The few, the proud...

About half of us Rosebuds had the privilege of touring Fort Lewis and other military bases in the immediate area last weekend. It was really kind of my ideal trip; getting out of town, learning new things, hearing crazy (and really sad) stories, and developing a new perspective about something I'd previously only seen in movies or read about in books.

We visited a lot of people and did a lot of things but this was hands-down my favorite. The obstacle course with the Marines. Even though they flew through these things and we sort of flailed and slithered, I still felt like a total badass. Since it was damp and rainy, only four of the ten of us volunteered to grapple about on wet logs and bars, but I think we all did a pretty good job! My arms and chest were sore for days afterward and I couldn't stop talking about it.

They demonstrated the whole deal before we tested our strength. "So you can college-boy it" says Marine closest to the camera as he inverts and flips gracefully over the bar...

"Or you can chicken-wing it," he follows up, which we are demonstrating here. (I'm the hooded creeper farthest from the camera)...grab the bar, walk your feet up the pole and awkwardly flip around like you're a carcass on a rotisserie spit.

"You can make it!" or "What the crap are you doing?" I was so pumped up and trying to do a good job that I don't even remember him there. The first time I tried to make it over this wall it was tough going, but after we were all done I tried again when no one was looking and popped up there no prob. Okay...either way I didn't look as suave as my boyfriend Sgt. Blondie there to the left, but that's why they're Marines and we're dancers.

Regardless of what weak little slugs we looked like compared to these lithe jarheads, we still felt pretty proud of ourselves for making it through. I didn't even regret the damp van ride home.

Here's the whole thing in live action too!

Oh yeah, and they even let us hold their guns! They were so nice to us. Having one on one interaction with some of these guys and hearing their crazy stories really changed my perspective about the military. It blew my mind to think the guy who's standing to my left or is kindly ensuring we don't smash our heads open on a rainy obstacle course has seen friends blown up in front of him, or seen someone who was trying to end his life stabbed to death inches from his own body. And is being told to go BACK to do it all over again. May the force be with you friends, and may this country choose it's battles wisely...