Dogs give us so much joy , memories of filling sandbags and the O.P.dogs on Sinai deployment.
Sitting on back porch having coffee dirt hitting me as Dunc is busy digging a new best hole. I shined my phone flashlight to check on Duncs progress's on my way in to refill my coffee and he stopped looked over at me as to say you know many paws make the work load lighter father.
When Dunc was a pup he would dig new best holes and then bark into the hole i remember my wife laughing Dunc puppy chicken sprawled on edge of the hole barking.
Duncs first night he cuddled into Liz and then must have gotten warm and he moved and puppy sleeping rolled out of bed. Yelp yelp I’m in trouble i hopped out bed not even awake scooped the pudge and put him once again next to Liz puppy whimpering laying into her.
She was rubbing him whispering go back to sleep it’s okay you’re safe.
And he did exact same thing next night two for two Dunc is cuddled again whimpering Liz she’s rubbing him whispering to him.
I said to her as moonlight was illuminating the drama you want me to exchange him for a smarter male pup I’ll call breeder in morning i got No!he’s a baby and we love him.
Anyway we caught this shit detail in that we had to fill these sandbags. We were not on O.P. The observation post we rotated off the O.P, to south camp the M.F.O. Multi National force and observers southern point in Sinai close to Sharm El Sheik.
There was North camp for logistics people then Sinai down southern tip there was beautiful as in desolation. And years ago Liz recorded a travel channel show because she remembered me telling her how we would skinny dip in Red Sea or learn to scuba dive on Herbs beach it was great deployment lifting weights on our O.P. They even had full gym at South camp it was a vacation relaxed we’d P.T in morning the platoon pull work details or try to hide from the lifers got a great full body tan.
Watching the documentary then it showed Sharm El Sheik international airport hotels nothing like I remember then it was untouched just beautiful example where else in your life you gonna see such beauty sunrises sunsets.
On patrol once we ran into the cobra yea beautiful swaying checking us out we went up another goat trail as to let cobra know hey it’s yours chill.
And the Bedouin were cool the Bedouin kids would come to our wire when we was on O.P. Way out in the mountains every if I remember 21 days out 21 days in the Canadians had the air so they’d haul our asses each squad had Observation post once we caught this O.P. tour on the beach up north we’d swim in Red Sea so ours was on top mountain and we’d either get ride in these powered up Huey’s.
Or they take the platoon in chinooks shit hooks and drop each squad off yet i loved flying in the Huey’s sitting in the door just enjoying the view and cool air. And the Bedouin kids out in mountains O.P. They would come to wire we’d let them in we taught them to play baseball football we’d feed them the kids would sit down eat with us it was a regular daycare.
You gotta think we were young 18 year olds our Nco’ mid to late twenties to late thirties
We actually had a trailer with freezer fridge sinks stove oven and we ate well resupply birds bring us groceries steaks lobster we even had outdoor shower and this water tanker would climb the mountain road to fill us up.
My squad leader was excellent cook before army his parents had restaurant in Yonkers i learned to cook from him and later on my wife.
And we would all take turns making breakfast dinner screw eating M.R.E. Or th C-Rats the army was trying get rid of although the C -rat pound cake doable.
Fuck I ramble anyway one time we had to build new bunkers on south camp hey nothing never happened all laid back.
Once in while you may run across some Bedouin dude missing arm or leg maybe wounded in one of the Israel Egypt wars or maybe he went Jihad to Afghanistan don’t know.
So we’re waiting on deuce half’s to take us out build bunkers my squad leader saying yea three cases beer be enough to get us through the day filling sandbags.
So imagine in your mind a bunch of young scrawny riflemen filling sand bags drinking hot beer in just loose boxers and jungle green canvas boots cuz it was hot out fatigues come off E-tools come out bitching starts cursing the fucking lifers and their shit details beer cans popping 05:00 in morning.
And the platoon dog some stray desert dog we had a lot of those dogs around that army veterinarians vaxxed up lived full time with us changing new platoons when new unit took over and an old unit went back to the states.
And the dogs like W.T.B. What the biscuits fellas. I am expert at digging holes so one man digging other dudes holding sand bag and you got some stray digging a new best hole in the sand next to you tail wagging dogs thinking this is great.
Dunc is now laying as I drink coffee admiring his new best hole.
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