To the dust that settled on our boots and the fire that burned in our hearts, this story is for you. It is for Sergeant Alex Vance, and for every soldier who has walked the unforgiving sands, who has heard the thunder of explosions and the chilling silence that follows. It is for those who carried the weight of their packs and the heavier burden of their memories, returning home with invisible scars etched deeper than any shrapnel wound.