Military dreaming, on such a winter's day
Nov. 13th, 2005 08:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
triadruidHaven't dreamed about anything military (for myself) in quite a while, but this time I was either a corporal or similar rank organizing *my* men, or a driver organizing someone else's. Some of my actions lead to me to believe that I had some degree of limited decision-making power, though.
We got the call during dinner, the call everyone expects and yet dreads. Mobilization orders were given out as we were driving back from the field; suddenly the weekend wasn't about looking forward to some R&R, but about finding your gear and getting on a plane for points elsewhere. No true identities on the order messages, of course: "EN317PIE." "EN428FN." And so on; but for these men, it meant everything changed.
We drove across base at a neck-snapping pace; the van should NOT have stayed upright on a few of those turns. But just as important as getting their gear, was saying goodbye, even if it was just for a moment. Lovers. Fathers. Daughters. Wives. Everyone had someone to clasp hands with before they jumped back into the van, loaded up like a camel headed for open desert.
Our five guys were done in record time, which meant we had enough presence of mind about us to realize that three names were still blinking on the list. Where were they? Without a word, we decided; the van door closed, and we were bouncing over hill and dale once more, making sure no one was left behind, even at this early juncture.
And of course, that was the point where I woke up...
We got the call during dinner, the call everyone expects and yet dreads. Mobilization orders were given out as we were driving back from the field; suddenly the weekend wasn't about looking forward to some R&R, but about finding your gear and getting on a plane for points elsewhere. No true identities on the order messages, of course: "EN317PIE." "EN428FN." And so on; but for these men, it meant everything changed.
We drove across base at a neck-snapping pace; the van should NOT have stayed upright on a few of those turns. But just as important as getting their gear, was saying goodbye, even if it was just for a moment. Lovers. Fathers. Daughters. Wives. Everyone had someone to clasp hands with before they jumped back into the van, loaded up like a camel headed for open desert.
Our five guys were done in record time, which meant we had enough presence of mind about us to realize that three names were still blinking on the list. Where were they? Without a word, we decided; the van door closed, and we were bouncing over hill and dale once more, making sure no one was left behind, even at this early juncture.
And of course, that was the point where I woke up...
