Welcome July 29, 2002 Issue

Staying on the path

Bill Dawley

MANY YEARS AGO I went through infantry training in the Carolinas. A lot of the training took place at night. These night maneuvers always left me with an "up-in-the-air" feeling. I was never quite sure, for instance, if, when moving through the woods at night and jumping into a foxhole, I'd meet up with a friendly—or not so friendly—copperhead.

Then there was the issue of not being able to see clearly. It was also a swampy area, and you could get into a rough situation if you didn't stay on firm ground.

I remember vividly having to do a night compass exercise. We were supposed to navigate by map and compass,and come out of the woods on dirt road, at a prearranged site—a metal stake driven into the ground. I got all fouled up on this one. But somehow, after fretting and sweating my way through it. I came out on the dirt road just a few feet from my assigned stake. I can't really say that I prayed about this. But then, maybe I did, in some way.

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