Well, That Was Interesting…
Our arctic tents were good for about ten guys and sported a stove that ran off most any liquid that would burn. If properly stoked that beast would keep one of those tents mostly toasty, even when it was just super cold out. However, some poor slob had to go outside and change the can when the fuel ran out. This was, as you might imagine, a less than desirable job.
I was the aviation liaison officer to our Light Infantry Brigade so I lived with the grunts. I had gone a couple days without sleep and was most thoroughly smoked. I crawled into my fart sack and slept the sleep of the dead.
Soon thereafter the stove ran out of fuel. It was only an hour or so until stand-to, so the fire guard woke everybody up and departed for whatever it was he did. I was so tired I acknowledged the wakeup and fell back asleep. I awoke a couple hours later alone in the tent — cold soaked at 50 degrees below zero.
This was the arctic in winter, so it was always dark. The moon and the aurora provided enough illumination to navigate, but that was about it. I was so cold I couldn’t think clearly. The cold had penetrated my sleeping bag as I slept and lowered my body temperature commensurately.
The TOC (Tactical Operations Center) tent was maybe 75 meters away and would be nice and warm. All my arctic gear was outside my sleeping bag, so it was cold soaked as well. It seemed way too much trouble to climb into my arctic clothing just to stumble the 75 meters to the TOC and refuge. Dressed only in my long johns I scooped up my weapon and gear and trundled outside.
That was the longest 75 meters of my life. Time seemed to slow down enroute. Despite the fact I was in the best shape of my life, I found myself profoundly winded. About halfway there I began to get euphoric. I felt that if I were to just sit down against a tree to rest for a few minutes, I’d be fine for the remainder of the trek.
By the time I stumbled into the tent I couldn’t reliably give my name, rank, species or gender. I couldn’t clearly recall where I was or why. Fortunately my buddies recognized my sordid state and set me up in front of the stove. Ten minutes or so later, after a great deal of shivering, I was back among the living.
