Why am I here? What have I got myself into? I must be crazy.
I’m sitting in a car with a blindfold on and my head down by my legs. The car ride is very long. My neck cramps up and fear takes over my mind. I have been kidnapped! Logic says I know these cadets who have me captured, I know they will not hurt me, it’s just training. Yet, knowing the captors worries me more…I know what they are capable of doing. I think about my family, my apartment, and even my job. I hope these thoughts will distract me from reality. Nothing works. Instead, I’m in a car and have no idea where we are going. I wonder which way the car is moving. I feel us get on the expressway, but I have no of the direction. I was hoping it was north. I know north of Milwaukee. I do not know south. Anything unknown is not good right now.

Finally, we stop.

“Get out of the car!” one of the captors yells.

I try to exit the car with out falling.

“Hurry up, and move! I want you all lined up. Let’s go!” the captors shout at us.

I make it out of the car and grasp for someone in front of me. At first, I feel no one, but then I hear a voice of a fellow candidate. My hand grasps his shoulder.

“March!” the captor shrieks.

I wonder who is leading us right now, but I let that thought subside as I concentrate on not falling. This simple task completely occupies my mind; I cannot think of anything else. At this point, I allow myself to wonder where we are. The ground we stepped on has been crunching. I smell the surroundings and realize there is a familiar smell in the air-water. We are either close to the lake or it has just recently rained. I take another whiff of the aroma. The way the ground crunches and the overwhelming smell of water makes me realize we have to be by the lake.

“Get down now, or you will be shot!” they holler.

I fall to the ground my mind racing. What did they just say? I’ll be shot! This can’t be good. Maybe it really is more than a training exercise. Silence.

“Get up and form a circle.”
We begin to move.
“NOW!” the captor screams at us.

We grab hands and form what we think is a circle.

“Does anyone have any idea where we are?” one of the captors asks.
“We are by a lake.” I say hesitantly, still not positive I’m right.
“How do you know?”
“I can smell the water.”
“You can take off your blindfolds now.”

I take mine off, and give my eyes a second to focus on the surroundings. Looking around, I see that the lake is indeed behind me. Other than seeing the lake, I have no idea where we are.
After glancing around, I notice that there are more people in camouflage, and a hut is set up. It is here that I learn about M-16’s, MOPP gear, and STT. Once the education portion finishes, we take our M-16 rubber duckies and are given a new mission.
It turns out we weren’t the only POWs. There were eight more that had been captured by the enemy. Our mission was to penetrate through the enemies forces and save them. We are given a short amount of time to create and execute a plan. We split into two even groups. One group will head up through the forest and another will head through the tall grass in front of us. The CTOs will join us and work as “guides.”
An eerie silence makes me feel as if I’m the only one out here, even though I can see my team in front of me. My eyes glance around the surroundings to see if I see any movement. Nothing. Without warning, two people jump out in front of us. One yells “Muhammad Jihad” as he blows himself up, the other shoots us until we are all dead. We did not fire one shot at either of them. It turns out that to make our M-16’s work, we have to say, “Bang.” With that new knowledge, we are given a second chance. We continue to move through the forest trying hard not to stumble or get caught on any of the branches that hang low. The only sound is the loud crunching of our feet. My eyes continue to scan the area. Suddenly, I freeze. My heart quickens as I watch a spot where I saw movement. I call over my team and point them in the direction. We wait to see what happens. Nothing. I try to shrug off the sense of someone being there. It’s just my mind playing tricks. The tension of the mission is getting to me. Finally, we make it out of the woods and meet up with the other group. We decide to stay out of the woods and just low crawl through the tall grass.
The brush is harsh against my skin, but I must keep going. I do not have time to feel pain or walk away. I have POWs to save.
At last, we make it into the enemy’s territory. Time is vital to us now. One group proceeds; we watch the surroundings. A few enemies come at us, and we shoot them down. Our confidence rises. We are almost at the POW encampment, which is lit by glow sticks. We send a scout up to check it out. He’s about to clear us, when out of nowhere, he is shot in the leg. He was just a few feet from the enemy; no one saw her. We shoot her quickly and go to assist the wounded men. With that done, we see the POWs.
To my surprise, the POWs are rocks. The rocks signify the POW we each researched. It is a way to for us to remember the POW’s and the sacrifice they made. In order to remember, we will be carrying the rocks around to all Air Force functions. They are not to directly touch the ground, or they will “die.” Rocks in hand, we head home.
The way back was quicker and we encountered fewer enemies. Finally to safety, our mission has been successful. I was covered in dirt, grass stains, and minor bumps and scratches. In the end, I looked like a mess, but the experience was well worth it. To be a POW is a major sacrifice, but forgetting those who suffer is a terrible crime. The tiny bit of fear I encountered at the beginning was nothing compared to what a POW deals with everyday of his/her life.