Sergeant Wilson said she wanted to remain on base, close to the military clinic where her children are treated for their chronic asthma.

"They aren't sure how many guns we have in here," Sergeant Wilson said.

Sergeant Wilson lifted up and fired a burst of five rounds out the window at the wall.

Sergeant Wilson lifted up and looked out the window.

The next time he looked out, Sergeant Wilson saw that the tank was too close to the wall to fire over it.

Sergeant Wilson was unable to use either arm to fire his rifle, and marine casualties were mounting.

Sergeant Wilson is, in some ways, typical of soldiers who have lost a leg above the knee.

Sergeant Wilson talked about returning to "pretty much anything I did before."

Only then, Sergeant Wilson said, will they find out "how good a team they've become."

It also would have been easy to draw extra tubes of blood, Sergeant Wilson said.