Frozen Chosen
   by James W

You have prepared yourself mentally and physically all year for this. You have been told it is nothing like anything you have ever experinced in your life. This day will test you. That day is today...You can't run from it. It is here...You can't hide. You cover every inch of your body with as much issued (and some not issued) gear that you get your hands on. You know...anything left left exposed is vulnerable. This is the day you have dreaded, the day that you will tell your friends about for the rest of your life.

The exposure comes fast and fierce. It is relentless. It moves as one body, surrounding you at every turn. This monster is everywhere you go. The wind so fierce it steals your breath. It eats through fabric, cuts through doorways, and even the sheltering ability of the nearest aircraft is put to the test. You try your best to make your way inside an aircraft, only to have the ground pulled away from you. You try your best to get your balance back. The monster is too strong. You crash to the ground in a frozen heap, tools spread around you. The beast has claimed its victim. As you lay there looking up at the belly of the aircraft, contemplating if anyone has seen you fall, you realize something. This is the day. The day you will never forget. The razor sharp wind, the blowing snow, the sub-zero temputure...all the things that make up this wintery beast, have not defeated you. You are an Airmen--You are a Warrior of the North. And besides, tommorrow is supposed to be colder.