Echos (718 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.9 on 28 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by AlahAckbar (View user info) at 2005-04-11 22:32:13 EDT
He sat in the turret, smoking the cigg and staring at her picture. She was everything to him, everything. From the day she was born.
He hadn't seen her in 8 months. Since he deployed to this hell hole. Since he came to "free the Iraqi people" or "find the WMD" or whatever Bullshit the government was feeding them now. He had learned a long time ago to ignore whatever the media was feeding the average citizen. If you are a liberal, the media is right winged. If you're a conservative, the media is left. Both sides are wrong. They didn't know how it is, here, in hell.
If hell could be an actual place, that is. Which is wasn't.
There can be no god with the things that he had seen here. With the things he had done.
With the thing he was about to do.
His tank commander, waiting patiently, put his hand on the young soldiers shoulder. His gunner, sitting at his station, constantly saying "The readings have to be correct... they wouldn't put you out there if they weren't. They're right. They wouldn't just send you out there if they were wrong. They're right."
Most people in the army think that a tank is the safest place to be, which most of the time it is. Unless you are one of the unlucky three, as they are called. Three soldiers in each company, who have a written death warrant.
It's simple really. When you go into a biologically or chemically hazardous environment, you need to test the air. Sure, they have a whole bunch of nice little gadgets and doodads to tell you the air is safe....
But nothing beats what god gave us.
So, the loader on the 3rd tank of every platoon simply opens his hatch.
Stands up.
Takes off his gas mask.
And takes a breath.
If the gadgets and doodads are right, he's fine. If not, he's dead.
A written death warrant.
"Corbin...." His tank commander said slowly. "It's time."
"Yeah. I know." Was his only reply.
He put the picture back into the tray on his station, Reached up, and twisted the locking handle on his hatch. Pushing the 40 pound lid open, he put one foot up on the step.
"Hey, Andy...." The tank crew had long ago forgotten the rules of rank. Andy was his tank commander.
"Yeah?"
"If I start...Doing the kicking chicken.... I want you to know that I would do the same for you...only faster."
"Yeah, kid."
"Make sure she knows that I died doing my duty, ok?"
"Yeah...kid."
He pushed up with his foot and without hesitation, ripped his mask from his face and took a deep breath........
And another.....
And another......
"Hey! HEY! IT'S FINE! THE AIR IS FUCKING FINE! IT'S FUCKING GREAT! WOOOO HOOOOO! WOOOOO HOOOOO! I'M ALI..." The word caught in his mouth, as the nerve synapses for his vocal cords dissolved. His body, involuntarily jerking, fell to the floor of the turret. His mouth filled with yellowish foam the various sinuses inside his head imploded, making his ears, nose, mouth and eyes leak a pale, tan colored liquid.
At once, four sounds were heard.
A gunner screaming "NOOOOOO!"
A driver, sobbing softly inside his hole.
A single gunshot, echoing around the valley.
And a little girl crying, 5,000 miles away.
Fiddlers' Green:
Halfway down the road to Hell,
In a shady meadow green,
Are the souls of all dead tankers camped
Near a good old time canteen,
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddlers' Green.
Marching past, straight through to Hell,
The Infantry is seen,
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but shades of Tanking Men
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.
Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene,
No tanker ever gets to Hell
If he's emptied his canteen,
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.
And so when man and tank go down
Beneath a sabots keen,
Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your head...
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddlers' Green.
User Reviews
Submitted by AlahAckbar (user info) at 2005-12-16 15:53:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-12-16 08:54:50 (#)
Ranking: 2
I cannot access the main page...
"Sorry, but there was some sort of a problem trying to service your request. :( "
uh... I'm sorry?
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-12-16 08:54:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I cannot access the main page...
"Sorry, but there was some sort of a problem trying to service your request. :( "
Submitted by AlahAckbar (user info) at 2005-12-16 08:39:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Well, the bottom line is someone somewhere is gonna have to test the air. And like blitz said a long time ago, there are literally a TON of tests that are done before the loader opens his hatch.
I was always curious as to why we just didn't use prisoners of war.
Submitted by G-prime (user info) at 2005-12-16 07:22:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I concur. But if the military can keep homosexuality under the covers with don't ask don't tell, then I'm sure the lucky 3 guys could sneak a mouse into the tank and nobody would snitch. No?
In conclusion, I concur.
Submitted by AlahAckbar (user info) at 2005-12-16 07:06:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by G-prime (user info) at 2005-12-15 22:57:30 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by mybrainisawaffle (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:02:25 (#)
Ranking: 0
Why don't you just bring along a sack of mice?
______
Why don't YOU just bring along a sack of mice? Huh? Well, smart ass?
Seriously: The reason we don't just bring along a sack of mice is because PETA would cut off our dicks and serve them to us on a platter. It's a horrible world where people put animal lives before human ones, isn't it?
Submitted by G-prime (user info) at 2005-12-15 22:57:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by mybrainisawaffle (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:02:25 (#)
Ranking: 0
Why don't you just bring along a sack of mice?
Submitted by AlahAckbar (user info) at 2005-12-15 22:36:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
thanks
Submitted by The_Cyst_Master (user info) at 2005-12-14 01:16:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sweet title!
Submitted by ih8u2man (user info) at 2005-08-12 01:34:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
fuck is an acronym.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-08-12 01:24:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Chroniclysm (user info) at 2005-08-12 01:19:23 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-08-11 13:34:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-08-11 11:45:10 (#)
Ranking: 2
Props to Teeph for pointing this out
Submitted by Chroniclysm (user info) at 2005-08-12 01:19:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-08-11 13:34:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-08-11 11:45:10 (#)
Ranking: 2
Props to Teeph for pointing this out
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-08-11 13:34:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-08-11 11:45:10 (#)
Ranking: 2
Props to Teeph for pointing this out
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-08-11 11:45:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Props to Teeph for pointing this out
Submitted by ess-arr (user info) at 2005-04-12 11:29:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
he's back....
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2005-04-12 11:15:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Alah -
This may be the coolest thing you've ever written. Seriously. I'm just blown away here.
Way to go man, you should DEFINITELY do this more often.
Submitted by indoninja (user info) at 2005-04-12 10:40:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I think I would pretty much plus 2 anything with a Kipling poem.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2005-04-12 10:33:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2005-04-12 09:13:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I've missed all your rude comments.
Glad to see your back.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-04-12 08:43:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's a worst case scenario. Typically, there is a crew on a battalion level that is trained in chemical activities. They would come out with their equipment and give the all clear.
Besides, everyone is issued atrophine injectors, which basically makes the body instantly purge any toxins should they become exposed.
Good story, though.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:50:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:31:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I've missed you.
(So have the Newbs)
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:06:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by mybrainisawaffle (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:02:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Why don't you just bring along a sack of mice?
Submitted by DanielH (user info) at 2005-04-11 23:02:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+++++
Fuck Bush Inc.
Submitted by Adjomak (user info) at 2005-04-11 22:48:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Guess we lose track of the faces in front of the war, one more way to make this a clean war. Can there be one?
Submitted by ThineJericho (user info) at 2005-04-11 22:44:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked it mate.
Almost skipped over it at first, but then went back and re-read.
Good.
Submitted by AlahAckbar (user info) at 2005-04-11 22:41:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I've been super busy. Like really, really extraordinarily busy.
I really just had the urge to write. I was sitting here, playing with my new camera, relaxing before going to bed. And I said:
"Self, maybe you should go to ubersite and write something."
And then I agreed with myself.
So I did.
Glad you liked it.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-04-11 22:35:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
heeeey. it's been awhile!
I like this.