OP of the Gods

I remember being out during one of my first army war games. Being out in a valley, placed on top of the highest terrain feature. It was a full moon and me and one other soldier we're in what is called an O.P. (observation point) the moon was impossibly bright the night was impossibly still with the sounds of armored vehicles off in the distance. Unceremoniously dropped onto this position to play babysitter to the land. Given food, water, radio, and batteries.

Expected to be awake non-stop and give any updates necessary to ensure a clean battlefield for the dawn. And here I sat, a kid from the inner city. One badass New Yorker turned Forest ranger to a dawning new battlefield about to be born. I loved it!

You never get to see the moon and stars as bright as when you're in the middle of nowhere. No signs of civilization anywhere. And the stars go on forever. And it dawns on you exactly why they call it the Milky Way. Your only other companion is asleep with the boredom of it all. And you sit there gazing up instead of down. Lost in the sky.

Then to gaze down at the valley below like a god! To predict where the factions will meet. To plot the artillery to strike. To wonder at the death and carnage that will occur upon the dawning of the day. To think on your hand in it. You hear the distant rumble of the armor. You plot the locations on the map of the sounds. You give your updates to higher. Every hour you give the acknowledgement that you are still observing. You are still viable. You are still online. And you wait.

Come the dawn you watch the beginnings of sunrise. You're spent. Your labors are unrewarded. The battle begins but you fail to find the enthusiasm you started the night with. It all seems so, comical. Such a beautiful star filled sky. Only to end in such a mundane mortal day. Your companion rolls out of his sleeping bag. Headfirst like a gopher out of a hole. He sniffs the air as though to say, it's air and safe to come out. Slowly the approaching sound, familiar tracks squeaking up to your Mount Olympus. The gods are now joined by their chariot and it's time to go.

I give the last look down onto my Dominion. Then another look up at my Milky Way disappearing into the firmament. What was my place in this Heaven and Hell? What was my point? Did I even care who won the day?

"Load up!" The words that shatter my introspection. Yup, I'm in the Army. No doubt about that. All of the wonder none of the sense. And I love it!

And so we come to the close of another exciting Calvary Day! Stay tuned to next week's stirring adventure!

And yes it really happened. And I loved it!