This is a personal story that up have not shared with others very much.
I created Airsoft Tours due to the love of the game of Airsoft and the government banning Gelsoft in Western Australia. I served in the Royal Australian Navy and participated in operations in East Timor. Ever since I separated from the navy I have had the same dream. I know the dream never happened and I just can’t explain why I keep having this dream, but I do.
It has kept me up at night and wakes me up at the same part of the dream every time. It really affected me mentally. I started medicating myself with alcohol to get to sleep and stay asleep. This led to a dark period in my life. The dream stopped. Some important relationships in my life broke down. My world completely changed. Because of this I stopped drinking as much and the dream returned. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Then I discovered Airsoft. I enjoyed it so much and it stopped me from having the dream as much. I started having new dreams about playing a game. I travelled to New Zealand with the OZ1 crew. (I highly recommend this group. They are super professional and put on a magnificent event. Plus I got to meet some super fun people.)
I was lucky enough at this time to find people in my locality playing Gel Ball. A very similar sport with played by some great people as well. I found I hadn’t had the dream for the three years I was playing. Then the ban was being talked about. And sure enough out of nowhere when I though it was all behind me, the dream returned. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past and move forward so I have turned to this. One thing to look forward to. Playing the game that is great for my physical and mental health.
My dream
I can see the oil barrels on the Dili airport skirt burning white hot. Every couple of minutes you can see a 44-gallon drum explode and be shot up into the air. The flames licking the sky. You can even see the thick black smoke block the infrared picture. From the front of the room, I hear a whistle and the call no one want to hear. Within a second, I see a flash and then fade to black.
I wake up and see destruction all around me. I see my comrades lying around with lifeless faces staring. Bodies askew in unnatural ways. I walk around and pick up a severed arm. I examine it and see that it has my tattoo on the shoulder. I look at my shoulder…………. And wake up in a sweat.
I have kept the descriptions to a minimum as you don’t need the full story and it is always the same dream. It follows the same pattern every time. I know it didn’t happen and won’t happen. And I understand it is my brain dealing with a situation long ago. The way forward is this trip so come and join.
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