Y'all get cleaned up for dinner

A graveled field separates our chow hall from the soldier housing area, and many soldiers walk across it on the way to chow. Others, like me, stumble across it because it is nearly paved with large rocks, some as big as your head, most about fist size, smaller ones mixed in. The rocks are a way of avoiding walking through mud when it rains.

Lately the field has been prepared for future operations by grading it flat and mostly level, with some slope to account for run off. The rocks have been turned under and covered with dirt. As part of the process, Hesco barriers are being erected to protect soldiers from rocket attacks. Hesco barriers are 6 foot cubes made of strong wire mesh lined with a heavy fabric. Picture making a thick flexible fabric out of cement. The barriers are shipped folded flat. After being unfolded and emplaced, usually several in a row shoulder to shoulder, the cubes are scoop-loaded full of dirt. A quick, and I suppose relatively cheap, way to shield soldiers from indirect fire.

Soldiers continue to walk across the field as it is prepped, but risk getting dusted. A stiff breeze blows across the field, and as a scoop loader gobbles up a huge bucket of earth from the trucked-in piles, a thick cloud of dirt kicks up. This cloud rides the wind and attacks across the field, engulfing unwary soldiers and completely swallowing them, like The Blob. After disappearing briefly, the soldier reappears, usually stumbling, head down, face and eyes twisted shut, and often waving at the dust like it’s smoke in the face.

At dinner time it’s usually about 115 degrees, so even after the cloud moves on much of it is left stuck to the perspiring soldier.