Gas Chamber

Here is Heather's Gas chamber experience:

"It totally and completely sucked. I'm so happy that I'll never have to do it again.
We got our makss the day before, and made sure that they fit and all that.... Then on Monday, when my platoon got all lined up to go in, I started getting really really anxious. I was next to one of the Mormon guys, Tobiassen. Anyways, when we put our masks on and sealed them, I started crying. Not tearing up, or my eyes getting watery-I started crying. Really hard. Tobiassen kept telling me I'd by okay, but I just kept crying. Thank goodness there were no drill sergeants around. One sergeant walked past me, read my name tape and said, 'You're scared as hell ain't you Howard?' 'Yes Sergeant!' (I had to scream 'cause those masks really muffle your voice. He said, "You'll be alright.' But I still kept crying.

It was dark in the gas chamber, they didn't have any of the lights on. All our light came from the door we walked in through. Almost immediately all our necks started burning. At first, it felt a little bit like a sunburn that you accidently put astringent on. Then it started burning really bad, and stinging like crazy!! The drill sergeants came past us one at a time and made us say our full name, rank and full SS #. I forgot to take a breath before I unsealed my mask though. So, I got a big breath full of tear gas and still had to sound off. Oh yeah, I was the first one to go too. Then I resealed my mask. After everyone else went (about 1/2 my platoon was there with me), we had to take our masks off the whole way. All the way off, open our eyes and say the soldiers creed. I got up to 'I will never leave a fallen comrade', then I started coughing too hard. When they let us out, we booked it out of there! I remember leaning on a yellow handrail after I escaped. Everything burned so dang much- except my eyes, but I think that's just because I'd been crying so much. Then we had to flap our arms(to air out our ACUs) and walk back down the hill. I had snot hanging down at least a foot and spit too. I kept coughing and there wasn't anything we could do. Then I dry-heaved like I've never done before. I'm surprised stuff didn't go flying. Two days later (Wednesday), my neck, face and hands itch really bad. I think it's cause we didn't get to shower for the rest of the day, so that gas was left on me.