Their hostility was barely contained

When I was in college I almost joined ROTC. Wooed by my father's adventures in the Army, and seeking a sense of belonging I did not find in HS, I thought the Army might be the answer for me. My college roommate's mom found out about our interest in the Army and instilled us with fear and dread so fierce we forgot the whole thing.

My one year anniversary of being in Vicenza will be in here in about a month. I gradually increased my direct exposure to soldiers and all that goes along with that. There have been times that things have gone faster than I expected. Like the time my boss felt confident enough for me to present to 200 hundred soldiers recently back from Afghanistan. Of course I did a great job but, I won't soon forget the terror I felt when all those uniforms stared at me.

These days I don't think twice about standing up in front of a room full of soldiers. Yet new challenges appear that shake me out of my comfort zone often. Challenges that make me silently thank my roommate's mom for talking me out of ROTC.

Today I found myself on the other side of the table in a Chain of Command meeting. I was not providing them with essential information for their unit or company. I was there to advocate for a soldier in their company who wants to move to another base. They want her out of the military. Full Stop. They are bearing down on her with the full force of what I heard female soldiers in infantry units dealt with in the bad old days.

Those guys were on their best behavior. Soldiers guys that intended to chew her out today. That was their plan until I showed up. My presence held them accountable for each word that fell from their lips. Their hostility, however, was barely contained.They don't want her to be there. They didn't want me to be there as they told her how hard it would be for her to stay in the unit and pull her own weight. I shielded her today from what would have been a very unpleasant and unfair experience. Life sucks for her right now, but my actions today made it suck just a little less. I will fall asleep with her on my mind tonight. I will drift off peacefully knowing I helped to get through today.

Steam so thick I could barely breathe

I lead an international multicultural life. I live in Italy and work on an American Military base. Want more proof? Fine. Here's your proof. The girl who does Ryan's Italian, German, Swedish, Irish toes is Serbian. Sandra, the Serbian also does my toes, fingers and bikini. Last week while getting my toes done, she told me, in Italian, that she still didn't know how to operate the Turkish bath. She wrinkled her nose and winked at me when she said it. Wide eyed I leaned over and whispered,"What's a Turkish bath?" I have heard of Turkish bathhouses and the like but, this was not that kind of place. She described a fantasy worthy steam room that left you feeling refreshed, showered even. "I want one.", I said before she finished describing it fully. "When can I get one?" She thought for a moment then asked if I wanted a massage after. Yes, why yes I did want a massage after my Turkish bath.

The date was set and I arrived ten minutes early to prepare for the experience. After a brief wait, Sandra asked me to follow her into a pleasant room with a stand up shower. It sort of looked like one of those futuristic space pods or a disabled person shower. There was just enough room for one person. Sandra told me she would knock on the glass when I had five minutes left. I slid the doors shut and steam rushed in at me. I began to think this might have been a waste of time and money as the steam was not much more then the clothes steamer my family sent me for Christmas. My mind drifted to the female soldier who called me Sergeant Mac today. What a laugh that was. I corrected her but, I think she thought I was just being informal when I told her to call me Mickie. That lady thinks I am a solider. What a hoot! That's when it happened. I opened my eyes and it was white hot everywhere. The little hearts I drew on the glass were gone. The steam was so thick I could barely breathe. I started to panic could I suffocate from steam? Would a die a steamy death? I took several deep breaths and calmed down, enjoying the hot clouds as they entered my lungs and freed my pores from gross toxins. I stood there naked sweating for a long, long time when Sandra gave me the five minute warning. How long had I been in here I wondered an hour, a few days? It was about ten minutes.