[It's a familiar topic, and he knows it well enough to be able to start explaining immediately, maybe almost mechanically. Strange, how that's kind of soothing, because he doesn't have to wonder if he's saying the wrong thing or worry over how what he is saying comes out.]

The mortar's kinda like a big tube with a tripod keepin' it upright, with a base plate on the bottom of the tube to help with the recoil. There're eight or so guys on a squad. You're supposed to have a sergeant or corporal up ahead tellin' you where to direct your fire, the gunner uses the sight to line up the shot, the assistant prepares the round and drops it in the tube when the gunner says so. He fires it, and just about anything in a forty five yard radius gets blown to hell.

The other guys are ammo carriers, or rotate to be a gunner if someone's hurt or needs to sleep.