Leaving Cloud 9 by Ericka Andersen

Author:Ericka Andersen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2018-05-16T16:00:00+00:00

Basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in mid-January was unforgettable—and uncomfortable. Rick distinctly remembers yelling, “Yes, drill sergeant!” and “No, drill sergeant!” multiple times an hour, every day. He eventually earned rank as Private Sylvester, fourth squad leader of the third platoon in Delta Company, 2-13. He’d never had a title quite so official.

The days started early, while it was still pitch black outside, and it was bitterly cold during training. Coming from the heat of Arizona, the weather was one of the hardest things to get used to. Snow flurried in the early-morning darkness and the wind raged against his face, tearing into his training fatigues. Maybe Kentucky didn’t always get snow, but this year it sure did.

Fun it was not. Visibility was poor, and muddy ice covered the grounds beneath their boot-laced running feet. Only the throaty scream of the drill instructor kept him putting one foot in front of the other. Mistakes were not an option here, and Rick’s primary motivation was to avoid any repercussions. Training was already hard enough without adding any consequences.

One morning, they set out on a run with no idea when it would end. At mile six, his platoon reached Misery—not the emotion, the mountain. It wasn’t the end of the run, but the beginning of the climb. Rick says just knowing he had to get through it—and that he knew he could—gave him a sense of personal satisfaction he hadn’t experienced before. He kept putting one foot in front of the other and telling himself it wasn’t that bad.

Finally, after a full eight-mile run, they reached their destination—a tiny brick building that looked more like a shack. He swallowed hard, knowing what was next. They were going to be exposed to gas as part of their training for situations that might arise in the future.

He knew the training was important. Soon they’d be in the Middle East and facing what could be a fight for their lives. Nothing was off the table when you were deployed. And the better prepared you were, the better your chances of survival. But that didn’t mean Rick was eager to be gassed.

They were told that six men would be chosen to go first. Rick exhaled in relief. Out of 120 men that day, what were the chances he’d get picked for the test? Then he heard it: “Private Sylvester, front and center!”

Rick fell into despair at the sound of his name. His anxiety went into overdrive because he knew he couldn’t decline. He reassured himself it would be over soon, that it wouldn’t be that bad. But that self-comfort didn’t last long.

The shack was dimly lit with no windows and only one doorway, which was guarded by the biggest of all the drill instructors. Once they were all inside, the drill instructor explained the results of breathing in the gas fumes as they fitted masks on their faces. They needed a good seal on the protective mask to keep the harmful fumes out.

At this point Rick just wanted out, but it was too late.

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