It’s no fun to sleep on a cot. Some soldiers can sleep anywhere – others just toss and turn until simple fatigue knocks them out. Even in training, though, there can be surprises.
The female soldier saw the stray cat wander into the tent in the dark. She actually saw only the silhouette of the little critter. Doing what comes naturally, she said something to the effect of “Here, kitty, kitty…” Then came that surprise I mentioned.
It was a skunk.
Fortunately, the black and white cat-like creature was simply checking out the strangers in the neighborhood. The soldier and her fellow warriors froze in place and remained quiet for obvious reasons. (One of the oldest rules in military history is to NOT scare a skunk.) The “cat” finally wandered away – without leaving its famous “calling card” behind.
Another story can be added to the deployment history for this unit and they continued their training in the morning. (The above picture shows their commander observing his soldiers as they learn to search civilians who enter military facilities.)
We had a few logistical kinks to fix today, none of which were the fault of the unit. We fixed ‘em and moved past ‘em. Improvise, adapt and overcome are the words of the month. Deal with the issues that pop up and get the job done.
What’s important – as it has always been – is preparing the soldiers for war.
SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com
I'll never call a cat without thinking of that story from now on.
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