The Curse Mountain - Chapter 2 (Part 2) (729 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Avals (View user info) at 2005-02-23 10:20:40 EST
'The Curse Mountain' is the story of Gilad, a team-leader in the engineering company of the IDF's 'Givati' brigade. A sort of service diary, 'The Curse Mountain' describes Gilad's service in Lebanon, and was published on the 11th of May, 2001, in Yediot Ahronot.
Originally published in Hebrew, I have attempted to translate the article to English to the best of my abilities.
Chapter 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/59575
Chapter 2 (Part 1): http://www.ubersite.com/m/59962
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The Bufor
Backgammon, black coffee, and toasts; that is the Bufor. You play backgammon for toasts; the loser makes them for everyone - something good with pasto sauce. When you want to diversify, you play poker for cigarettes. The Bufor is pulling guard duty for 16 hours a day. You guard for an hour and a half; come down for three hours; go back up on guard duty again. Again and again and again, each day and each night, except for the days when you go out on an ambush. In your free time they grind you with outpost chores.
The Bufor is 35 days with no privacy. You live with your team, bunk in bunk, able to identify each person's foot-stink in your sleep. When there's suddenly a fart in the air, I can tell you exactly who did it. That is what true friendship is measured in.
The Bufor is lying to mom on the phone so she doesn't worry; you always say "Everything's great. I just got out of the shower, and I'm going to sleep," when the truth is you haven't showered for 21 days because the water in the tankers ran out, and in a minute you're going up on guard duty in the scariest guard station in the outpost. When mom asks when you're coming back, you always answer in code; "Mom, remember what the neighbors' dog is named? Subtract two from the first letter - on that day I'm coming back." The important thing is that Hizbollah doesn't listen in and get set to blow up your convoy. And then you want to tell her that you love her, that you miss her; but can't, because the entire team is around you. If you do, you're feeding them for two months; they won't let you live it down. And if a mortar hits when you're in the middle of a call with mom; that's the worst. She suddenly hears an explosion, and then the line goes dead. She's probably worried sick, convinced her boy's gone. You can't stop thinking about her, but it could be days until they get the phone fixed, and the Bufor only has one phone line for everyone.
The Bufor is the South-Lebanese Army soldiers; a rowdy bunch something fierce. All day with cigarettes in their mouths; smelly; unruly; entertaining. They come in every morning at 8; we post a guard on them, and they build, fix whatever's been damaged by the mortars, do whatever they're told... They aren't, of course, allowed to enter our protected space; they're not even allowed in the canteen.
The Bufor is going out on a 72-hour ambush with a huge supply of kabanos sausage in your bag. You wouldn't believe how much kabanos you can eat in 72 hours, and how much you can talk on and on without actually saying anything. You know everything about each other; I can tell you who did what, when, with whom, why, in what position, and what he was thinking about during. I can tell you about his parents; about his darkest perversions. And then there's alone time, when you're tired of talking. You think about yourself, about home. I wonder if mom's doing the laundry right now; or maybe watching some TV. And Lilach my girlfriend must be taking a shower right now, I play with fancies; or maybe she's cheating.
Freezing cold. Your limbs are completely out of commission; the soles of your feet are completely gone. You can hardly take a step. Your nose is frozen, your hands paralyzed. That is the Bufor. You're covered with frost bites, but your stomach is sweating like crazy. During these minutes what goes through everyone's minds are thoughts of some son-of-a-bitch, sipping on a cup of coffee in Shinkin right now. And here I am lying here like a moron, smelling like diesel, with a painted face, sweating from fear; middle of the end of the world; no one will help me if I die. If I die, it won't even bother that guy sitting in the Shinkin coffee shop. When I blow up to smithereens here in a moment, he'll keep sipping on his cup. Just in these seconds he'll probably tell a joke, and then go home to fuck his girlfriend; won't even turn on the news, and nothing will happen tonight as far as he's concerned, because he really doesn't care. Because he drives to the Kirya each day in the car his dad bought him, wraps up his army at four, and constantly drinks coffee with cream. A blonde sort of fellow, with stubble, a bit ugly. That's how it is - feelings of hatred are an excellent cure for boredom.
- Special thanks to the members of the Tapuz.co.il forums for their help in translating this part.
User Reviews
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-12-10 18:54:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jumpinjellyfish (user info) at 2005-03-15 14:52:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I love this series.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-03-06 13:40:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Fuck, I should probably continue this.
Anyone even remember this series by now, though?
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-02-27 12:59:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
You're all utterly mad. I hope you realize that.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-02-27 12:45:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Last try.
I dunno, is it the title or something?
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2005-02-26 07:16:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I read this before and could have sworn I rated it.. sorry, dude.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-02-25 13:38:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-25 00:10:42 (#)
Ranking: 2
Yay
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Well, at least someone cares...
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-25 00:10:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
"It doesn't seem to attract much readership, but these who do follow it seem to be genuinely interested, so I believe I will follow it through to the end. "
Yay
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2005-02-23 19:22:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-02-23 13:09:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-23 11:40:23 (#)
Ranking: 2
Dude, this paints a picture of military life unlike anything I have ever seen before. Jesus, but that's harsh. The whole thing is very fascinating.
What made you want to translate this for us?
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Uhm ... well, the fact that it paints a picture of military life unlike anything I have ever seen before, and that the whole thing is very fascinating, for starters.
Basically, I thought it was a story well worth reading, and I thought non-Hebrew speakers may be interested in reading it as well.
It doesn't seem to attract much readership, but these who do follow it seem to be genuinely interested, so I believe I will follow it through to the end.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-02-23 12:14:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
What he said \/
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-23 11:40:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Dude, this paints a picture of military life unlike anything I have ever seen before. Jesus, but that's harsh. The whole thing is very fascinating.
What made you want to translate this for us?