Free The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell by Douglas Howell Page B

home. But when it comes to this obstacle course it will turn your mind and body into a formidable force. Only then will you have a true fighting chance to survive a war, both in body... and... in the mind. Then... and only then... would you earn the right to come home.
      All five of these obstacle courses symbolize war. Just one of them alone symbolizes the battles within war. Just like battles in war are different from each other, so are all five of these obstacle courses are to one another. Each one will impose upon you certain hardships. Those hardships themselves are only symbolic of the difficulties that you will face upon the battlefield. The make or break situation of war. But please, do not let that cause you to lose heart. For you see, those hardships will turn you into a much better warrior. Yes indeed this obstacle course will drain you of your strength and greatly test your will. But does not war impose the same burden upon you?
      Like war, each one of these obstacle courses is a great equalizer. Strength becomes irreverent when agility is required. None of you have an unfair advantage over that of another. But what it all comes down to is a test of will. Will you, or will you not complete this obstacle course? Will you, or will you not complete all five? Will you, or will you not fight hard enough in battle to achieve your objectives? Will you, or will you not survive war? Will you, or will you not come home to those who love you? Will you, or will you not become a true honorable noble warrior?’
      She remembers all of that because it is written in her Warrior Code Book of Honor, in the section on “Obstacle Courses.” After she said all of that, she asked them if there were any volunteers and if so, for them to step forward. All of them did. When they did she told them, ‘I have to warn you... but your honor is considered to be in question until you complete this course. If you fail to complete it, then it is okay for you to try again at a later date. If you throw in the towel, then you have no honor. Do each of you still wish to volunteer?’ They said that they did.  She then told them to, ‘Line up. If you fall in the water... you fail the course.’ Most of them failed to complete it. Some fell into the water; others took too long, even some of those guys who were built like a gorilla failed. Most of those who did finish had only a few seconds remaining. Three of them were in the 10-15 seconds time remaining margin. Only one of them beat Vaistll’s time and finished with 18.1 seconds. As tradition held, each one of them got a black ribbon.
      After Vaistll gave each one who finished their black ribbon, she took her right hand and taps her medal a few times. Her medal was on her left side, over her heart. She then taps her right temple a few times and then she shook her finger at them. She smiled and then told them, ‘You know, there is a trick in completing this course. It’s actually quite simple. Its three things. It’s training, training, and yes... more training.’ She then had Project 21 built the right type of a training course. She instructed the Drill Instructors to never tell them that they will fail, or to suggest that they should throw in the towel, but rather they will succeed. To tell them that the mind is strong, the body is weak, and they will complete their objective within reason. She also told them that when they tell the new recruits to jump, the recruits are to respond, ‘From which building.’ Vaistll took Project 21 and turned their agents into a formidable fighting force to be reckoned with.
      Vaistll’s Catholic friend wanted to become a big shot movie director. Back when he was in college he even study a course on movie directing. He did have some friends in Hollywood, but he didn’t have any good ideas for a movie to give to them. When Langston gave up on Vaistll, both Vaistll and her friend got to talking one day. They were just catching up with each other