For Four Friends Killed by a Road Side Bomb

But in November 2008, Hoover landed in Kandahar as a member of Charlie Troop of the 2nd Battalion of the 106th Cavalry Regiment. He was assigned to Team Crazy Horse, with the task of mentoring and training the Afghan National Police. That force needed help setting up and executing checkpoints and patrols on highways, a job fraught with the threat of roadside bombs.

Just over four months into his deployment, Hoover watched from a gun turret as the truck in front of him hit a roadside bomb. The explosion killed four of his friends and a local interpreter. The names of those who died are engraved in a Memorial Bracelet he wears.

"There's shock ... the enemy just killed your men. There's a lot of anger," Hoover said. "You try to keep it out of your head ... but obviously there's not a day when I don't think about it."

From Cops Life is Calm Again published by the Chicago Tribune - October 30, 2009.