35 is not 18......
Last night I was entering a compound with a couple of my squads and squad leaders. It was surrounded by about an eight foot wall. In order to breach it, I sent a dismount over with just a pistol to unlatch the gate from the inside. He climbed the wall, lowered himself down by his hands, and dropped. I climbed up on the wall to over watch for him. Once he was inside, he said, "Aw man, it's got a chain on it with a lock." About that time, several dogs started barking. My dismount turned around and pointed his pistol in their direction. In hopes of giving him more support, I jumped off the wall into the courtyard to provide more security. It sounded like a great idea in theory.....until I hit the ground. It was roughly an eight foot drop, and when I landed I was painfully aware of every joint in my body. A weird "ZING" went from my feet to the top of my head, and I crumpled over into a PLF to try and absorb some of the shock.
My dismount said, "Sir, are you alright?" I said yeah, and immediately got up and started scanning. I shined my Surefire at the dogs and they moved back. My dismount tapped me and handed me something. It was a battery from my NOD that I had attached to my rifle. The impact of hitting the ground had jarred the battery cap loose. We called for a breach kit, and cut the lock and did our mission. My hip felt "funny" while we were walking around on our patrol, but it did not hurt. We remounted our vehicles and traveled to a couple more locations, but my back started getting tight. When we got back inside the wire and I did my debrief, it felt like my neck was getting stiff. I got back to the hootch took a shower and lay down for the night. When I woke up a couple of hours ago, I had to negotiate with my legs in order to swing them out of the rack. I am hurting........
I look at myself in the mirror, and the image hasn't really changed all that much in the last 10 years. I am physically fit, my last P.T. test I did 83 pushups, 74 situps, and ran two miles in 13 minutes and 24 seconds. However, something has changed since August 14th, 1990 when I first went to basic training. My recovery time is not the same. As I type this, I have a dull ache in my hip, and my head refuses to turn all the way to the left. Could it be that I am getting old?
I laughed it off and said that it was an injury that could happen to anybody. Hell, I eat right, exercise and keep myself in great shape. As I hobbled to the shower this morning, I looked up and saw a runner coming by who waved his hand. It was my dismount going for a run.......damn, I am getting old.
Last night I was entering a compound with a couple of my squads and squad leaders. It was surrounded by about an eight foot wall. In order to breach it, I sent a dismount over with just a pistol to unlatch the gate from the inside. He climbed the wall, lowered himself down by his hands, and dropped. I climbed up on the wall to over watch for him. Once he was inside, he said, "Aw man, it's got a chain on it with a lock." About that time, several dogs started barking. My dismount turned around and pointed his pistol in their direction. In hopes of giving him more support, I jumped off the wall into the courtyard to provide more security. It sounded like a great idea in theory.....until I hit the ground. It was roughly an eight foot drop, and when I landed I was painfully aware of every joint in my body. A weird "ZING" went from my feet to the top of my head, and I crumpled over into a PLF to try and absorb some of the shock.
My dismount said, "Sir, are you alright?" I said yeah, and immediately got up and started scanning. I shined my Surefire at the dogs and they moved back. My dismount tapped me and handed me something. It was a battery from my NOD that I had attached to my rifle. The impact of hitting the ground had jarred the battery cap loose. We called for a breach kit, and cut the lock and did our mission. My hip felt "funny" while we were walking around on our patrol, but it did not hurt. We remounted our vehicles and traveled to a couple more locations, but my back started getting tight. When we got back inside the wire and I did my debrief, it felt like my neck was getting stiff. I got back to the hootch took a shower and lay down for the night. When I woke up a couple of hours ago, I had to negotiate with my legs in order to swing them out of the rack. I am hurting........
I look at myself in the mirror, and the image hasn't really changed all that much in the last 10 years. I am physically fit, my last P.T. test I did 83 pushups, 74 situps, and ran two miles in 13 minutes and 24 seconds. However, something has changed since August 14th, 1990 when I first went to basic training. My recovery time is not the same. As I type this, I have a dull ache in my hip, and my head refuses to turn all the way to the left. Could it be that I am getting old?
I laughed it off and said that it was an injury that could happen to anybody. Hell, I eat right, exercise and keep myself in great shape. As I hobbled to the shower this morning, I looked up and saw a runner coming by who waved his hand. It was my dismount going for a run.......damn, I am getting old.
Comments