War

The US Army was being chased from behind and had to get to the other side of the lake, but it was frozen solid. This was during the time of cold war and the Soviets had just crossed over the border to attack the armored vehicles could swim, but the ice had be broken up. But time was of the utmost importance. The commander ordered all available men out onto the ice with mattocks' and pix axes. He had us breaking the ice up by hand. I told my commander that if I fell in and drowned my grandmother wouldn't like him anymore.

We had fifty vehicles that had to be swam across the lake and to the other side to get us away from the Soviets. We had to meet up with a German unit and for a defensive perimeter around Hamburg and Bremen. The driver of our vehicle got our vehicle to the end and and it stalled. Our mechanics were there pull us out of the water but our vehicle couldn't continue the fight. The maintenance vehicle took it into their fleet and we had to double up with another crew. They had the other crew show up to grab us, they dropped their back cargo hatch. They told us all to jump in. I had our vehicles machine gun and was weighed down. I went to get in and they had just started to raise the hatch and pull away. I took off running and jumped, but unfortunately I hit my knees on the edges of the door. I fell right there, let out a scream of pain.

I looked up and saw three ak-47's rifles in my face, I surrendered both the machine gun and my side arm. As we were walking back they dropped my stretcher, I tried to get up and run, but my knees were too badly injured. The Russian Soldier said in broken English Don't worry we treat you good. There was a medic with them and he looked my knees and said after he touched them I would be seeing the doctor and I asked when, he said well right now. I had two broken knee caps with nerve damage.

As I was laying in the medics tent warm, I had a dream and I woke up soaking wet. I dreamt that I was under a frozen piece of ice on a lake and unable to get out, but also my buddy was there as well. They came over to check me out and I had fever of one hundred three. The medic came over to me and said we are sending you back to the American side. He said you are too sick and injured, they can help we can't. It took us fifteen hours to reach the rendezvous point. The Russian soldier told me for my injuries I was very strong and brave, then shook my hand. I was taken by the Americans to Wiesbaden Hospital, but I was also having to do debrief. Anytime anyone spends time as a Prisoner of War, that is required.

I was asked if I was treated well by the Russians. If they followed the Geneva Convention etc, and of course they had. They asked me which weapons I had surrendered to the Russians and I told them. This way I wasn't charged for loss of the firearms.

I see icy ponds from time to time and think they sure are beautiful. When I see an icy lake, it keeps digging up an old memory that I just can't help but to laugh at and think that I have one hell of a story to tell my grandchildren. Would I go back and spend my time in the military again? Absolutely.

Whenever I hear of someone drowning in an icy pond, lake or river it absolutely breaks my heart. Especially if it is a child. I know this is supposed to be fiction, but I wanted to throw maybe perhaps a small fact into this story to help people understand how dangerous ice really is. Statistics indicate that 15 Americans die from “icicle-related accidents” each year, and in Russia, about 100 such deaths are reported annually. Some of these deaths can be pretty gruesome. In addition, countless people are also injured by either icicles or blocks of ice that fall from even a few stories high.

There are times when I wake up in the middle of the night laying next to my boyfriend, soaking wet remembering a dream from so long ago of me stuck under water with ice on top and no way out. My boyfriend is understanding, kind and compassionate. Sometimes I dream my boyfriend and I make love under the icy water. That would be great, wonderful, fantastic but cold also. The icy cold water does wonders to help the skin, but it shouldn't be an everyday thing. The Russians caused me to nearly drown in an icy lake, but they ended up carrying me off on a stretcher. How lovely and I felt so bad for being left behind and not being with my unit during combat.