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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Military Training on Jurassic Park.

I can't remember the beginning, as usual, but I'll do my best to start from a beginning.
For all it's size and grandeur the Hummer was incredibly unimpressive when it came to sandy terrain. The heavy tires would sink and spew grains of sand in every which direction. I was seated in the back seat, right behind the front passenger, picking sand out of my hair when I first heard it. A heart stomping thump sounding repeatedly. I could almost describe it as a teenager with their music too loud in one of their sporty cars, with only the base playing.
The dinosaur struck and I felt like I was in a replay of the accident I was in about 3 months ago. The world looked like it had been put in a blender, a whirlwind of color and metal. Once the crunching and screeching metal came to an end, I crawled out of the crumpled remains of the vehicle. I made my way to the rain forest not far from the sand dunes we had been patrolling. I glanced over my shoulder to see at least 5 T-rexes attacking the assembly of soldier vehicles that were part of my company. I knew that if such an attack happened we were required to make it to the nearest base. So I ran through the forest, tripping over roots and knocking hanging vines away from my face. At last after what seemed like hours I looked up to see a fence, taller than any house I'd ever seen, made with wires as thick as my thighs. It looked invincible but I knew that the dinosaurs had met and exceeded many of our expectations before.
I was let into the base after I proved I was military, by showing my tags that I wore around my neck. I was directed to a field house with two other people standing in the middle of the make-shift building. I walked over to them and they seemed to accept my presence without question. One person was a standing officer who I knew was about to train us for something very different, and I had a feeling it would be very special and very hard.
We began by learning a series of kicks and rolls. I at first thought it was a punishment for something because the drills were just like hand to hand combat practices we did at training, but soon the drills became more serious and precise. Instead of aiming for the head, we aimed for their temples, and instead of blocking a punch, we directed their punches elsewhere. One we were panting, the officer said, "Good, that'll do for a warm up." My heart sank but I set my jaw and prepared for more.
We were taken to a corner where a tree had grown and damaged a part of the building. the huge trunk ripped through the canvas of the walls and the branches reached out and beyond the ceiling leaving tears where they had protruded from. It almost looked like the building had been built around it. Along the tree was a rope. We were told to climb it, and I would go first.
Alright, no biggie, I told myself. but as I neared the tree I saw that the trunk, the branches, even the rope was covered in a think, honey-like ooze which came from cracks in the bark. Was it sap? I didn't like it. It looked like it was heavy and sticky and I looked back, an unspoken question in my eyes. the officer looked on hard and unforgiving. Alright, how bad could it be?
The first 10 yards were nothing, a little sticky, but I managed to make it to the first branch of the tree. I looked up to find the next branch to climb to then was met with a large dump of sap on my face. It as warm, heavy and suffocating me. I fought to clear the stuff from my face and breath for air. But the honey like ooze was in my nose and my mouth and ears. The only sense I still had was my sight; my eyes didn't seem to mind the sap and I was able to look around, as if through a honey colored lens. I calmed down and used my head; climbing, wriggling, and crawling ever so slowly through the muck and further a long the branch. Eventually I was out, though I was covered in a slimy mess. I looked down and the officer pointed to the branch above me. I got faster and better at avoiding the sap.
Eventually the training was a success. I wasn't sure how but I could see that the officer was pleased.

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