I'm going for the not blatantly obvious here and looking back at some of my past experiences to appreciate where I have been also...
One of the things that I have done, that I needed to be physically and mentally strong for, was Marine Corp boot camp... it was a lifetime (or almost 15 years) ago but I would not trade that experience for anything and some things will stay strongly seared in my chemo-battered memory...
Boot camp itself was probably the longest 13 weeks of my life and cost me one good knee and a severely rolled ankle but after you get through the initial weeks of screaming in your face, you find a rhythm and figure out they really do want to see you succeed. After boot camp comes a three week course called MCT - Marine Combat Training - for those who are not going into an infantry unit. This was at Camp Lejeune - which has many swamps. One side note - I am TERRIFIED of water where I can't see the bottom. One night was a night hump...through parts of the swamp...this was probably the closest I have come to a full-blown panic attack in my life (I vividly remember what an alligator sounds like - TV static) but with the help of others I pulled some semblance of mental strength out and made it through. Never ever ever again, but I'm thankful I have that memory in my bank.
No comments:
Post a Comment