Day 8
2009-5-03
I woke up at 02:00 to the worst wind and sand storm I’ve ever experienced. At first I tried to ride it out, but after almost losing my favorite poncho liner and being hit by a metal pole, I decided that it would be wise to seek out proper shelter. Oh, and I definitely would have chased down my blanket… even if that meant climbing over the wire into Taliban central to retrieve it. I found an empty truck to sleep in, and threw all my gear in it. We woke up early, so that we could depart at day break. The Cobra pilots today weren’t as brave as the ones from yesterday, but at least they were there. Before we made it through the first danger zone, we encountered three improvised explosive devices. Thank God no one was injured. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians blew all three in place, with three separate command detonations. In other news, we had a few possible Taliban encounters during our movement back to Leatherneck, but none were relevant to the remainder of our movement. The trip back was ridiculously long, and not showering for three whole days made it even worse. We departed at 05:30… and finally made it back to base without incident around 19:00 or so.
I’ve decided to crowd source the ever irksome task of editing and proofreading my book with you guys and gals, so please feel free to make any corrections or suggestions you’d like.
Did you get your shower when you got back to base? I still am enjoying your story.
Hell yeah I did, as soon as possible as a matter of fact, and thank you!