S.E.E. (Significant Emotional Event)

I was in the Army when I had 3 really significant emotional events happen. First I should tell you that I was a bit of a tough guy, or at least I thought I was because I was a lot taller than other kids. I basically could bluff people into solving whatever life's problems had between me and said person. That's not to say that everything was hunky dory, there were times that I had to get physical, sometimes I lost, most times I won, but that was nothing compared to the Army.

The first BIG event was bayonet training. They gave us these giant Q-tips and a special helmet. I thought I was pretty good, and while their was never any danger involved, the guy I was going against literally cleaned my clock with the first hit. From there I held my own, but I could never clear the cobwebs of that first hit. I don't even remember who won, but I knew that I didn't want to do that again. Crazy man, crazy.

If that weren't embarrassing enough, later we did hand-to-hand combat training. Everything was going well, we were learning how to flip our opponent, and blam... The guys next to me were a little to close, or I was too close to them... anyway the guy being flipped tried to move my head with his combat boot. It took off a couple of layers of skin, not to mention hair (not that we had much hair anyway) and it was the only time in my life that I saw stars flying all around me. Oh and I kept trying to say I was ok, and get up, but I kept falling down, and I wasn't ok at all. I had a concussion or whatever I might have even lost conscienceness. It was a hard hit.

Then there was the time that I was in the "slow" running group. And we just got done with 3 or 4 miles of running, not to the drill seragant's liking of course (I was for all intents and purposes a "bad soldier"). So he decides that a fireman's carry race is what's needed. It just rained, we're all sweaty and wet, the ground is too, and he picks a spot on a hill, because it's good cardio right? Anyway there's extra KP duty or something for the loser. I hook up with a guy, we're all ready to not be the last one in, no matter what. Then as we're traversing the race I slip, because it's wet, and don't worry, I use my head to protect the guy I'm carrying. Literally the guy fell on my head, then we proceded to skid (with him still on my head) down the road. I have scars from that. On my arm, shoulder, and head.

Good times I tell ya, good times.