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Apr 17, 2004 In thirty years of military life I have spent many hours of those years under canvas. Of course tents were always a part of life. We’ve all made tents of sheets and blankets in our playrooms and bedrooms when we were children. We had tree forts and bunkers and shelters made with tree branches and leaves as we played in the woods our games of Cowboys and Indians, or Soldiers, or Jungle Explorers. What is play without a tent? Military tents come in all sizes and shapes. Some are made of waterproofed cotton; others are nylon or heavy canvas. There are configurations of tents for maintenance, quarantine and shower requirements. There are troop dining tents and specially sealed tents for field hospital surgery. Yes, I’ve spent a bunch of days inside the flaps of all kinds of tents. There are even tents, for tents. These are basically camouflage coverings, but in dry, desert climates, camouflage netting is sometimes better because it creates shade, yet is porous enough that all the breezes that can cool a body can blow through. The only real drawback to most military tents is keeping them clean. Naturally, when erecting tents over dust and sand, keeping the dust from clinging to the canvas is next to impossible. After several days of constant blowing sand, there is little sense in trying to use a broom. You only end up moving the dust and sand from one corner into another. Tents are the structure of choice for an army always moving and basing itself in remote regions. Nomads and Bedouins have always carried and lived in their tents; as did most of the Plains Indian tribes that followed the buffalo or the elk. The Manchurians and the armies of Greece and Rome lived in tents as they created their empires and conquered the city states they ruled over. When I think of tents, I remember the circus tents I’ve been under, and the tents erected on the fairgrounds of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Columbus, Ohio. I remember my years as a BSA Scoutmaster and the many weekend campouts and summer camps. I also remember my own family and our experiment in camping; an experiment that did not last too long for want of “air conditioned” sleeping quality. We still have the tent though and it still finds an occasion for use. I guess what I am trying to say is that a tent is almost a normal structure for me. It never surprises or annoys me to end up in a tent when dealing with the military. The tent I lived in this past week I had to share with a couple of scrawny, underfed cats, several bloodthirsty mosquitoes, lots of desert sand, two very ornery and noisy air conditioners and a million various unfiltered sounds from birds, electrical generators, vehicle engines and jet and helicopter aircraft. Tents are not soundproof by any stretch of the imagination. I have just pushed away an entire week of writer’s block. I have books and papers with me but no desire to read them. I have tablets and notebooks and my journal, but these are the first words in a whole week to hit a piece of paper. I haven’t scored one line of poetry and all my e- mails back home have been bland. And now I am writing about TENTS?! Ah! But I do write exclusively for a Webzine known as Useless-Knowledge.com. I remember now. ------------ About the Author: Independent, Conservative, Christian. Married 29 years with 5 children raised and two grandchildren. 30 year Army Veteran and published poet with www.poetry.com since Y2K. Email Michael John McCrae: michael.mccrae@us.army.mil Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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