CAX at 29 Palms

Yeah, just mentioning 29 Palms in the prior post, made me pull out the photo album and take a trip down memory lane. Providing medical support with Fleet Hospital Dallas was a fun way to spend a couple of weeks of my summer several years ago.... as opposed to visiting Switzerland, of course.

Check out this link. On the right, you can click on the thermometer to check out the wet bulb temperature at 29 Palms today. It seems about as hot as when our detachment served there.

See how happy I look, seated on the left? That is the picture taken prior to the Marine pilots' playing "map the world" to see if they could make the other Navy nurse and me (on board) throw up into our Kevlar or inside our blouses. We were given "guidance" prior to the flight that those two specific places, were appropriate areas to store our vomitus should we become queasy. Yep. We found out later that the pilots from hell had a little bet going. These were definitely not "A Few Good Men". smile

Map the world is where the helicopter hugs the terrain at strange angles, zipping in and out of ravines at high speed. It is kind of like the games your kids play online. Except that it is quite a bit more exciting because you are also sucking in the fuel fumes and sand as you look out the back and wonder why the peaks of the hills are sideways on the horizon. Your diaphragm flies up into your throat, your spleen dislodges, and you have a strong urge to defecate all over yourself because it feels like your bowels are being put through a blender. Did I mention that you also feel the uncontrollable urge to puke?

We were on an "ice run" delivering twenty-five pound blocks of ice to Marines engaged in their combined arms exercise within the hills around us. Navy nurses wanted them to keep their Gatorade chilled. There were happy smiles all around when we made our landings to drop off the ice.

Did I mention that we also ran a nice little beer garden in the evening in a GPL which we put up, with a few tables and folding chairs? All of us shared the waitress duties. You know the rule: After about one week in the field, all female Navy nurses look like a "10" to the guys. We look good even with dirt packed up our nostrils and beads of sweat on our foreheads. Problematic is that there isn't a darn place to kanoozle for miles, should the call of the wild be heard. Ah, the camraderie of military life! Two beer limit, and the crackers from the MRE for "pretzels". What could be better?

Speaking of MRE's (meals refused by Ethiopians) I did manage to keep the contents of my MRE within the confines of my stomach on that little voyage of the damned. But the lingering nausea stayed with me for approximately two hours after the flight. Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat!

Thank you for letting me share a happy Navy memory. smile


Tammy