Nature will run its course

As in typical Army fashion, "No shit, there I was..." Driving around in the middle of the night when out of nowhere the sky lights up to show the nightime landscape as if it were day. I waited for the onslaught of noise. Nothing came. I didn't feel the ground shake either, weird. I mean I remember the drudgery of physics quite well and as I recall, light travels faster than sound, so when I didnt feel a shock wave concuss over my body, I was perplexed. We continued on and I began to survey the landscape. Then, it happened again, another awe inspiring flash of light, but this time I saw its source. The heavens above were boiling in rage and the air was charged.

All I could think of was a movie I had once seen in which a man would stake the sand at a beach and collect the glass creations from below after a lightning storm. I wondered if I could make some money off of my experience in Iraq, like in the movie. Crazy, I know, But I am always wondering about ways to sell thatr next great thing. I think Iraqi Lightning Glass is a highly specailized field for those Art Afficianados. Oh well, maybe some other day, but I digress.

The storm was amazing in and of itself. I will say though that Rain in a desert climate isn't good. I mean don't get me wrong, the area has experienced a three year long drought, but the first rains can be deadly. Oils soak into the asphalt all year long and surface on the first rains, not to mention the wadis that fill instantaneously with water and then of course the flash floods. Luckily I only had to experience the asphalt this time. In all honestly, I thought my crew and I were going to get a firsthand account on a reallife rollover drill.

As we all know, and if you don't, take my word for it, the Army is notroious for drilling things into the dirt so they become second nature. It may seem mundane, but I assure you, when you are on the goaline and the audible is called with 3 seconds on the clock, you have to act, not think. Well, in this particular case, time slowed as my driver began to turn the wheel. The back of my 8 ton vehicle swung lazily to the left. Immediately I could feel the drift. I had a flash to the movie, Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. I looked at my driver and he smiled at me. It's funny how you grow so close to someone that you think alike, well in this brief moment we were on the same page, no, the same scene in the movie. Everything was so calm and my gunner didn't even bother to say "rollover" he just got down. I braced and tried to coach my driver through it, but as I said, we were already on the same page. In the next instant, our back end was on the right side of the road and the edge of the highway loomed ever closer. Tailend to the left. "You got this Bro."

I will be the first to admit, when shit hits the fan, my professionalism turns to familism, because I honestly don't see the point in using someone's rank and last name when bullets are flying or vehicles are flipping over, lol.

Me: "You got this."

Driver: "Sir, I wasn't worried, it was like drifting back home..."

Passenger: "What the eF is goign on!"

Me: "It's cool."

Gunner: "I'm back up. I thought we were done."

Me: "Naw, he had it."

Over the Radio: "Sir, you check your pants yet?"