Heat stroke

Strasburg, Va. gets fairly hot in late June. This can have negative effects on one's body. Today, I learned this the hard way.

We were in the early stages of an obstacle course when I first developed a headache. After a few more times diving to the ground because of incoming rifle shots or grenades, I was feeling completely dizzy. The course leader radioed for one of the other teachers to come pick me up in the SUV, which he did within a few minutes. I don't like giving up, and I was not pleased to come off the course, especially before the mortar bombs went off, but I went.

For the next couple of hours, I was feeling dizzy and nauseous, but after half a dozen bottles of water and some Advil, I seem to have recovered nicely. Several of the course leaders asked me if I had been drinking heavily last night (um, no.), but they eventually concluded that sometimes these things just happen. If it happens in Baghdad I'm not going to be happy.

On deck tomorrow: handling mass casualties, dealing with checkpoints and dressing chest wounds. My goal is to stay in the shade.