#75 - Fit to Win and the gas chamber!

Today we are scheduled to go through the... drum roll... gas chamber! I am nervous to be going through it again, so I've been trying not to dwell on the thought. I was issued an ill-fitting protective mask instead of one in my size. I'm hoping to have it swapped out before we go in.





It is now evening, and I have time to look back at the day's events. This morning we had to complete something called the "Fit to Win" course. This consisted of running through obstacles such as low crawling through concrete pipes, climbing over monkey bars, jumping over walls, and climbing up and down a cargo net. My battle buddy had the misfortune of falling down right in front of me from the cargo net. She fell from a height of at least 9' up, and smacked herself unconcious on the ground. It was actually pretty scary. The cadre members in the area immediately ran over and tried to get her to respond. I accompanied her to the hospital. It seems that she is ok now, and just knocked herself silly - nothing that she won't be able to recover from. She did give everyone a good scare when she was knocked out. Some people thought that maybe she had broken her neck. Many of the people in my platoon gathered around and began praying for her. Even though everyone has their squabbles, it showed that they are able to come together when necessary.

I was able to come back from the hospital in time for the gas chamber in the afternoon. I missed most of the morning's training, which wasn't a big deal, since I remembered all about clearing and sealing a pro mask from my prior BCT experience. I was in the first group to go into the chamber, while the CS gas was nice and potent. The experience sucked, plain and simple, but I tried my best to regain my composure and not panic. A few people inside tried to run for the door, and one girl passed out. There was a guy from my platoon next to me, normally someone we think of as being a big, tough guy. He was really panicking: "Something's wrong with me! I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Yeah, no shit sherlock. None of us could breathe in there. You weren't alone in the experience.

We started out with our masks on, then had to break the seal around our mouths to tell the DSs our name and social security number. After we proved that we could reseal the masks, we kept them on for a little while. Then everyone had to take the entire mask off and recite either the Soldier's Creed or the Army Song. Or should I say, they tried to. It usually sounded something like this...

"I am an American... *cough cough cough* soldier!
*cough cough* I am *cough* *hack* *cough* a warr-- *cough* *cough* *cough*
and a *cough* *cough* *choke* *gasp* *cough* member *cough* *cough* *cough*
*uncontrollable coughing and flailing about while mucus flows everywhere*

DS: "OK soldier, that's enough. Exit the chamber."

All in all, I think we had the entire mask off for 30 seconds. That paled in comparison with my first time through the gas chamber where we had our masks off for several minutes. During that first experience, someone actually tried to punch out a Drill Sergeant in their haste to make it for the door, and we had to stay in for a long time. This 2nd trip through was not pleasant, but it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

What does it feel like in the gas chamber? Breathing in CS gas is a real treat. Your nostrils, throat and lungs are on fire, as is all of your exposed skin. You feel like you are burning up. Mucus flows readily from your nostrils, maybe your mouth too. Your eyes tear up, and it is hard to see. It is not uncommon for folks to vomit. I heard about someone who soiled their pants from the stress. You feel like you just can't breathe, and you strain desperately for the next breath of cleansing, refreshing air, but it never comes. There is only another horrible breath of black smoke to take in, and you begin coughing uncontrollably. One can only imagine what a fish out of water feels like while it is flapping on the ground. The worst of it is feeling like you are suffocating. Many people begin to panic. They flail about wildly, turn to the next person for help... but that next person is suffering too. They then turn to the cadre members in the chamber (who are wearing pro masks), hoping for a bit of mercy. "Please, let me out!" they plead in their minds (it's often in their minds, as they can't always vocalize what they want to say between all the bouts of coughing and choking). Time in the gas chamber passes slowly. Each second seems like a minute, or maybe an hour. The important thing is not to panic. No matter how bad it gets, you can't just run for the door. If you try to leave before you are permitted, you will be forced to go through the gas chamber again, and will probably have to stay in even longer. It is best to just suck it up for the time you have to be in there, and wait until you are instructed to leave. Think of it as a character-building experience. Most folks who have been in the military will joke about their gas chamber experience later on.

Once outside the gas chamber, you are instructed to hold your pro mask in one hand, and the kevlar in another, waving your arms up and down. This actually helps to shake of the remaining CS gas on your clothing. You are made to walk around for several minutes while still shaking your arms up and down. The Drill Sergeants tell you to not rub your eyes nor touch your skin, which could intensify the effects of the CS. You are usually drooling like an idiot, and still coughing, or maybe vomiting. You take in all the fresh air that you can. Your lungs and skin are still burning a bit, but with time, the discomfort lessens. Within a few minutes you are fine, and it seems like you never went into the chamber at all, other than the stench of CS remaining on your clothing and gear.

Some of the following photos are of people in my company coming out of the chamber. I am in the first photo. You can tell from the expressions on everyone's faces what a fun time it was for all. Note the cadre member cracking up in the second photo. I would probably be laughing too!

Tomorrow we are scheduled to go to the rifle range to learn procedures, and then are going to be learning to fire on an indoor computer simulation (sounds interesting). On Friday we are having a longer road march and overnight bivouac.

One of the things that makes me a little nervous here is something we'll have to do later in BCT called a convoy live fire. Fourteen soldiers will ride around in the back of a truck, firing their M-16s while the truck is moving. You will be verrry close to the person next to you while you are firing. A simulated IED will go off, and half the truck will dismount the vehicle while the remainder are still firing at targets. Then the other seven will jump off and engage targets. The Drill Sergeants have told us that this will be, by far, the most dangerous thing we'll have to do at basic training. From what I have seen of many people's inability here to follow simple instructions, it does make me a little nervous. Good thing I took out $400,000 of life insurance coverage... just in case!