iguessimnic

By the rights of the deep south, all of those people are your cousin.

Today in basic combat training you are taught to respond audibly to drills and commands. They drill and drill and drill and it becomes second nature to fire, to adopt the fighting position, to shoot at your target with lethal intent.

Human nature is one thing, but muscle memory is another. I remember the first time I was in a combat situation and they gave me a fire order. My rifle was shouldered and I could vaguely see my target about 150m away, they called fire and I just pulled the trigger before I realized what was happening. My body responded before my mind or consciousness could. Weird feeling.

Not a question but a story.

I used to date a girl who played snow white and others at childrens parties. I lived in colorado. And at that time I was in the army. This was before my deployment, so I would spend all day at fort carson doing nothing but busy work and then go home.

That day my girlfriend asked me to pick her up after a party. I told her sure. It was kind of on my way and we could go back to my place. Change out of our respective work gear and then go get dinner. No sweat.

So I drive straight off the base in my ACUs, tired out and kind of a bit stressed. I was going to be moved to 1st battalion in stuttgart germany in like 5 weeks so that was weighing on me.

I pulled up to the house without really thinking. Got out of the car and leaned on it and was going to have a smoke while I waited. Nope.

Around the house comes a herd of little girls. Swarming around my then girlfriends ankles, squealing and peeping and giggling. My girlfriend looks at me and I quickly ditch my pack into my pocket.

I figured she was just wrapping up until one of the little girls says something like "GI JOE IS HERE TOO".

What followed were the most surreal 45 minutes of my life. I went from being myself 18E communications sergeant, to the most all american soldier boy in a split second... Oh man my girlfriends face.... sigh.

Did you guys vote today?

People wonder why my hand rests at such an odd angle on my chest sometimes, or why when they startle me I reach for my left shoulder.

It's hard to tell someone just exactly where that comes from. But I agree with you man. Muscle Memory is hard to break.