The Rock from Iraq

So I'm having a nice glass of this merlot stuff and chilling out. It's a no-run day for me. When I started running a lot this summer, I tried to go every day, but that gets very rough on my poor ankle, so after two running days, I try to skip one.

See, I actually DID manage to get hurt in Iraq. Oh no - no actual "wounding" for me. And I'm very thankful for that.

Toward the end of our tour, we moved to Camp Happy. Camp Happy was a safe place, compared to our previous location. It was so safe that we were allowed to run around the inside perimeter of the camp. So I did.

My good efforts were rewarded by me being attacked by a rock. I'm out there, trotting slowly along, then SNAP! - a rock leaps up, trips me, and hurls me to the ground.

The embarassing part? This happened at the foot of a guard tower. I was laying in the dirt, starting to feel my ankle in a very bad way and thinking about having a good cry, when I heard a chirpy little voice.

"Ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay?" It was a friendly private from the guard tower.

Shit, I thought. Now I can't cry.

"Don't call me, ma'am - I'm a sergeant." I took a deep breath (not crying, not crying, not crying). "Yeah. I'm just going to drag my broke ass over to the aid station." (So far away I could barely see the building)

"Are you sure you don't need me to call someone, sergeant?" Goddam polite, helpful, useful soldiers.

"No, thanks. I'll make it. Thanks for coming down, private." I trudged off, dutifully not crying.

I'd so viciously wrenched my right ankle that by the time the medics x-rayed it, they were amazed it wasn't broken. After walking all the way to the aid station on it, I was amazed it wasn't broken.

It healed nicely (no lost mission time for Abby!), but they had hinted there might be some ligament damage. I don't know about all that, but I do know that if I pound it several miles on the pavement for three or four days in a row, it hurts. So I don't do that.

It IS a little embarassing that a badly twisted ankle is my war wound, but it beats most of the alternatives. And it gives me an excuse to sit around and drink wine every couple of evenings.

And to blog. And I'm working on a post...Hammer tagged me, and so I'm collecting some images....