Day 12 - Learning to Project

Sitting around the table that cold December night we watched movies play on the wall. Distorted by every crack, every crevice, we could no longer take the unbearable pain. We decided to do what we know best: improvise. Scrounging through a storage room full of things we weren’t using, we stumbled across an old yet useful projection screen. Was this screen, gently used and covered in dust, what we had been searching for?

In the hours of darkness, while everyone else was away preparing for another day’s work, we began yet another project that would bring cheer to all for the holiday season. Carrying the screen out to the patio, careful not to drag it as others were still in the building working on last-minute tasks, we managed to maneuver it around a tight corner and finally outside. The easy part was done as the real work lay ahead.

As two men held the screen in place over the doorway, another began to hammer away. Clinking in the middle of the night, the sound of metal striking metal in a combat zone is one to be feared. Several times the door flung open as curious ears inquired. Marveling at the work we’d put into our area, a few offered helping hands. A Christmas tree adorned with lights was our only source of brightness. Long colorful shadows were cast as each of us worked, shivering slightly because of the weather.

After driving four nails through the rungs of the screen, deep into the slab of concrete above the door, our endeavor came to an end in an hours time. Satisfied, we decided on a movie for the remainder of the night, testing our craftsmanship. Saving Private Ryan. Classic war movie about friendship and brotherhood during times of war.

As the movie played seamlessly, I began to think, gazing off as sand blew lightly in the wind. This projection screen symbolized a lot of things going on in our lives at that time. As people were due to rotate out and be replaced by a new bunch of people, things would not run as smooth as they had for the past two months. Every flaw in our operation, every hindrance would be noticed. Having to start over from step one, helping others learn the processes and techniques used to do our job, would be a long and repetitive journey. As with the movie being projected on the wall, we would all have to come together and work as a team to find a solution to all of our issues.

Although some expressed interest in extending beyond their original date of departure, the majority would be going back to families and friends shortly after the holiday season. Those who remained would be the foundation for those due to arrive. I would be the bridge between the two groups, having learned the jobs of many over the course of my time in Iraq. I would be the voice to others, both junior and senior personnel, imparting the knowledge passed on to me prior to their arrival. The way I communicated would be key to our success or failure as a unit.

For now, we are the movie playing on the screen above a newly constructed patio. In a few months time, we would be back at square one. A group of people who may not have ever worked together learning to communicate with one another. We would have to learn how to notice every fault and attack it as a team, looking for alternative solutions until we arrived at an agreement.

As the movie continued to play and I rejoined reality, it became clear. I would be a leader during this transition phase approaching. I would have to step up and take responsibilities normally not given to me. A new year approached, a new assortment of troops awaiting their time to do their part in the war. I would need to be the solution we devised that holiday season night, learning to project knowledge and insight to the future protectors of our great nation.