night vision

Few things in life can give you the sense that you have superhero powers. Night vision goggles are one of those things. Rolling out for a live fire training exercise in blackout mode recently, I detected a crisp uptake in my adrenaline that caused both stomach and heart rate to register unexpected excitement. The world is just many shades of green, and what was pitch black becomes plain as day. The stars show themselves in full force: minions spread throughout the sky that were too dim to see with the naked eye. There actually seems to be more starlight than sky, some nights. Tracer bullets whiz with the visuals and sound effects of an intergalactic battle, crisscrossing the target field. The occasional flare or star cluster threatens to blind, but makes a spectacular show. It is dizzying, to see clearly what was a black void moments earlier. If not for the heaviness of the monacle mounted on my helmet, I could see myself as a night raider, insect-like in my ability to seek and exploit the landscape. Like some bird of prey or masked hero, I would burgle its unsuspecting inhabitants. You know, just another hungry nocturnal prowl, my personal vigil against evil forces--the usual stuff.