Do you guys and gals, have dreams of still being in the military? I do, constantly. We lived through some insaine storms on that ocean, that destroyer rocked and rolled. Half the time we were underwater. If something broke loose on deck the captain personally picked ME to get harnessed up with a 15 man life line team and go fix it. I mean, I wished that I was made of something magnetic to keep me on the ship, talk about being scared! I was later chosen as the captains personal body guard and got to go on shore with the old man when the rest of the crew was anchored out, that was sometimes fun. But the dreams, they won't stop.

Every morning when I wake up at 0530 and get ready to go to PT.

Sure I did. Every time I went to a movie and there was no National Anthem, as in the post theaters. Or every time I saw something cool in a movie, on TV, or in the news that I used to do. But after a twelve year break in service, I got tired tired of sitting on my ass and came back in. After 9/11, I went so far as going back into SF. No regrets. Once again I enjoy what I do, not thinking about what I used to do.

Yeah i had a dream that i was in the officer cadet school getting my butt kicked during training. Woke up in my nice warm bed so it turned out good in the end.

Regularly now that I'm getting ready to head back out to the sandbox. Never a dull moment....

Comedy Gold...


Shaun

I think some of you misunderstood me. I didn't mean dream to be back in. I meant have nightmares of things that you went through while you were in. :-) :-) I've been out since 85 and about 4 nights a month I'm doing things in my dreams that I did in the military. Sometimes its a nightmare of trying to seal a water tight door that refuses to seal as we head into a storm and some other squidly all pissed off at me because his passageway that he's responsible for keeping clean has water on the floor screwing up his wax and polish. Weird stuff like that is what I was reffering to.

Oh, THAT dream. Yeah, even when I was out, and now as well, I have a dream every few months that we're about to deploy on a moment's notice, and either I can't find my alert ruck, or equipment that's supposed to be in it.
Kinda like the dream I often have where I'm back in college-it's nearing the end of the semester, I'm still trying to make straight A's, and discover somehow I've been missing English class the whole semester...
I think psychologists classify all of the these in the "I 've just shown up somewhere important in my underwear" category.

For me, it's not so much about my time in the Army, but of course I never saw any combat, and I'm sure that's a factor.

HOWEVER, even almost 35 years after I graduated, I still have the occasional nightmare about being back at VMI and as previously mentioned, I'm "not prepared" for something, either a class, an exam or some sort of military formation. They pound that into you from the very first hour, and since it is such a traumatic change for a 17 year old, it seems to never quite go away. At least the "dreams" are now down to about one or two a year, instead of one or two a month as they were for a long time right after I graduated.

I've spoken to dozens of alumni, and they all seem to share a similar story to some extent.

How 'bout it Steve and Chuck? You too???

Tom VMI '72

Got out in '91 after being hit. Was OK the first three months coz I was drunk or stoned most nights. Got a job and put the Army behind me for a few years. Around '95 the nightmares started. Would have them at least once a week for a year or so. Mostly the same one. My 2-man withdrawing under fire from our hide, low on ammo, down to pistols, and being overrun. Then the dreams tailed off and I get 'em only when I'm under stress and not getting enough sleep. Same one mostly though. That and the eyes of the first woman I took down close up.