Gas Chamber and Mine Fields
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Mob is going fairly smoothly. For the most part. When I get a chance, I will be posting about each day individually, as my time here is limited.
Actually, it's up. Damn, that was a little fast. I'll have to finish this post in a little bit. I only have a thirty minute time limit on these things. that's not near enough! (more posts to come when I dig up the time!) Update 12-16-2004 Well, I found some more time for myself, after chow time. Ft Lewis has been fairly low key so far, I have a good month to get everything I need to get done accomplished. Plus, I get to go home for a few days next week. I didn't realize how much I had to do, which makes me doubly greatful that I have the time to go home and work on it. So, what has happened so far? To take a glance back, I got to the Western Part of the State in November, been on orders or on military payroll ever since. Sometimes there was nothing for me to do, other times I found myself a wee bit overwhelmed. But its all good. Quick fact, Yugoslavia was one of the highest producers of mines in the world during the cold war. During the latest conflict following the break up of Yugoslavia which brings us to present day Bosnia and Serbia and the mess that is the Balkans, Mines were placed everywhere. I got taught to probe for mines using a stick. That was one piece of training I didn't get in basic. It would be nice not having to use it. But personally, the gas chamber was fun. We went last Saturday, though we didn't break the seal on our masks, the purpose of it was to check the seal to make sure it held. First we went into the gas chamber with our masks on and gathered in a circle. If we weren't breathing CS, our masks were fine. Then we moved our heads up and down and all around and eventually started to move our mouths as if we were cows chewing cud. The whole purpose of this was to make sure the seal held. With me so far? Good. The next point was when we decided to check the masks for endurance over time. Commence with the running in place. Begin. We even sang cadence. I led for a short while, but damn do I need to brush up on my cadence calls. As we continued to run in place, something happened. My pro mask sprang a leak. I knew right away that it happened. CS gas is kind of hard to ignore. I told the chemical sergeant that my mask sprang a leak. You can't see anything in this darkened tent but I guess because I was basically yelling to make sure he understood me, he must have thought I was freaking out. He started 'freaking out', telling me to turn around as he took the harness on my pro mask and started Pulling. Damn I had never seen that thing so tight. Then he's saying "breathe out! Breathe Out!" while i'm trying to tell him that he pulled the harness to tight and now the seal is on my hair (and hence, it has no seal). Finally he told me to leave and talk to the chemical sergeant outside. I need a new harness. I got my dose of CS gas for the day though I learned that you do surprisingly develop a slight immunity to this gas over time. It wasn't bothering me that bad, well, other then the pores under my nose that were burning because of the snot. Basically, I didn't have to go again. My mask obviously works. The harness is worn. need a new one. However, this brings me to another moment. See, they carted us to the gas chamber in a cattle car. Which is just as it sounds (though one of the drivers informed me that it is known as a 'silver side', because cattle car is politically incorrect. Gimmeabreak). They were going to cart us back in the same cattle car. Most of the people I'm deploying with are from the south. They are cold here in fort lewis. The ones out of the gas chamber took refuge in the cattle car, which is an enclosed space. Most people spent at least 5 minutes in the gas chamber, which means that their clothes are permeated with CS gas. The gas was starting to linger. The real fun began when the cadre got the grand idea to get us back as soon as the last group went through the chamber. As they came out, we all loaded into the cattle car and closed the door. Everybody was streaming out within 10 seconds, and those that weren't either had their head out the window (me) or their pro mask on. The cs gas just built up in that enclosed space coming off all of our clothes. Good times. Good times.
Posted by Erickson on 2:36 PM : (((
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