Thoughts on adrenalin, fighting and soldiers

Adrenalin. What is it?

The definition is that that the adrenal glands release a hormone under stress causing increased blood circulation and prepares the muscles for exertion. In practicality, it has the effect of the body being capable of doing extraordinary things.

Examples are people lifting heavy objects pinning down another person. In Vietnam, Seal Team 2, Bravo squad came under fire from numerous enemy troops. They returned fire but without too much success, so the soldier with the machine gun stood up in the road, exposed to enemy fire and let fire go toward the enemy. He was ordered to get down, but he was so pumped up with adrenalin, he just kept firing, until he received a bullet in the head and was killed.

In my case, to a much lesser extent, I had a squad (10-12 soldiers) returning to base camp after a night ambush patrol. All of a sudden, we heard a snap of a piece of wood. So we all hit the ground.

After some seconds went by, I peeked up and didn’t see anything. We waited, but still nothing, so I ordered the squad to get up. When we did, I discovered that I had red and black ants all over me and they had been biting me. I then realized that I had dove onto the back side of a big nest of theirs.

But with adrenalin, I didn’t even know it. In the same vein, some times soldiers had slight wounds from gunfire and didn’t even know it until the adrenalin went away and then they realized that they had been shot.

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran, serving in the 1st Infantry Division, and is business owner in Priest River.