Somewhat barely, anyway. Eight migraines in the last 10 days. One right now. I am attempting to embrace the suck.
Oddly enough, while searching for the “featured image” for this post, I ran into an interesting article on how much weight is too much in combat. I find it hard to believe that we expect our guys on the sharp end to lug 43 pounds of protective gear before they put on the first pound of anything else. As a Cavalry Scout back in the 80s, we were taught that in order to move quickly and quietly, we had to be light. We wore no helmet, and what we normally carried was our LBE with 200-ish rounds of 5.56, an M-16 and…nothing else. Of course, we weren’t going out for a week, but the possibility was you might be out overnight. So you might want to take a poncho liner with you. Or not. Your choice. I usually carried one. And some food, usually something like chocolate bars or peanut butter crackers. No C rats, because those cans could make noise if the clinked on something else. We went to great lengths to move as quickly and silently as possible. Firefights weren’t our stock in trade, unless we were forced into speed bump mode.
I’ve always tried to keep my “get home bag” down to 20 pounds. (I carry more that that in the vehicle, but it would be pared down if the event arose.) Even at that, when I pick up that bag, it feels damn heavy, even allowing for my current limited abilities. Fortunately, I don’t travel much these days, and if I do, it’s likely a longer distance than I would have any hope of walking. My thoughts now are more of a “hunker down until it quiets down” and I can make my way home via powered transportation of some sort.
Enough babble from me. You folks keep an eye on things. I have this nagging feeling that things are near to going south, and we might get little notice.
I’m sorry for the continued migraines. I can’t imagine trying to function with those.
On carrying weight: as aging goes on, I can’t carry as much or work as much. Frustrating as all get out. Stay in place for awhile seems like a good option, move sort distances at a time, under cover.
Next door neighbor carried 80 pounds in one of the ‘Stans. Ruined his knees but that didn’t keep him from becoming an agent for the Federal Investigative Service. Your tax dollars at work: his office is his car- cutbacks y’know.