Baronman@aol.com wrote:

> 
>In a message dated 12/23/2005 5:22:44 AM Central Standard Time,  
>moondrgn@earthlink.net writes:
>
>I never  threw a blow, I never took a blow, I saw 
>maybe five Trimarians the whole  time I was in there.
>
>
>
>
>Back at Gulf War I - in the woods- in the heat. AH yes - I remember it  well. 
>I was in MUCH better condition in those days.  I was walking thru the  woods 
>going up and down the gullys and ravines with about 3-4 of my  companions 
>looking for some one to kill- NOTHING.
>Finally came upon a band of Trimarians, just sitting on the ground.   They 
>begged us to kill them so they could get out of the woods but we were  merciful 
>and let them live.  Continued on into the deeper part of the woods  and 
>suddenly realized that I was all alone, my companions had one by one  succumed to 
>the heat and I wasn't feeling to good either.  Started to head  back to the road 
>and kept feeling worse and worse, but I knew that if I stopped,  I would 
>never make it.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I  stumbled onto the 
>road and into the arms of the most loveliest of ladies, my  wife. The Baroness 
>was helping pass out water to all that needed it and was  doing emergency 
>triage since she was a nurse.  After feeling a little  better, I went back into 
>he woods and started pulling armor off of fighters who  were too weak to take 
>it off themselves, giving them a small drink and escorting  them back to the 
>road.  It looked like a scene from a real battle watching  fighter after fighter 
>stumbeling out of the wood, collapsing onto the ground and  people running to 
>them to evaluate their need. Not to mention all the pickup  trucks hauling 
>fighters up the road to the camps because they were too weak to  walk.
>One amusing side bar- One of duke Sigmund's squires had left his vanbraces  
>at home so the Duke had lent him a pair of his own.  He had taken them off  
>when he was stripping off his armor.  After the battle was called off, I  guess 
>Sigmund asked for his vanbraces back.  The poor squire spent several  hours 
>retracing his steps back in the woods trying to find them.  They and  the rest of 
>his armor may still be lying in the woods waiting for a lucky person  to find 
>them because he sure didn't.  Don't think Sig was too happy with  him.
> 
>Baron Bors of Lothian
>Baron of the Loch
>Mallius et Dei
>


I got to throw a few blows, before being swarmed by 5 to 1 odds.  
I was wearing a light padded tunic under my chain, and had soaked it down with water before going into the woods to help with the horrible heat. Of course, with the Humidity in the woods it didn't help much, just added another few pounds to my load 8-< .
About half a mile in, with people dropping like flies from the column, I was getting leg cramps, so volunteered with a couple of others to stay with a group of the fallen to render what aid we could.  Stripped them out of armor, made sure they were alert and in shade.

After about 20 minutes, a band of Trimarians found us, and pleaded that those of still in armor engage them, as they hadn't found anyone else.
We obliged, and were quickly slain. 

Having not seen or heard any water bearers, we decided we needed to get those still suffering from the heat back to an aid area.  So I loaded myself up with three fighter's armor and gear, and broke a trail back to the road.

We handed those in bad shape over to the chirurgeons, and I grabbed a bottle of water, popped of my helm and lay down in the shade to slowly drink a few liters.

As I lay there, people kept coming to check to see if I was OK.
After the fifth or sixth different person checked on me in 10 minutes, I asked why I was getting so much attention when others seemed to be in worse shape.
The response was " You're steaming ".  It seems the saturated tunic was forming a cloud around me for several inches, and the chain looked like a leaking radiator. <G>

David Gallowglass