High Tech

I was driving back to my office today, and picked a soldier, to “Share the Ride." I know this soldier just from living and working on the same FOB for a year, although not well. He said he was going to change into his PT uniform and go back to work. I asked about what type of work he can do in PT clothes, and he said he works in supply.

He then asked me if I have one of the new space age pens. “Nope.” Well, I needed one, he assured me, and he began to root around in huge green back pack. He fished out a pen packaged in a blister wrap, handed it to me, and said that they’d just come in today. “That’s one of those space age pens NASA spent millions to invent, that will write in hot, cold, upside down, and in zero gravity. You know, what the Russians do with a pencil.”

Sure enough, the package listed those virtues, and well as having a pressurized cartridge, permanent ink, and the ability to write under water. It claims to write in temperatures from -50 to +400 degrees (we’ll see about the latter, probably any day now). It’s Nitrogen pressurized at 50 psi. I’m about half afraid to use it; think of the permanent ink stain I’ll have if that baby blows out in my pocket. It’s a cool matte black with a non-skid gripping surface, and all metal clip and exterior.

It’s the perfect companion to the “Rite in the Rain” All-Weather Field Book the soldier also gave to me. Nothing like a friendly supply sergeant. The Field Book has paper “created to shed water and enhance the written image.” Hot damn. That book is a good piece of gear, the kind of thing you wonder how you ever lived without.

The beige pages are lined horizontally but also feature dashed vertical lines, dividing the page into squares so you can make scale sketches. It has a conversion table and a seven inche ruler along the front inside cover and a 16 centimeter ruler on the back. The last few pages have helpful info, like Tactical Mission Graphics (Breach, Counterattack, Cannalize, etc.), Friendly and Enemy Unit Symbols, a sample Sector Sketch and a checklist for preparing one, a Range Card guide, steps to evaluate a casualty, effective ranges of weapons systems, and more. It comes in two colors; woodland green, and desert tan. Hope I don’t drop it. I’ll never find it again.

So, my random act of kindness in sharing the ride paid off big. That’s how life is supposed to work.