Tear Gas

It doesn't sound so bad, does it? Tear gas. Boo fucking hoo. Your eyes get a little weepy, and then you get better, right?

Not quite.

It was October of 1976. I was 19 years old, and a member of the A 4 3 at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. We went into a building with our gas masks on. Then we were told to remove them and recite name, rank, and serial number. I remember my eyes burning. I remember snot gushing out of my nose. I remember running blindly out of that building. I remember trying to draw a breath, and it felt like I couldn't get air into my lungs. I felt like I was going to die. And it went on and on. 

I still remember it clearly, even though that happened 42 years ago.

It's a cruel thing to do.

How anyone could do this to children...to babies...is way beyond my capacity to comprehend.