#120 - Victory Forge, day 5

This is the first time I've actually written from indoors this week. I am at sick call. I suspect I'll get a 3-day no running/no jumping/no marching profile and a supply of Ibuprofen for my litany of ills. A lot of people had to go to sick call this morning from Victory Forge, and the 1SG was pissed. He made each person come up to him and state their reason for wanting to go. Some people really didn't have a good reason for wanting to do so. There was a rumor that those who went to sick call would be able to stop by the barracks and get showers, so of course that inspired a few people to make the effort. Unfortunately there were no showers to be had. Since we are in day 5 without showering, people are beginning to stink. A lot of the females are also beginning to develop urinary tract infections and yeast infections. One of the other companies busses their soldiers back to the barracks periodically for showers, but not us. Charlie company always seems to do things the hard way.

The other companies are also not marching back from Victory Forge, nor did they have to wear their IBAs on the road marches. From everything I've heard, it sounds like we had it worse than any of the companies in our battalion.

Last night was supposed to be a quiet one in our perimeter. We should have known better than to believe that. For several hours we were periodically bombarded with flares, smoke bombs, and CS gas. The first time we were gassed, I struggled with putting my pro mask on, as I had a difficult time finding and adjusting the straps in the dark. Luckily the CS gas did not land close to my tent, but was a distance away, so I didn't receive the full brunt of the attack. As my skin began to burn and I inhaled the CS, I knew I had to move quickly, and finally got the damn thing on. I still had it on when we were gassed again, this time by a nearby canister. My skin was burning, but otherwise I did not incure any other discomfort with the mask on. Apparently the smoke cloud drifted over to the males' side of the perimeter, as I heard a lot of coughing, choking and sneezing coming from them.

It was frustrating having to wear the mask for a prolonged period, because we were not allowed to have eyeglass inserts in the mask, so I was blind (you cannot put the mask over eyeglasses and have a good seal). I thought I heard people walking around the woods, outside the perimeter, but I couldn't do anything about it, being "blind". So I sat helpless in my tent and waited for the gas attacks to finally end. Eventually they did, and I got a little sleep.

One of the other platoons in our company wasn't so lucky. Apparently they pissed off their DS and the 1SG by being late for a formation, so they were gassed repeatedly. Their Drill Sergeant also kept them up all night long, making them switch fighting positions (foxholes) every 30 minutes.

...

It is 10:33am, and the wheels of Army medicine have turned fairly quickly. I have already been seen at sick call. As I expected, I have my 3-day profile and Ibuprofen. Unfortunately I will not be able to make the 6-7 mile road march back on Friday, but I don't think it's mandatory. In the worst case, I will have to make up the event on the track when we get back to the company.

Just two more nights at Victory Forge... I can't wait for it to be over. I am tired, sore, dirty, smelly, and usually cold or otherwise uncomfortable. I am also weary of constantly living under the threat of being gassed or attacked.

The sad thing is that so many things out in the woods remind me of my husband, friends, and the pleasant experiences I've had outdoors in years past. I see the jerry cans storing water, and remember our camping trips in our Land Rovers. The military vehicles remind me of the ones we have at home. The DS has a small radio in his tent, and it reminded me of listening to the CBC while camping in Nova Scotia. The list goes on and on. I look forward to a day when spending time in the woods will once more be a positive experience. I miss having the lights on at night, coffee in the morning, campfires, and snuggling under the blanket with my husband. Sharing a hooch with White is a different experience...lol.

I'm still sitting at sick call, and waiting for Newman to be finished. I'm accompanying her as a battle buddy. Our DS said that today is mostly going to be a down period anyway, so we're not missing out on much.

When we were out at the Anzio range yesterday, Jackman had a little bit of a breakdown. The fact that almost everyone in our platoon hates her has finally taken its toll. I've been telling her all along not to worry about the idiots here, but I think she is finally reaching the breaking point mentally. I feel bad for the girl - she's only 18 years old, after all. She decided to go to sick call and request that she could stay in med quarters for the night, just to get away from everybody. Of course one of the females in the platoon found out, and the word has quickly spread that Jackman broke down from the mental stress of being our PG. People were already scrutinizing her for any possible fault, and now they are having a field day with this. I'm sure they are going to give her a hard time when she comes back. Perhaps she will ask the Drill Sergeant to relieve her of her PG duties... I don't know. I keep reminding her that she only has a few more days with these knuckleheads, but it's getting more difficult to console her.

We had lunch at sick call, which consisted of some nasty, heavily-processed canned food. There was a shrink-wrapped hamburger bun that probably had a shelf life of 70 years, and a 'barbeque meat product' which could have passed for wet cat food. Yummy!

I just ran into Jackman at sick call. She is going to try to stay a 2nd night at med quarters. Apparently the doctor found that her pulse and blood pressure were sky-high from her stress level, and they wanted to keep her for observation. I'm sure the platoon will be talking about her spending another night away while they are getting gassed in the field. Oh well...

I also ran into some of the other females from my platoon who went to sick call. They stopped at the barracks because someone had forgotten their military ID, and the girls ran and showered against the DS' wishes. Two of the offending parties were girls who are rumored to be hooking up at night with guys from another platoon. Perhaps after several nights in the field having sex, well, and without adequate personal hygiene, I can see why they are desperate for a shower...lol.

Sitting around is tiring in its own right, and I'm fighting drowsiness and my eyes becoming heavier with each passing minute. Most people in my platoon have been taking catnaps in their foxholes out at Blue STX. Our perimeter is spread out over a distance, so the Drill Sergeants can't be everywhere all the time.

I wish I had those packets of instant coffee with me now, as I could use the caffeine. This morning we were fed hot As in the field, and there was a large container of coffee. After the cadre had their fill, they said that anyone over the age of 30 was allowed to come up and get some coffee. I grabbed a cup of weak, gas station-like swill, and quickly gave it to someone else (under the age of 30!). I certainly miss coffee and it's been a long time since I've had it, but I am patient enough to wait for a quality coffee experience (I don't really consider the instant coffee packets I've been ingesting to count!).