Just the mention of the name is enough to send shivers up my spine. Recently we conducted a dismounted patrol to check the exterior of our FOB's outer perimeter. Near the end of our patrol on the north side of the FOB while checking the walls for intrusions and possible breaches we saw something almost unbelievable. Flushed out by our efforts was this dog like creature, but unlike a normal wild dog common to this area it looked different much different.
What we saw was an animal larger than most dogs with a slightly larger front haunch then the rear similar to viewing a Hyena. It had dark fur that would easily mask it in the barren landscape and when it tuned towards you it was hard to determine its true direction. Its eyes were hard to make out among the fur, when you did see them they were like portals to an evil soul. This was truly a demonic creature that we needed to avoid at all costs. That is, if it made an effort to get to close it would have become a target. We have a policy for rabid animals that showed no fear to humans and posed a threat, if threatened we were cleared to shoot. Then as if it new what we were thinking it suddenly turned managing to stay out of range. Its like it knew our thoughts and knew our fears as well. Just as soon as it appeared it disappeared as fast out of site. The Warg knew the rules of engagement (ROE) and knew how to live for another day.
When we got back we told the other guys of the platoon of our adventure. Their first reaction is that we had been in the sun way too long and probably were exaggerating for the sake of a story. Of course without any photo evidence it was hard to prove. It seemed that this would be a story that no one would believe and we just gave up trying to prove the authenticity.
In a conversation in the dining facility (DFAC) I overheard a conversation by a Major. He was describing a dog he encountered near the inner walls of the FOB that was similar to the Warg. Could this be the same animal, I had to find out. I asked him to describe the animal and from the description this was the same animal. From the sounds it was the Warg, but he had saw it inside the FOB. Well this was kinda alarming to me, who knows what kinda diseases this animal had or worse what a surprise he would be to someone in the middle of the night. Later that evening I went to see the guys of the platoon about what I had heard. Of course with the same skepticism as before the ones who hadn't seen the Warg were in disbelief. I just knew I had to get one of the non-believers to see it for it to be viewed as fact.
As it turned out we had a rotation of personnel and one of the non-believers and I were on the morning shift together. Early one morning before our shift I was leaving the TOC (tactical operations center) and noticed a pack of dogs inside the FOB near the exterior walls. As I approached I could see a huge dog but unlike any others in the pack. Yes it was the Warg, inside our FOB. I drew my side arm as I approached, instinctively the animal turned away and increased its distance from me and in a flash was over the wall and out of sight. My only course of action was to hope to replicate my sighting the next day for the non-believer. I asked the new guy to come in to shift change a half an hour earlier the next day. The next morning we met at the truck, he of course felt that my insistence was a fruitless effort and that the Warg was a figment of my imagination. I decided to drive and headed out, I checked the north wall where I had seen the animal with no dogs in sight. For a second I thought the evil beast had out smarted me and he would not be seen that day. We started to head to our post when out of the corner of my eye I saw something out of place. I then headed the truck in that direction and there it was out in the open, the Warg for all to see. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, I just turned to him and said "the Warg"! Now there is one more believer to be ridiculed with the rest of us who have seen the beastly animal.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
When the walls came tumbling down!
Well its spring time around the FOB and with almost every where I have every been its construction season. Its been a dry spring so construction started early this year. Through some poor luck, I was the lucky one to draw the evening shift. I work from midnight till 8am in the morning, a quick meal and then its time for bed.
Well on one sunny morning and without any notice I head to bed as a part of my normal morning routine. Then all of sudden I feel my room shake, could this be an earthquake? In the in brief there was no mention of earthquakes, what the hell is going on? I open the door from my living quarters to see some real bright sun light, this hurts my eyes of course. I see a bunch of "day walkers" milling about. Its a term I coined for all the normal people who work during the day light hours. I then notice and hear a large bulldozer tearing down a wall of hecso's a mere fifty feet from my dwelling.
Hesco's are large wire baskets designed by a Brit that the Army has invested in to heavily. The main advantage is that they are easy and quick to construct and in today's events easy to destruct as well. The large machine is now knocking over of these Hesco's and leaving mounds of dirt everywhere along with piles of these mangled baskets.
So much for sleeping today, the machine continued for the next several hours. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advanced notice of the wake up call. With some notice I would have found some other place to sleep, its not that I sleep a lot but what little I get is important to me. In the back of my mind I contemplated the thought of sounding the alarms "accidentally" in the middle of the night and see how the "day walkers" would react. Of course my response would have been it was a preparedness exercise and notice is not needed.
Well on one sunny morning and without any notice I head to bed as a part of my normal morning routine. Then all of sudden I feel my room shake, could this be an earthquake? In the in brief there was no mention of earthquakes, what the hell is going on? I open the door from my living quarters to see some real bright sun light, this hurts my eyes of course. I see a bunch of "day walkers" milling about. Its a term I coined for all the normal people who work during the day light hours. I then notice and hear a large bulldozer tearing down a wall of hecso's a mere fifty feet from my dwelling.
Hesco's are large wire baskets designed by a Brit that the Army has invested in to heavily. The main advantage is that they are easy and quick to construct and in today's events easy to destruct as well. The large machine is now knocking over of these Hesco's and leaving mounds of dirt everywhere along with piles of these mangled baskets.
So much for sleeping today, the machine continued for the next several hours. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advanced notice of the wake up call. With some notice I would have found some other place to sleep, its not that I sleep a lot but what little I get is important to me. In the back of my mind I contemplated the thought of sounding the alarms "accidentally" in the middle of the night and see how the "day walkers" would react. Of course my response would have been it was a preparedness exercise and notice is not needed.
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