A Highway Story

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=676362" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="096c8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Christmas Wish"><U>A Christmas Wish</U></A></div> <div> <B>A Highway Story</b></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Study in Contrast"><U>A Study in Contrast</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pleasure and Pain"><U>Pleasure and Pain</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Economics of Tobacco Use"><U>The Economics of Tobacco Use</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=fcsIc9bH9CE&offerid=9619.10000051&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><IMG width="125" height="125" alt="Illuminations 125x125" border="0" src="http://s0b.bluestreak.com/ix.e?ir&s=74694&n=Insert_Time_Date_Stamp_Here"></a><IMG border="0" width="1" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=fcsIc9bH9CE&bids=9619.10000051&type=4&subid=0">  </b></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Recon Doc's Command Post</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Recon Docs Command Post"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My Writing"><U><B>My Writing</b></U></A></div> <div> A Highway Story</div> <bR> <div> Background: This is a short essay recollecting a HUMVEE accident I had while stationed at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, CA. While based on fact, some liberties have been taken and much detail has been omitted for readability. </div> <bR> <div> "I think the turn is coming up on the left soon." </div> <div> The last streetlight had faded into the night miles ago, and out Humvee headlights managed only a feeble glow that barely pierced the curtain of darkness. The night was as dark as any desert night I'd ever seen - absolute darkness punctuated by the pin point lights of a thousand stars. I struggled to pick out any detail in the eerie green glow of the night vision goggles I wore. </div> <div> Suddenly, over the roar of the engine, I could hear the insistent chiming of the GPS. Without looking I knew there would be a pop-up message telling me "Waypoint approaching in 500 feet." I focused my attention on the left shoulder and the sand berm beyond, staring intently, searching for a break, some sign of the road. </div> <div> Pointing. "Slow down Walker. The turn is right there." Walker braked hard and started his turn to the left. </div> <div> "Oh shit!" Hearing the panic in his voice, I turned to look. Oncoming headlights, magnified a thousand times by the night vision goggles, exploded in my eyes, blinding me. I reflexively jerked my eyes away. "This is going to hurt," I thought. My mind barely registered the incredible force of impact, but my world turned on end, spinning out of control. Time suddenly slowed, somehow, and seemed oddly disjointed, like watching dancers under strobe lights. Just a brief flash of reality, then darkness, and then another flash. </div> <div> Pain, like lightening, exploded in my head. I realized I could not see. "Oh God, what has happened to my eyes?" Darkness, then another flash. Like a stone dropped from great height, I impacted the shoulder of the road. </div> <div> Darkness once again. </div> <div> My mind ceased to work; reality seemed slippery, hard to hold on to. Unconnected thoughts and images flickered by my minds eye. </div> <div> "Where is my weapon?" </div> <div> I scrambled around on my hands and kneed, my body a mass of pain, blinded by the blood trickling into my eyes. My right arm was weak, maybe broken. Every time I tried to support my weight on it, it collapsed, burning pain jolting me, moans of agony escaping. I could not find my weapon, night vision goggles, or helmet. Panic drove me to search for a little longer, but I was gripped by an overwhelming sleepiness. Thinking "I hope I don't get run over," I surrendered to exhaustion. </div> <div> Minutes (or was it hours?) later I woke to feel hands grabbing me, turning me over. Dimly I saw red lights floating around me, voices an unintelligible buzz. I could hear the harsh static from a radio close by. I saw a flash of steel, then rough hands moved me. My armored vest was removed and my fatigue blouse cut away. My mind drifted. </div> <div> I was freezing. I didn't think it could get this cold in the desert. I shivered uncontrollably. </div> <div> A new sound entered my consciousness. A dull thudding noise in the distance, growing louder. A bright light appeared in the sky and a sudden harsh wind blew sand everywhere. Unseen hands levitated me towards the storm. Then, suddenly, no more wind. An alien face surrounded by green and red stars looked down at me with glowing green eyes. </div> <div> "It'll be okay, Doc." </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>