***
Day 30 Journal Entry
Happy anniversary to me. It has been thirty days since I was arrested or whatever you want to call it. Detained, arrested, imprisoned, In this situation they all mean the same basic thing. One of the things I have started to notice about myself as well is that I am becoming less civilized. I mean, we can take showers once a week but I skipped last week and don’t really seem to mind. I wonder what happens to a person when they quit caring about personal hygiene. Is that the norm for the imprisoned or is it just a weakness in me? I do still try to brush my teeth and I have even used some of the nasty soap on them but that is because I have no love for dentists and I don’t even want to consider what it would be like to have to go one here. It makes me cringe to think about it.
We made better progress today. The wind had died down and for a few brief moments the sun actually made a guest appearance. Unfortunately it didn’t last long. All in all, it was a pretty routine day and nothing spectacular happened. The meal was soup again and it actually had what appeared to be meat in it. I didn’t want to think about it too long, I just spooned it down. At least it was hot and the bread wasn’t stale like the past two nights.
***
Day 31 Journal Entry
Well today’s weather certainly made up for yesterday’s. Snow was coming down so hard you couldn’t see the building across the way. The wind had to be blowing fifteen to twenty miles an hour. I don’t know what the temperature was, all I know was it took your breath away and made your nose freeze immediately. I hunkered down in my coat as best I could, praying that someone would come to their senses and not make us work today. Evidently common sense is in short supply because off we went marching along. It was unbelievably hard. The wind cut into us and if you lagged just a little you would lose the man in front of you.
I thought what a joke this was. I was supposed to shoot the gradient when I couldn’t even find the stick man let alone read the measurements. I stood there like a dolt trying to see the man but it was impossible. He could have walked over to the airport, caught a plane and I would never have known it. Neither would anyone else until the night check.
Finally, the work force leader came to the conclusion that we were not making any progress. He called a work halt and we marched back to the barracks. We had to stand outside while he went in and talked to the barracks commander. Obviously we were not supposed to be inside during the work day.
We all waited, huddled around each other, trying to keep warm and finally we were allowed to come back inside. I need to make one thing clear. It is warmer inside but not what you would call snuggly. The inside temperature was probably around forty. Maybe forty-five, but it was a ton better than being out in the wind. We were not allowed to get on our beds so we just sprawled out on the floor. I could see the barracks commander was not happy but there was little that could be done about it.
By the time it was getting dark you could still not see the building next door. The snow continued to fall all day. Drifts were starting to come up to the windows. If this kept up all night we might be unable to work tomorrow. Darn, what a shame that would be.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Day 32 Journal Entry
It was totally dark when the wakeup call came over the speakers. Usually some light comes through the windows. Someone informed us that the snow had covered the windows. Maybe my wish had come true and we would not be able to work today.
It took three strong men to finally get the door open. When it was open we were amazed at the height of the snow. It was up to the top of some of the buildings. You could not see the ground anyplace. The sun was out which made it almost impossible to see, with it reflecting off the snow.
We were told we needed to make our way to the work shed, get shovels and report back here. They had to be kidding. I don’t know how deep the snow was but I just couldn’t imagine us walking over to the shed or anyplace else for that matter. It didn’t matter if I imagined it or not because that is exactly what we did.
From there we were taken to the commander’s quarters and we dug out a path and around the windows. It was crazy how much snow had fallen. It was the drifting that was the biggest obstacle. While we were working on his quarters others were digging out the other buildings.
Shoveling snow for hours on end is not easy work. Some of the older men just couldn’t go on any longer. Several collapsed and the guards just left them lying there. No one was allowed to help them. Why? I kept asking myself, what kind of person can just leave an old man lying in the snow like that.
Sometime later a hundred or so of us were lined up. I happened to be one of those. We were taken to a second fence that was hardly noticeable due to the snow covering most of it. Our first job was to clear the fence so no one could get over the top of it. That sounds easy with a hundred men but the problem was where to put the snow once we started digging out.
As the day went on, more people simply gave up and sat down or fell down. The ones sitting down immediately drew the attention of the guards and they usually beat them unconscious. It was brutal and vicious. The rest of us just kept trying to move one more shovel full of snow to keep from getting the same treatment.
We were finally allowed to quit for the night and after we turned in our shovels we were allowed to go back to our barracks until we were taken to the mess hall. At least they had the sense to give us hot soup with chicken chunks in it. I’m not sure what it was really since it seemed to be tomato based but it was hot and nourishing and that’s all I cared about.
When we got back to the barracks, someone rushed in and said that one of the women’s barrack’s roof had collapsed and we were to all get back to the shed and get shovels.
Until today I had never even seen the women’s barracks and now we were being taken there to try to rescue the trapped women. When we went through the gate I was surprised by the number of buildings. I guess I just wasn’t expecting as many women detainees as there were men.
We were put to work trying to dig the snow off of the collapsed roof section and then we began getting as many women out as we possibly could. Many were dead and several seriously injured. Broken bones, cuts and scrapes, were apparent on almost everyone we were able to get out. Some were trapped inside still but there was no way to get them out with just the manpower we had. We needed real equipment if we were going to save the others.
More and more men were brought over and a path was cleared for some of the base Hummers. Ropes were rigged and men stationed all around the fallen section. Slowly, we were able to get enough space for some of us to crawl in and help get the others out.
I pulled one poor woman out who had both legs broken and who knows what else. She never complained but just thanked me for getting her out. If that had been me, I would probably have been crying in pain.
It was early morning before everyone was either out of the building or had died. The dead were laid out in the snow. I counted thirty-three bodies as we filed past heading back to our own side and finally turned in our equipment.
I remember my last thoughts. Please, no more snow for a while and no more collapsed buildings.
***
Day 33 Journal Entry
I guess I was expecting to be allowed to sleep longer this morning since we only had a few hours’ sleep from last night’s work. Instead, we were awakened at the usual time and taken to the work shed. Once again it was shovels that were issued.
From there we were taken to the commander’s quarters. People were assigned different tasks. Some were clearing snow off the commander’s, guard’s and medical facility’s roofs. Others were clearing walk paths and door fronts.
I was told to follow one of the work force leaders that I had never seen before. He was a hulking man, not like 642, but big nevertheless. Our job we soon found out was to gather the bodies from last night and to take them to the graveyard. That was a new development. I guess I had just never thought about it.
The bodies were
frozen stiff and I hate to admit it, but I was glad they didn’t smell. We carried the bodies a long way it seemed, before we were told to place them down in a row.
It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Even frozen like that, they still weighed a lot and as the day went on, they seemed to weigh even more. Our next job was to see how many men had been killed or simply went to sleep during yesterday’s work detail. We were to locate and take them to the gravesite.
There were nineteen that we found. Most were much harder to transport. They were not only heavier but many were frozen balled up or in contorted positions making it difficult to carry them. It was late afternoon before we were finished. No break time today. I nibbled on my bread that I kept close to my body to keep it soft, whenever I got the chance.
The work force commander asked if any of us had ever used a backhoe before. Fortunately one man had or we were going to have to dig the graves by hand. I couldn’t imagine doing that in this weather. The ground had to be like a rock.
As it turned out, he wasn’t much of an operator, but he did manage to get the job done well enough that we could get the bodies in the hole. He managed to cover them up and we were marched back to our barracks.
I guess they figured they were giving us a break by letting us stop a little early for the day. It didn’t do us a lot of good. We were still not allowed to go into the barracks so we just stood in groups trying to keep warm. The sweat we had worked up was now starting to freeze, making us even colder, if that was possible.
We were certainly happy when they finally allowed us to enter the barracks. I said this before but even forty-five degrees feels like heaven when you have been standing in zero degrees or less with the wind chill factored in.
I actually thought about taking a shower. They were on today but the water temperature was just not much better than the air temperature. Once again I decided to forgo the shower.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Day 34 Journal Entry
I woke up sick. I felt like my face was on fire. My stomach hurt and I just felt bad all over. I guess it was the result of working in the cold for so long but I managed to get up and go about my usual morning routine. At least it hadn’t snowed last night.
The sun was out when I stepped outside. I had no idea what we were going to be assigned to do today. I soon found out we were going to be going back to the road work site. When they opened the gate there was a wall of snow. No way could we make it but that didn’t stop the plan. They had us start digging out. Fortunately it wasn’t long before we broke through the wall and it was only knee deep after that.
I said that like it didn’t mean much but marching seven miles in knee deep snow takes a lot of effort. We were all tired when we finally got there. Once again the work of building the road began. It was almost comical. I wasn’t really using the transit as much as I was guessing. All I wanted to do was hit the damn airport.
Fortunately a plane would land every once in a while so I would use that as my real sighting point. When a plane would land I would have the stick man move over to that direction and that is where we would take the road.
At one point the work force commander came over and asked me if I really knew what I was doing. I figured I had two choices, tell a lie and say yes or tell the truth and tell him what I was doing. I told him that there was no way I could be really sure because of the lenses frosting over so I was making corrections based on the planes landing.
I guess that was the right answer because he slapped me on the back, said good, and went off to see about another group. The weather was taking its toll. I felt like I was burning up all day and my head was splitting. I could feel my throat starting to get sore and knew it wouldn’t be long before I became very sick. I am prone to getting pneumonia and if that happened I could probably kiss it goodbye. No way were they going to treat me for pneumonia or anything else.
By the time the work was finished I was barely hanging on as we marched back to the barracks. All I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. After the usual standing around and waiting we were allowed inside and I immediately went to my bunk and crawled in. I was curled into a ball with my blanket over me when a huge hand pulled it off and almost yanked me out of the bed.
I immediately knew it was 642. He said I needed to eat. If I didn’t, I would die. With that, he pulled me up and dragged me over to the mess hall. He was right of course, but all I wanted to do was sleep.
We had chili with real meat in it tonight. What a treat. The bread was even warm and soft. He walked me back to the barracks and helped me back in the bed. That was definitely against the rules but he said I didn’t need to worry about it. I saw he talking to the barracks commander and I guess whatever he said must have been convincing because he never said a word to me. I know the commander had to be concerned. He couldn’t afford to let everyone who wanted to simply go to bed because they felt bad.
My selfishness took over and I drifted off to sleep asking myself why in the world is 642 looking after me?
***
Day 35 Journal Entry
I have to admit, the extra sleep did me a world of good. I still felt like crap but much better than yesterday. My throat was sore and I knew I had a fever but it was still better than the day before. I was also starting to wheeze when I took a breath. Not a good sign.
The long march back to the work site was about all I could do. I mostly pretended to be working on the transit and would tell the stick man to move one way or the other to make it look good and to allow him to move some.
I noticed more planes today than in the past. Evidently they were bringing in a lot of supplies or they were full of new detainees. They were all military planes so it was hard to tell what was in them.
We were almost back at the complex when we heard gun fire coming from some place near the center of the camp. It went on for quite some time then suddenly stopped. We all wondered what that was about. Even the guards seemed curious. We were told that one of the guards had gone crazy and opened up with his machine gun. He had killed fifteen detainees and wounded ten others before he was finally shot and killed by one of the other guards. We were to report to the assembly area immediately.
It was total chaos at the assembly area where it had taken place. Bodies lay in the snow and the doctors were performing triage. The camp commander was also giving people orders. He seemed genuinely upset by the whole situation.
I was assigned to help move the dead bodies. This was much worse. Part of one man’s head was missing and his brains were oozing out the side of his skull. Another had a portion of his intestines working their way out of the body. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up.
In my lifetime, before this, I had only seen one other dead parson, other than at funerals. It was a car wreck that I came upon on when traveling to an interview. The man had fallen asleep at the wheel and hit a bridge abutment.
Since I have been here, I have seen close to fifty dead bodies. I wondered how many more I would see before I got out of here, if I ever got out of here. We carried the bodies over to the grave site. The first thing I noticed was that anew row had been dug. That was an ominous sign. Obviously they were expecting many more deaths.
While I was eating, one of the kitchen workers came and tapped me on the shoulder. He told me I had been chosen by a drawing to work in the kitchen tonight rather than reporting back for barracks cleanup. I was to report as soon as I had finished eating.
I didn’t mind. It made no difference where I was assigned to work. It turns out I was wrong. When I got to the kitchen, pots and pans were piled in one corner next to a three compartment sink. I was told to scrub them, rinse them and use the last tub with bleach water to sanitize them.
I have to admit, I would rather have been mopping the floors at the barracks. It was hard work getting the pots cleaned and they never seemed to end. No matter how many I cleaned, there were always more. I don’t know what time I finished, but I was sure it was after the others we
re asleep.
It turns out I was right. When I got back people were asleep and snoring as I climbed in bed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Day 36 Journal Entry
There are some things about humans that I guess I will never understand. Even before we were sent off to work we were marched once again to the assembly area. It was starting to seem like it was an everyday occurrence. A man was standing at the foot of the raised platform and we all knew what that meant. Someone else had done something foolish.
Commander Riker came out and informed us that this man, and I didn’t even bother to remember the number this time, had hid in the women’s barracks and was caught trying to sneak back across the fence.
I have to be honest here. How stupid can a person be? Honestly, you know that if you get caught you are going to pay a terrible price. We had already seen that demonstrated, so why do it? Yes, I realize I have never been married but still, they are allowed to visit the female barracks one day a week. Why risk being severely punished just to try to get away with another visit. Maybe if I were married I would understand. At this point I was finding it hard to feel sorry of the guy.
The commander made his usual speech about breaking the rules and why discipline was necessary. We had heard it all before. I have to say, the discipline is varied. You never knew what they were going to come up with. This one seemed excessive for such a minor offence. He was stripped down and tied to a pole. He would remain there until the end of the work day.
I was thinking there is no way he would survive that kind of punishment. It was difficult enough for us in our clothing and with moving around. All he had on was his boots. By the time we were allowed to go to our work details he was already starting to look washed out.
PROJECT BlueBolt - BOOK II - THE GULAG JOURNAL: BOOK II - The Gulag Journal Page 7
