[ Nearly edible. Steve huffs out a small laugh at that, as he doesn't think either of them want to get into how horrible the food quality is when you're out on the front. It's probably true that the regulations were a lot more humane these days, but Steve still wouldn't expect too much improvement.

Then Sam starts to go into more detail about his experience in pararescue. It's not a subject Steve has pressed on much in the time that they've known each other, figuring that Sam would bring it up when he felt ready for it. Given that he'd lost Riley, it wasn't something that would be fair to mention without warning. ]

Yeah. I mean... [ Steve draws a hand over his mouth and releases a small sigh. ] The very nature of your job was precipitated on things going bad. You guys were doing some of the hardest work out there. Can't imagine some of what you had to see.

[ If a soldier had to be taken off of the battlefield via pararescue, it meant that they were in awful shape. Blown half to hell by an explosion, missing limbs, possibly on their way to a long and painful death. No doubt Sam had seen people breathe their last on the chopper after they'd already risked everything to get them out.

But having a body to take home to the family was better than having nothing, wasn't it? ]