The Curse Mountain - Chapter 3 (Part 3) (559 hits)
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Submitted by Avals (View user info) at 2005-04-18 13:42:07 EDT
'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
Chapter 2 (Part 2): http://www.ubersite.com/m/60385
Chapter 2 (Part 3): http://www.ubersite.com/m/61802
Chapter 3 (Part 1): http://www.ubersite.com/m/61976
Chapter 3 (Part 2): http://www.ubersite.com/m/62052
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This is one, we're taking artillery fire
There is what's referred to as silence. That's what they call the first ten minutes of an ambush. No one coughs, no one breathes, no one needs to scratch; no one even dares think of anything else, let alone take off their gear. Dropped your gun? Leave it, don't pick it up; the important thing is that you don't make any more noise. These are the most critical ten minutes; if there's a terrorist hiding here, you hope he'll be the first to make noise, to move a bush, to make a careless movement.
Sometimes, going on gut feeling, you drag out the ten minutes to twenty. This time I stretch it to thirty, just to make sure there's no other rustling nearby. I whisper, "Frequent actions," and they pass it along to each other; "frequent actions, frequent actions." It means everyone takes off their helmets, leans them against their backs, organizes their packs, opens up their mattresses. If someone's thirsty, he sticks the drinking tube connected to the water bag in his vest in his mouth. The grenadier sticks a grenade in the barrel, the Negev operator connects an 80-round belt, and at the end of that another one, so he has a drum with 240 rounds. The M-24 sniper closes the bolt and chambers a round. The sniper has to have 5 rounds in the internal magazine and another in the chamber. The Shir operator packs up the Shir (a thermal video camera, for use during movement), and opens up the TAS (stationary thermal observation device) - it's like a small TV that stands on a tripod and through which you can see for kilometers away. The Shir operator sticks with me, since he doesn't carry a weapon. For night vision we also use the Aquila magnifying scope, and the "One-Eyed Bunny."
I'm in the center of the banana, gun pressed against my shoulder. Bendori has his back to me, watching the less threatening side. Zion is commanding the squad to my left, Omer the one to my right. Kobo is the radioman, Golo the marksman; Arik and Biton are grenadiers, Roi's the sniper, Ozana's a Negev operator; Ronen has the TAS, Marco's the medic.
Now it's all right to talk; it's even preferred, so they don't fall asleep on me. When you think someone's getting drowsy, the procedure is to give them a pinch, a slap, even a light punch. As a team leader, I hit them at will - beat them silly. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were asleep," I say innocently every time. And they actually laugh about it.
I hear someone whisper "Ricky" in the background. Ricky's my sister. "You wouldn't dare," I say. "No, nothing to do with you," Marco whispers. "He's talking about some slut." Everyone giggles. They know I can't get up and do anything about it right now.
When you're on an ambush, lying days and nights in a bush, shitting in a bag and bringing it back with you to the outpost so as to not leave any tracks, the hardest thing to do is to keep yourself occupied. In the first few hours we talk - light chatter mostly. Bendori tells how unpleasant it is for him to fuck Nisawi's sister, with Nisawi himself sleeping in the very next room. Luck had it that he stayed in Nisawi's house one day; there was a connection with his sister, and they've been a couple ever since. Nisawi's sitting in the middle of enemy territory, hearing about his sister's fucking, and can't do a thing about it. What's he going to do, hit him? He whispers, "Bendori, stop it." And Bendori answers, "What, but your sister's really hot! I want everyone to know; let me tell Gilad." The team lying next-by hears everything through their earpieces and chuckles quietly. That's the kind of stuff that goes on on an ambush, for the laughs.
We're supposed to stay here until half an hour before sunrise. The movement back to the outpost must be executed while it's still dark outside. If you missed it, and the sky's already showing signs of early morning twilight, you'll have to stay in the ambush point another whole night. That's really shitty.
I call Bendori and start coordinating a common language for the ambush, meaning establishing codenames and abbreviations for the points around us. If, for example, there's a trail in the shape of an 'L' on the horizon, we'll call it "Lucy" for short, after Marco's girlfriend.
Suddenly there's a muffled sound in the distance - a sort of "Pak," very powerful. That's a launch. "Helmets everyone!" I say in a stern tone, making it clear that the fun's over. They get startled and throw all the food from their hands. Seconds later two huge explosions a hundred meters in front of us; a powerful flash, and then a mushroom cloud. Now it's okay to yell; you've been exposed. You're being fired upon. I call on the radio, "Cheetah, this is 1, we're taking artillery fire." I yell "Fire for extraction!" hoping the outpost will use artillery or armor to neutralize the sources of the fire, scramble helicopters or whatever possible. More and more explosions; it doesn't end. It's coming, probably, from under the Al-Hamra seeder, the abandoned farm seven kilometers away from us. These are rockets, not mortars; their spread is very small, you can't run.
Not far from our position, near the G-bend on the access road to the outpost, stand large AT blocks - concrete walls we can hide behind. I yell "Extracting!" to retreat there. "Move in squads," I shout, and they're supposed to move to the hiding point in small groups, in intervals. I go first. Two seconds later Bendori the Sergeant yells at them, "Forget the squads, everyone go now!" They run together. Bendori stays another twenty seconds in the position to make sure we didn't accidentally leave any sensitive equipment there.
I'm behind the AT blocks by now. Suddenly two hellish explosions; the ground was shaking, never in my life have I heard such a loud noise, and blinding light. Eight men still haven't reached me; I'm convinced they're dead. Everything's engulfed by smoke; a ton of mud showered me from the explosion; 20 meters away there's still fire burning. I can't see them. Fuck! This is it, I'm going to collect eight bodies now, I thought. I was already beginning to imagine that image. Suddenly I notice them running like mad, coming out of the smoke. "Get behind the concrete," I yell to them. "Grab hold of one another."
User Reviews
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-12-15 20:59:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I just read this again...and had absolutely no memory of it. At all. It was completely new to me.
I think I'm going mad. But it means another +2 for you.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-12-10 19:17:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This had me completely entranced.
I can't wait for the next...
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-05-15 10:37:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Haha! howto can suck my circumcised Jewish cock!
And Ich: Don't take the term 'Jew' too literally. I'm about as Jewish -- religion-wise -- as you are a magical fairy ballerina.
Submitted by Ich (user info) at 2005-05-15 00:14:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Thanks for liking my suit! I find it curious for a hebrew speaker that you say "Holy Jesus, man!" You made me laugh. Stay brave!
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2005-05-13 14:22:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
whoa, i guess howto lost his rating ability.
time to party...drink some bicardi...etc.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2005-05-13 14:01:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+ deuce
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-05-07 03:49:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by howto (user info) at 2005-05-07 03:32:51 (#)
Ranking: -2
Desert. Eagle.
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http://www.ubersite.com/m/65803#1311518
At least have the common courtesy to let people know what the fuck you're talking about. I swear to God, proper manners are dead.
Submitted by howto (user info) at 2005-05-07 03:32:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Desert. Eagle.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-04-20 14:44:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Anyone else? Anyone at all?
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-04-19 09:52:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2005-04-18 16:47:13 (#)
Ranking: 2
IT'S 75 DEGREES F. TODAY AND I'M LOVING IT AS I SIT OUTSIDE WITH MY LAPTOP SUCKING DOWN CHERRY POPSICLES!!
GO POPSICLES WOO!
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Popsicles are great! They're just perfect for practising fellatio. Or, uhm ... so I'm told.
Oh well, at least a few people like this series. I mean let's face it - I'm no Habeeb "Mothafuckin" Thomas.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-04-19 09:22:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Cool series.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-04-18 17:59:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hey, I care, mothafucka! This was riveting.
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2005-04-18 16:47:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
IT'S 75 DEGREES F. TODAY AND I'M LOVING IT AS I SIT OUTSIDE WITH MY LAPTOP SUCKING DOWN CHERRY POPSICLES!!
GO POPSICLES WOO!
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-04-18 15:30:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
http://www.ubersite.com/m/62052#1265810
The people were promised this, and they were promised it three days ago! Yes, I know no one gives a fuck. Yes, I know no one even noticed that comment. That's not the point.
Anyway, you should get on freakin' MSN more often, woman!
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-04-18 15:22:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No patience. That's your problem.
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2005-04-18 14:10:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
good shit.