Smoke gets in your eyes

The last time I was at this training installation (about eighteen months ago), going through this same instruction, it was winter here in California, and therefore cold and damp. The training lanes (as they're called) were muddy, so we all got really dirty, wet, and cold.

This time around it's very hot and dry, and we all wind up dirty, wet, and hot.

Amazing how that works.

Last time, for reasons that are no longer clear to me, the Cadre were prohibited from using pyrotechnics and smoke grenades, so while they fired a .50-caliber simulator and rifles with blanks, we had no smoke.

This time, they're using a lot of smoke.

On one of the lanes (operating a checkpoint), since it is pretty clear that *I* will never be searching civilians and vehicles, I hung out and watched, but did not participate. Several times during the other lanes we'd move through smoke, but seeing as I was otherwise occupied, I had no chance to photograph it.

All other things being equal, in a training environment, it's rather beautiful....


Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

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