shot by direct fire. He was on the ground when the invasion of Iraq first began and he’s fiercely dedicated to finishing his mission.

Craig, AKA Scooby — Nicknamed for the quirky way he laughs, 21-year-old Specialist Scooby is the designated shooter and gunner for Leal’s truck. Vehicle wrecks tend to happen in Iraq, and Scooby got the platoon’s record for the number of trucks smashed into at once after he hit three enemy combatant vehicles.

Toussan — A heavy machine gunner, Leal describes Toussan’s English as something else. "There are times you just cannot make out what he is saying to you. It’s not that you cannot hear him, it’s the words he uses. Toussan is a great soldier, but he jabbers a lot, so it’s funny to listen to him," Leal said.

Babcock — The platoon’s medic, Sergeant "Doc" Babcock is a 26-year-old married man in the middle of his first tour in Iraq. He loves to go on raids with the platoon and has rather unique driving skills. "Doc’s driving ability gives a good reason why we leave him in the back seat," Leal joked. "I do admit it gets exciting when you are riding at night with no lights and you look over to see your driver looking down trying to fix his night-vision goggles."

Spencer — A 26-year-old from Beeville, Specialist Spencer is a heavy machine gunner for the platoon. His mouth is as quiet as his guns are loud and heavy, though. He’s the reserved, educated man on the platoon and has a history major from Texas A&M University. Described by Leal as the platoon’s "prophet," Spencer is the man everyone goes to when they need to ask a question.

Luis — An Iraqi civilian traveling with Chaos Platoon, Luis is the group’s Iraqi interpreter. An invaluable resource to the group, he helps Chaos interface with the local populace, who often are willing to point U.S. soldiers toward insurgent fighters and hidden explosives.

Bain — One of the platoon’s older members, Bain was Leal’s driver before he recently was moved to a different platoon.

Allinson — A 23-year-old married man from California, Specialist Allinson "Snacks" is the group’s eater. A quiet guy, Leal describes him as a great driver.

Ransom, AKA Kong — A large guy, 25-year-old Sergeant Ransom fell in love with the 2006 movie "King Kong" when it came out on DVD in Iraq. He could be seen imitating Kong quite often after he first saw the movie, and his fiery mannerisms match the ape’s very well. Ransom once took on an insurgent with his bare fists, beating him over the head and dragging him through a window. Another time, his truck struck an improvised explosive device on the road. With just one arm, he reached up and pulled his truck’s gunner from the turret and away from harm.

Gerald — A 24-year-old the guys call "Bible Salesman," Gerald is the platoon’s opinionated politician type. He is married, on his second tour in Iraq, and is an expert at changing tires.

Langdale — On his second tour of duty in Iraq, Langdale is one of the platoon’s members on "stop loss," or a forced term of service to the military after his initial agreed-upon time of service had expired. Another quiet and reserved type, Langdale is the group’s computer geek and takes everyone to task at first-person shooter games. A gunner and driver for his truck, Langdale carries the fearsome M203 grenade launcher mounted on his M4 rifle.

Banasak — A married 23-year-old from Michigan, Staff Sergeant Banasak is the platoon’s fire support officer. When the platoon needs artillery support, he’s the man that gets on the radio and relays the coordinates. His claim to fame is having found the platoon’s largest improvised explosive device, a bomb that contained 500 pounds of explosives.

Smith — On his second tour in Iraq, the 27-year-old married staff sergeant is a U.S. Army Ranger and was with one of the first units to come to Baghdad.

Ritter — A 26-year-old New Yorker the group sometimes calls "Beavis," Ritter is a very outspoken soldier. He always has an opinion on everything. "Ritter is the type of person who would read the Bible not for religious purposes, but as an angle to beat you in an argument," Leal said. His nickname comes from his likeness, which platoon members say represents a popular 1990s Music Television cartoon character.

England — Sometimes called Johnny-England, the 22-year-old married California resident is a gunner for Leal’s vehicle and is on his first tour in Iraq. England was one of the men there with Leal when they were ambushed by insurgents and Leal was wounded.

Marsh — The eldest man in the group and the platoon leader, 33-year-old Marsh is a seasoned veteran. He served under President Bill Clinton and was there for the Black Hawk Down incident, which later was made into a movie with the same name in 2001.

Roman — If the platoon’s tank ever breaks down, they can always use Roman as a substitute. The 6’3", 237-pound former linebacker for the University of Miami is a towering juggernaut and carries a heavy SAW machine gun. In charge of breaking in doors, Roman is at the front of the line when the platoon goes on a raid. "One raid we did, Roman was the breech man — he smashes the door with a ram to gain entry," Leal said. "He hit the door so hard that the door and frame flew to the middle of the room and was still standing. We just said the door did not know what happened since it was blown out of a concrete wall." The giant has a gentle side, though. He loves dogs and has a hard time when the platoon is called upon to use deadly force. He has a wife back at home in Florida.

Duarte-Sosa — A 22-year-old single guy the platoon calls "Sauce Money," Duarte is a designated marksman who’s just as good a shot with his M14 as he is a fan of hip-hop. His ideal music comes from artists like 50-Cent, and he has much love for his hometown of Providence in the Dominican Republic. He recently received American citizenship while serving in Iraq.

Booker — Another designated marksman with the group, Specialist Booker is a soldier with a fiery fighting spirit and a temper to match. "In a pinch, Booker is outstanding," Leal said. He is an adoptee originally born in Korea. On his second tour of duty, Booker is another one of the platoon’s members on "stop loss," and can’t wait to go home.

Pond, AKA Cambodian — A heavy machine gunner and vehicular gunner, Pond is an excellent marksman with heavy, automatic weapons. Nicknamed because of his Cambodian nationality, he and his sister were adopted by an American couple at a very young age. The guys in the platoon generally give him a hard time for his clumsy, Gerald Ford-style falls. He’s an invaluable asset to the team, though, and is on his second tour in Iraq. "He is a great soldier and never complains," Leal said.

Soldiers are granted extensive freedoms to customize their weaponry to their own personal skills and tastes, and Leal’s weapon has undergone several modifications.

Leal’s M14 has had its wooden combat rail stock replaced with a retractable metal stock. He’s also added a tactical light, an M68 reflex scope, and an M4 laser sight system.

"I use this weapon because I like the added fire power and distance of the 7.62mm. With the retractable butt stock, I can shorten the weapon to make it easier to fit in the M1114 and run in and out of houses," Leal said. "I chose not to put the 10 power (scope) on the weapon. I move too much and take a chance to knock off the scope, so I keep to the M68 reflex sight."

The secondary weapon choice for Leal also plays a large part in saving his life during close-quarters combat where the enemy may not be more than 10 or 20 feet from him.

"With this weapon, I can shoot and punch through cars and walls a lot easier than with my 5.56mm M4. The M4 is known to over penetrate, so when we hit a person, they may not fall right away. With the M14 I may lose velocity but the bigger round will knock the target down and punch through obstructions while still traveling straight," he said.

His other gear also plays an integral part in keeping him safe. The weight of his bulletproof combat armor and extra ammunition adds an extra 100 pounds to his inventory and doesn’t keep very cool during the sweltering Iraqi summer.

On his person, he carries a medical kit, 12 fully loaded ammunition magazines, a radio pouch, night vision goggles, and Kevlar combat guards for his shoulders, sides, and neck.

Like many other soldiers, Leal also wears a mask to keep out sand and to protect his face from sunlight. An added bonus, he said, is the mask’s intimidation factor when he has to deal with the local population.

"The uniform itself is not too bad. The new design is better and more comfortable. I also have to wear flight gloves because they are somewhat fire resistant. The added 100 pounds is very fatiguing but as time goes on the more I get use to the weight of the vest and ammo," Leal said.

The picture of Leal (Page 1) was taken on patrol when his unit stopped to talk to local Iraqis during an attempt at gathering intelligence. Most people Leal’s interpreter attempts to question are helpful and forthcoming with information.

"This family we talked to was building a new home and knew some of the insurgents we were looking for. Sometimes we ask the same questions over and over to different members of the village. That way we can confirm the intelligence we are getting," he said.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the main weapons Iraqi insurgents use in an attempt to kill American Marines and coalition forces. Their effectiveness varies, but the concept is basically the same in all cases, and the results often look like the explosion pictured.

Most IEDs are remote-controlled. One of the main reasons Marines keep an eye on the horizon is to scan for possible insurgents waiting to detonate the bomb via remote control. The IED pictured (at right) was one just like that, and barely missed Leal’s convoy.

"The IED exploded just in front of my vehicle. I was 100 meters away. It was shocker to me," he said. "The vehicle behind me took the photo. There are two more vehicles in front of me. Since we move around in sections, it’s harder for the insurgents to hit us. The IED was radio-controlled, so the insurgent tried to beat our electron jamming equipment by triggering it early. Sometimes they just get scared; because when the bomb goes off we are scanning the sides for a triggerman. Anyone running is usually engaged."

One of the main concerns of a unit about to head out on patrol is enemy activity. Here, Leal and his fellow Marines are being briefed by their platoon sergeant in regards to recent enemy movement. Knowing which areas to look out for helps the Marines keep on their toes when danger is afoot.

"We will go over actions on contact, direct fire or indirect fire (mortars). He will explain what extra personnel will be traveling with us. This is the time when all three of us senior NCO (noncommissioned officer) will talk about any last minutes things that need to be done. We also ensure all our soldiers are aware and understand the day’s mission," Leal explains. "We get our patrol cycle (for) morning, afternoon, (and) night. We will prep the night before for the mission, fuel vehicles, ammo count and resupply, electronics check, get what ever equipment we will need, and then relax enjoying our few hours before mission."

Missions are no walk in the park. Aside from the danger of possibly being shot at and having to engage with insurgents, the typical Marine platoon spends a total of 72 hours on a mission. That’s 72 hours watching the horizon, shooting at the enemy, and looking out for roadside explosives.

When they get back from their mission, they’ll be granted 48 hours of rest and relaxation. Some soldiers sleep the entire time off. It’s a good chance for a Marine to catch a shower or watch a good movie.

Some soldiers get straight back into the competitive experience with video games. The modern gaming revolution called the "LAN party," short for local area network, is a sight seen frequently.

Rather than one person sitting at a television playing a game by themselves, multiple televisions, gaming systems, or laptop computers are linked together. Each player has their own screen and their own personal view from which to play, and Marines with their combat-trained reflexes can be quite competitive.

"As you can tell there are different but simple things we do to pass time besides cut up and talk to each other. They have computer and phones set up so we can keep contact with home. The one thing soldiers look forward to each day is mail," Leal said.

Mail is the highlight of every soldier’s off time. Whenever one gets a care package, everyone gathers around to see what’s inside. Families, friends, and organizations often send things to soldiers that can be hard to come by in Iraq.

Tobacco is a frequent inclusion in a care package, followed by telephone calling cards, movies, games, comic books, and photos from home. Simple things available to Americans stateside like a can of soda or a good cigar can be a rare or impossible find overseas.