Desert Alchemy

     Today the wind returned, a stifling current of air that flowed through the FOB like the hot breath of some infernal entity. By midmorning the air was little more then an overheated conduit of raw energy. As I walked across the FOB I closed my eyes for a minute and felt like I was standing behind a jet turbine spooling up for takeoff. By early afternoon the thermometer that hangs outside our building was no longer a reliable gauge, the mercury had already pushed past 120 degrees.

     I don’t know if the shimmering heat magnified my sense of smell, or if the baking temperatures triggered some strange chemical reaction, but the FOB was redolent with a witches brew of scent. In one area the noxious smell of burning plastic seemed to soak into my uniform, until it was replacesd in turn by the sickly sweet smell of diesel fumes.  In another areas all I could smell was the foul stench of boiling trash - a corrupt odor that seemed to poison the very air.  In still another area the only smell was the cloying scent of radiator fluid, a smell so strong and overpowering I expected to find an army of overheated vehicles around the next bend.  The smells came one after another with such piercing clarity that at some point my nose just shut down.  What can I say - the heat can do strange things out here.

Comments

[devildog6771]

Hey T6, you need some of those strips that go against the back of your neck. I hear they really work well to help cool off. Of course they won't help the "stench!" Do you have any of those strips? I forget what they are called, but if you don't then maybe some could be sent to you and your troops. Does anyone else here know what they are called?

[Tony Lekas]

What is the humidity there? I have been in 115-120 in New Mexico but it was so dry that it was not too uncomfortable. Of course I was wearing shorts, a light shirt, and a hat. Not all the gear you have. I have a real problem functioning at all in hot humid weather. If it isn't dry there I don't see how you survive!

[Chevy Rose]

I won't explain where I learned wiping Vicks salve under my nose helped to shield against foul odors. And God bless. "Be vigilant, don't fail this mission"-Michael Yon.

[A Military Mom]

It feels like it is hotter than hell in the good ole USA when it is 90. I can't imagine 120. Stay safe and God Bless.

[TNunn]

It 103 here in Sacto. I can't imagine 17 more degrees. Especially with all that gear you all wear. Hang in there. Stay safe.

[Sean]

Thing lizard thoughts and instead of thinking about the horrible heat and letting it weigh you down, bask in it. Just change the way you view it, after two trips over and living in Phoenix, it works. Oh yeah, drink lots of water.