Give Me the Ball

[EagleFan]

I showed up at the draft board office for the physical. They asked if I had read and signed the paperwork for the physical, not really but I got it out and signed it for them.

I went in for the physical and the doctor said that I passed. He recognized me from my days in college, said he was surprised that I wasn't drafted (HE was surprised?).

After that the doctor sent me into another room. There are a couple other people sitting in the room waiting. While talking to them they said something about volunteering before they were drafted. They feel there is a chance they will get a better assignment than the drafted ones. I wished them good luck as their names were called. It takes some major guts to volunteer for something like this.

They finally called my name and I had to talk to a psychologist. Something about a psychological profile see how I could handle military life. I guess I did okay, not that it really matters.

After the profile they sent me into another room. I saw the other two guys that I was talking to earlier sitting there. After a while a captain came in and was giving a speach about the bravery of men who will colunteer for duty and how that shows their love for freedom and for their country. He got everyone kind of worked into a frenzy, talking about our freedom and the American way. I was almost ready to volunteer by the time he asked us if we loved out country enough to defend it. We were all yelling out yeah.

At the end of the speach he thanked us all for having the courage to volunteer. Saying it is an honor to ... courage to what? What does he mean we ALL volunteered? I think there's a mistake. We're all being directed out of the room now, I'll stop him and ask what he was talking about.

He said the paper I signed was to volunteer. He then said he thought I had the courage to do such an honorable thing, but if I didn't really have that courage, he could see what he could do. He also said that colunteers will be ahead of draftees when it finally comes down to it, just by virtue of time enlisted. There's a chance I could be in a more important role and not a grunt on the front lines if this thing boils over too much.

I'm heading off to boot camp now, no-one questions my honor and integrity. I have no idea how I can explain this to Carie. I'll call her when I get there, I'll also need her to send me some of my stuff.

Just how the hell did life take this kind of turn?

[StanGunner]

Been there, Done that. Maybe he can get an appointment to West Point.

[mrushh]

He already went to college

[EagleFan]

Early basic traiinig dealt with weapon familiarity and accuracy. I was able to pick it up rather quickly and earn sniper certification.

Army life has taken dsome getting used to and I've had the rull support of my family. My dad was a veteran of Vietnam so he knows far too well about war. My mom is worried, but that's normal for anyone's mom. I am actually starting to feel more comfortable with the life in the Army. It's very structured and I am starting to feel like maybe I have found some sort of order for my life.


Our next few weeks of basic were the toughest. It dealt with physical conditioning. If I see that obstacle course again it will be too soon. I was able to get through that. I am glad that I did with relatively no problem since that means that I am still in top condition.

Sgt. Campbell has been a little tough on me. I think it's the whole football player thing that he's jealous of. The other recruits have all been cool, many remember me from my playing days. It kind of brings back that nice feeling of being someone.


Tension is building in Iraq and we have begun bombing runs. This thing looks like it will get ugly. The European countries are split and France is trying to strong arm other European countries that agree with us, kind of hypocrytical if you ask me since that's what they are still accusing us of doing. Just how long are they going to beat that dead horse?


Next week we will start training on other weapons and we will be getting into more battle like simulations. They want us to be able to think on our feet out there, and think as one unit as opposed to individuals (kind of what Coach P always told us).


On the personal front, Carie has been wonderful. She is helping out with my mom and has been great for the family. I was surprised at how well she took the news of my enlistment. She has agreed to put off wedding plans until we know what is happening with me.


I called Gaines yesterday. He was in mini camp last week and says he feels as strong and quick as ever. That's great news. He also told me about Tanner and Faylor, it seems both are being forced into backup roles and are rather pissed about it. Faylor has never been given a chance, other than one game last season whebn he started for the Chiefs because of injuries and ad 150 yards rushing but then returned to the bench. Tanner almost had 1000 yards last season and now they drafted another back to take his place. I guess football careers never go quite as planned. That reminds me, I should give the Shroeders a call sometime to see how Leornard is doing preparing for his first season at Alabama.


I've also been playng a little soccer with some of the recruits on our free time, what little we get. Some of them have played in the past in high school and one member in college. I've never really cared for the game and to be honest, I really suck at it. One of the guys follows it quite a bit, he's always talking about some team called the North County Raiders, or was it South County, something like that. Oh well, I guess different things for different people.

It's lights out time. Tommorrow we'll be running the course for what should be one last time before our next raining.

[EagleFan]

We went through a lot of training on different weapon types. I liked the grenade launcher but it took some getting used to the distance judgement. I did fairly well on most types of weapons. Not by any means, the perfect soldier, but I've held my own.


The final part of basic was an excercize to make us be able to think on our feet. We had to clear out a building of enemy troops, as I found out the hard way, there were some cutouts that weren't the enemy. I had to redo this test because the first time through I just started firing at everything I saw. That got me several pushups and some very tired arms. I think I could have avoided the pushups if I learn to think before speaking when I replied that it was just collateral damage.


Right now we're all just waiting assignment. Many are on edge as the fighting has intesified and there looks like a good chance we may be placed in hot locations. My family is worried and upset now, I think it's finally sinking in.


I was surprised yesterday when I received mail from home. Not that I got mail from home, but they had forwarded a letter that Leonard Shroeder had sent me. He thanked me for the time I spent with him and his family and the advice I gave him. He said that he won't let me down when he gets out on that field. The letter had his return address so I wrote him back to let him know where I am and what's been going on around me and asked him to please keep in touch as I want to hear great news of his college career, both academically and on the field.


That letter made me reflect on my life a bit. They say that it's a bunch of little choices that lead up to how your life turns out and now I know exactly what they mean. What if I hadn't been drinking too much that night? What if I had accepted that ride home? Maybe if I wasn't so hung up on myself and feeling of being indestructable than my life would be a lot different right now. I know if that accident didn't happen that I would have at least been drafted at some point and maybe eventually been given a chance to play. I can't get hung up on that now, especially if I get sent to a combat zone, the last thing I need to be doing is thinking what if while some Iraqi soldier has me in his sights.


I just heard that tommorrow we'll all know our assignments. Time to get some sleep and see what tommorrow brings.

[EagleFan]

I'm being assigned a tour of duty in Iraq. I let my family know that I'll be going into the fighting. Now I'm starting to feel the nerves a bit.


The trip over was rather somber. Most of us had no idea what to really expect when we get there. I wonder if it's too late to back out?


At this point I know there's really no backing out. I just have to keep my head down and hope for the best. I know that my family and friends all support me and are worried about my safety. I've got Carie to keep me going to get through this. Hopefully the war will be over quickly.


Time to settle into the base and then in the morning we all meet with our commanding officer to get the details of our first mission. So far the bombers have been pounding the hell out of their forces so I hope there isn't much resistence left on the ground.

[EagleFan]

Wow, what a day. We took a base in southern Iraq. There wasn't as much resistance as we anticipated. Our commanders think that the bombing runs thinned things out a bit for us.

I don't have any confirmed kills. I'm actually kind of glad. I would rather maybe hit them but not know about the results in the end, much easier to sleep at night. Unless they are just about to pull the trigger on me, then it's personal.

One of the other soldiers was bragging about he got 4 of them. that's kind of sickening when I really think about it. We're doing our duty, just like they are. They want to be here even less than we do.

Hopefully things will continue like this and the whole thing will be over soon. We're fortifying our position and may be moving on to a factory that is supposed to be one the places hiding "weapons of mass destruction". I'm a little on edge about that one. What if we get there and in our fighting we release whatever they supposedly have in there?

They taught us about using our gas masks and everything so they say we'll be okay. But it's not like it's ever been tested in this kind of situation.

I still can't believe how quickly this day went by. Even though at the time seconds felt like hours. Especially when a couple rounds hit the ground not far from me. I don't feel comfortable out there yet, but I pray that I never do.

[EagleFan]

We went on a mission inside of enemy territory for my second mission. We were originally going to be attavking an enemy base but at the last minute our platoon got reassigned.

We're now going deep into enemy territory, very stealthfully. We have been told that we will not know our actual assignment until we have reached our destination, and that is only know my the commanders.

There was an extremely tense moment where we noticed an Iraqi patrol and were ordered to hold fire and cover. They got to within about 15 feet of my position but then turned back. I was sweating bullets at that point.

While on that patrol we felt the ground shaking with a loud reverberation. There had to be an explosion somewhere.

After we reached a bridge, we were seperated into sections and each given an assignment. No-one was to know what the other groupd were assigned to, we were each given instructions on what our radiio communications were supposed to be for our specific assignments and what orders to wait for.

Again I felt left in the dark as my squad commander said for our protection he would only reveal our assignemtn bit by bit as needed. Our squad headed into a remote section, near what appeared to be some sort of heavily guarded stronghold. Along with our normal gear, our squad is also carrying sniper rifles.

Maybe this is a munitions plant, judging by how closely it is guarded. We're probably assigned to taking out the guards while the others infiltrate the base.

We have found cover at a line slightly above the structure, with a clear view of the access to the building. My commander has handed each of us a rifle and given us instruction that there will be an armored convoy approaching in 5 minutes. There will be a car with this convoy that we are to target anyone, other than the driver, that is in that car. The occupants of the car should be exiting it to move into the structure which should proivide a clean shot.

Now for the wait. As we wait I notice some movement close to our location. The commander tells us that we are to concentrate on our mission and not worry as he is covering us.

The convoy is coming. I see two cars. Which of the cars I ask. All I am told is that we will know.

They stop. There is a lot of action going on by the cars. One of the drivers gets out. A shot is fired. The driver is down. Dammit, who fired. Jones fired at the driver, we were supposed to wait. The commander tells us to hold fire so we don't give away our position with a second shot.

The movement near us gets closer as the commander kills the radio. Shit, there's a shot, and then machine gun fire ripping into our position. No-one knows what to do, Jones scrambles to his feet but gets struck down by a shot. I'm hit in the arm.

Suddenly I am staring up at the barrell of an AK47. In a lot of pain and bleeding badly. The soldier motions for me to stand and I get led towards the building. Our commander was the only one else that was moving. I hear him start to struggle behind me, then shots ring out. I can hear a body hitting the ground, I begin to look but get the barrell of the AK-47 pressed into my temple so I continue on.

They take me to sort of a prison cell within the structure. I can;t even begin to describe my emotions. Fear, panic, anger, confusion all rolled up into one. I am searhced and they find my log. It is taken and I don;t get it back for what seems like severl months. They now tell me to continue my journal.

I could never forget that day. It is burned into my memory. What is to follow will be my memories of the past several months of being held captive. I have been told that the US has committed terrible offenses against Iraq, such as using a nuclear bomb. They also tell me that the Muslim nations are now winning the war and the US is just a shell of what it was.

I know they must now have some sort of plan for me since they have just now decided to let me write my experiences here. They are checking what I write to make sure I am not going to try to encrypt some message in the writings. I have no idea what they have planned for me.

What will follow will be my best memories of the days that have followed that life shattering day. There has been no contact with my family or anyone that I know of at this point. For all I know, everyone thinks I am dead. Much of what will follow has been summarized as many days are quite alike here in my own personal hell.

[StanGunner]

Getting interesting again!

[EagleFan]

The Iraqi soldiers took me into the building that we were near and interogated me for what seemed like hours of pain. They wanted to know our mission and what else I knew.

I don't think that I cracked but the pain was getting unbearable from my wound and from their 'questioning' of me. Last I knew I had blacked out.

When I came to I was in a cot and I saw that my wound was bandaged. As I later found out they did a rather quick, patch him so he doesn't bleed to death operation.

The days to follow would be strangely quiet. The guards would come by and feed me but not the questioning that I was afraid would be happening again.

A week into my captivity I began to run a very high fever. I was treated for an infection from the initial wound that led to another operation.


I had been held captive for a month when I was told that the Americans had given up the war and it was over. They said the glorious Iraqi military had forced the evel Americans out of their homeland.

I was also told that many other countries ahvd come to the aid of the Iraqi people and that America is currently at war with most of the world. They said that China has invaded the US and actually has possession of the western half of the country.


I had no way of knowing if they were true when they said that but I later figures out that it wasn't. This was when they quickly moved me to another location and I could head the sounds of fighting off in the distance.


I would also learn that a nuclear explosion occured on the day that I was captured, probably the ground rumbling that I remember. They have told me that the Americans did that as a diversion from their goal of assasination.

I was told that I would be tried for attempting to assasinate their leader and that it would be made to show the world just what the Americans are all about.


After days of letting me stew over what they have told me they came and took me to a small room with many cameras and very official looking people with guns. I could feel my heart sink in my chest, this must be it. They must be planning on executing me here for all to see.


As the cameras and lights came on they began some sort of commentary in Arabic. They transalted questions to me about my reason for being where I was and what my mission was.

Again, I didn't tell them anything but they came showed a tape of me saying we were supposed to gun down the person in the car. I must have said that on the day I was captured, I was badly beaten and bloodied in the tape.


They went on to say that Saddam was in the car and that we were planning on assasinating a leader, which is a criminal offense. They went into some other anti-American rant and then led me away. I thought for sure that I would have been killed right there. They must want to make it more public.


I was led to another cell about a week later. This one in an underground bunker. I was blind folded most of the way so I couldn't say exactly where I was, but the musty smell let me know it had to be underground.

I was very concerned and confused. Why was I still alive and what do they have planned for me. I knew that I had to find a way to escape, but how?

[EagleFan]

In light of the real worl events going on, I am going to step away from this thread. Though I am attempting to mirror an alternative 'what-if' type of universe, I feel it would be in bad taste to continue the thread at this time.

God bless the troops and may they return home safely when all is said and done.