By CREUSS

This time, after a few stories, I am back to a true story…

I was in the army, as I explained before… There is no reason to waste time to tell you about my army life…

Anyway, we were into a “commando course,” something quite hard, but rather interesting… Quite a challenge.

I won’t let you know why, but for any reason, I have done something wrong that awarded me to be punished.

As it was not really possible to be withdrawn from the course, the punishment had to be quick and efficient, to impress me and the rest of the squad.

Among the possibilities of the course, there was what we call “une Tyrolienne”. The English call that a toggle rope, I think (but I am not 100% sure of the translation).

From the top tower of the fort, it was possible to slide along the rope, down to the moat. We used to hold us with a special rope to grip both hands on each side of the rope. The bent of the rope could make the speed quite fast…

If you were fast enough, you could get over the water level in the moat, and get to the dry part behind. If not, you were almost sure to stop over the water, and let you fall in the dark moat, and swim (all dressed) back to the edge!

Most trainees ended in the moat at the first attempts…

The officer had chosen to use the toggle rope to throw me down the tower.

But instead of using it as we trained before (that was not a punishment!), he decided I would be put upside down.

We climbed up the tower.

Then a couple of NCO started to prepare me. They tied me up from toe to head with ropes, hands bound in my back… Then they hooded me with an old canvass bag, tight to the neck. They finished suspending me by the ankles to the rope…

I was not proud of the position I was in.

At once they pushed me hard toward the deepness, and I started to slide fast down the rope. It seemed this trip was lasting for hours. I was aware of my arrival in the water, as the only way to avoid it when used properly was to fold your legs by your stomach… Of course that was a position I was unable to do being upside down…

I eventually get to the water, and my head hit the surface of the water. It was as if I was landing on a wall. On the other hand, I was diving into the moat, up to the waist, before immobilising me deep into water.

My head was under water, and I could not breath. I tried to fold myself to get the head out of the water, but most ropes prevented me to do it, as I wanted, even if I managed to gasp some air. At the same time, the bag over my head was soaked, so I was unable to get fresh air, really. It seemed I spent hours struggling to survive… at least two or three minutes for real, but it seemed it was a matter of hours.

Some soldiers who were waiting for me at the bottom of the rope dived into water, and took me back to the edge of the moat, where they just undid the tie around my neck to get some fresh air to breath. It was as if I was getting back to life… I was breathing very fast.

Within minutes, the NCOs from the top tower were down the toggle rope, stepping on me when they arrived.

They checked I was not in troubles, and started to free me.

I was told it was the first trip…

I was taken back to the top of the tower. I did not recovered enough, when they were preparing me again…

This time, they bound me the same way, but this time I was to go down the toggle rope, suspended by my wrist, in my back…

When I was ready, they put the canvass bag on the head, still tight to the neck, and pushed me.

As the bag was still wet, breathing was hard when I was sliding down… my own weight was pulling hard on my hands and shoulder, and it was again a nightmare to slide down… I did my best to get to the edge of the moat, and I succeeded, even if the shock of the arrival was still hard, as I could not see where I was….

Soon after, both NCO did get to me the same way they did the previous time. I was hit violently again when they get to me.

I was told it was the second trip…

Taken back to the top of the tower, they prepared me once more.

It was too fast for me to recover…

This time they hogtied me, and hooded me again.

Before they threw me away, they kicked me all over my body. They made no caution of my head, which was hit several times…

When they decided it was done, they pushed me again on the toggle rope.

Once more it was a long slow but fast slide. My arms and legs bound behind my back were pulling like hell. It was a nightmare. I believed I was to die several times, and I wonder if I did not faint before getting into the moat. Anyway, the contact with the water took me back with the reality.

I dive once more in the dirty cold water.

Once more I thought I was diving, and I was unable to get my head off the water. I was still into water, struggling when the arrival of the NCOs violently against my body pushed me toward the edge…

They soon extracted me from the moat, and when I was the bank, they took the hood off. They kept me bound for a while, but I was coughing to get rid of the water that was inside my lungs.

It took me quite a while to recover, and later I was back in the squad, half dead, but my punishment was over.

Mates told me later they were impressed with the punishment, and how I managed to take it…

Actually, it was just a matter of surviving! No more!!!

THE END

Metal would like to thank the author, CREUSS for this story!

To contact CREUSS via his Recon, click here.