Gas chamber

From journal entry:

Today saw a couple of the big landmarks of BCT: the "Fit to Win" obstacle course and the gas chamber. Fit To Win was long, but it was done as a squad so at least I wasn't alone.

But the gas chamber was exhilarating! The first half of the day was spent learning NBC (nuclear biological chemical) procedures and repairing our masks. For lunch, everybody got a double helping of chili-mac and we had to eat every last bite of what was on our plates.

Then we took a walk down "The Green Mile," masked up and stood on Death Row. When it was our turn in Old Smokey, I could immediately smell the CS and feel it on the back of my neck. I had to unseal the mask and state my name and SSN, then reseal it. After that, we lined up, took our masks off, opened our eyes and stumbled out the back door onto Chili Mac Road with snot pouring out of our noses, coughing up a storm.

It was fun when it was over with, and I learned two important things: trust in my mask, and a memory of the smell of CS.