Runnin Gun
“I love the smell of burning s#*t in the morning!”
Like a drag racer, you sit crouched and waiting for the go.
As soon as you cross through the barrier of protection, its a dog eat dog world out there….like a cross between drag racing and demo derby. Your up and movin around like you’re in an epileptic fit. Hands flailing directing traffic while looking at every single vehicle, person, object around you trying your damndest to keep that protective bubble known as space around your vehicle. The tension is so thick you could cut it with that Ka-Bar that you have strapped to your ballistic vest. Your heart is thumping at the rate that usually takes a good 4 mile run to acquire. Your goggles fog up from the steam off of your face.
Those small parts of the road where traffic isn’t bunched up, you experience a sound tunnel….things are almost silent…then the scream of the PA on the front of your vehicle literally screams to life as it starts barking the commands for the traffic a few hundred meters to get the hell out of the way. The short interval of feedback startles you as you are violently ripped from that blackhole of silence. You immediatley get back into throwing up hand signals to stop traffic and your voice is distorted as you try to make yourself heard over the roar of your humvee’s engine.
Amidst all this chaos you look over to the side of the road and see a small child…dirty…waving at you. You take that split second to lift a hand and wave to him/her…cracking a small smile hoping that what little kindness you can show to a child will make any difference at all in the local populace’s hostile attitude towards you and your countrymen in the future…maybe.
The few checkpoints that you get to rest in are helpful. You drink some water out of your canteen or grab a small snack out of your pack. A few minutes…maybe hours to relax a little, but no dropping your gaurd…yer still in the derby….just makin a pit stop for some gas….maybe water and food. You get the word, time to roll. Game faces go back on and it’s time to jump back in the pit.
The trip back to base is a rush in itself. Like a runner getting their second wind, you find a small cache of energy that easily finds its way out on the return trip. A different objective on your mind, your mind is almost on a higher alert than it was in the initiation of that mission. The adrenaline is flowing…hearts racing…sweating…praying, “Just let me get home, Lord.” But these prayers are not like those ones where you know that you’re gonna get it….it’s a deterant from the unknown…in a place where the impossible is possible…where anything and everything could be a danger to you and your team.
Just seeing the finish line your tension eases a little…but it aint time to drop your guard yet… never know when somethings gonna go off. You roll in the gate and give the gate guards a wave…”good to see ya” your mind says…. comforted that you can now reach into your chest cavity and grab hold of your heart and slow it down a little bit. The adrenaline turns itself off….like a short high, it sometimes comes with a short low afterwards, but nothing matters cuz yer behind walls now, you can drop your guard.
Good times…
Man, sounds intense dude. Calm cool and collective dude, that’s what it’s all about. Glad to hear your doing alright dude.
What a moving post! I am so ignorant about all that is going on over in Iraq, so it is great to be able to read about your experiences. Keep them comin…stay safe over there and I miss you!
Awesome post. You’re pullin’ heart strings. Stay safe! We’re praying.
You are such a great writer! We see the pictures, and hear the stories, but you let us in on your thoughts. Take Care SF
Great writing! Keep your helmet on and do NOT lose it
i agree.. great writing. keep yourself safe!
i like the new blog design too.
xoxo
I don’t know what to say. I wish it didn’t sound so real.
You stay safe soldier.
Don’t ever let your guard down…
Good stuff, stay safe and God Bless.
Hey there…glad to hear from you!!! Hang in there… you are very much in our prayers & thoughts always!!!!!!
Will have a letter to you going out either today or by Saturday at the latest…sorry for the delay in getting on the ball here ~ college started and I went out of town for a week so things have been hectic! Don’t worry tho… I’ll GIT-R-DONE ASAP!
Stay safe as you can….
Really great stuff. Its been a long time since ive been on here. It looks like i might need to visit more often. It seems like a really great place to let your mind be free…(well to a certain point) But this is really good even though im always in the truck with you (the voice on the PA) it feels like mission here i the room…lol. also i would like to tell you you are doing a great job so that all your readers can see. Keep up the good work. Oh and “are we going to get that ice cream now?”…..LOL