Sent on an outward bound team building course to find himself.
The Army Game.
What an eye opener it was in more ways than one.
I was sitting with my friend Alan Wallace a professional competition chess player at Prague airport waiting on our delayed flight back to Edinburgh whereupon I would take up my new post near Inverness. To pass the time he asked me how I knew that this was what I wanted to do in my life. It all started one Friday night;
I was passenger in the back an old Bedford Army truck as it suddenly left the road tossing us all about as the driver kicked it noisily into four wheel drive. After a very uncomfortable drive from Elgin sitting on bare wooden slatted benches with only a canvas covering protecting us from the elements, which flapped about noisily preventing us from talking to each other. We all had just about enough being sent on an Outward Bound Course with the Army when the truck leaned over alarmingly with all of us hanging on, it then flipped over the other way as we all tumbled onto the hard truck floor bed it stopped abruptly.
The rear board banged down and a bellowing voice shouted, all right you lot get out and remember to pick up all your gear! Nobody challenged the authority in the voice just did it, this was our introduction to Lance Corporal (LCpl) Alexander (Eck) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, REME, who was on his Junior Leaders Course assessment exercise. Our failure on the course was his failure as a Junior Leader and he knew it.
There is always one wanting to declare their rights and retain their home comforts, I kept my mouth shut. Sergeant Ronald MacLeaver (Ron or Mac), REME, appeared out of the darkness behind us, he was built like the preferable shit house door, in a quiet gruff voice said, anything wrong son. Silence descended as we stood there holding our kit. Didn't think so. Lance Corporal show our recruits to their tents then bring them over for some scoff, Army for food.
I was assigned to tent three, four of us were to share with Eck our Lance Corporal mentor and trainer for the weekend. After we were assigned a camp bed each, mines was next to Eck's, we headed over to the Mess tend, food was basic but ok. Finished eating the others headed over to join their work colleagues, I was left alone with Eck.
He asked me how come I was here as it was clear that I was not part of the Foresters group. I explained my father was the Reverent John Semple and had used his influence with the Forestry Commission to allow me to tag along as somebody had pulled out, to find myself in my father's words. I am starting my Theological studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands, UHI, in the autumn.
Eck said he never had much use for religion too bigoted for his liking. I said I know what you mean my father has been trying to change it for the better and that is what I am going to do. As we walked back to our tent his words of wisdom were, good luck, let me know if you do as I use to like going to church when I was younger.
The following morning after breakfast we were all standing at the shore of Loch Rannoch being given our training assignments for the day. Mines was to crew on the black Ribbed Raider with Lance Corporal Alexander. Looking at it swinging at its mooring it looked the business, I was told later that it was a left over that the training team had cannibalised. My first task was to retrieve the Raider from its mooring.
Eck said follow me and we headed back to our tent. Get into your speedos and pull these on, black cloth shorts with a REME badge and a white tee shirt with REME across its back. We both stripped off naked pausing to looking at each other, I admired Eck's muscular toned and tanned look and he seemed to be eying me up too. I felt a bit pleased about that nobody had done that before to me. After dressing and shown how to wear a life jacket we headed down to the shore.
Mac met us pointing at the Ribbed Raider said, go fetch. It was about 30 meters or so offshore, didn't know how deep the water was so I followed Eck into the cold water. It was up to my waist by the time I grabbed it and stood there, Eck said, well done, get in, I legged up over the side, pulled, slipped and ended up back in the water with a resound splash. I stood up dripping, conciliation was Eck was too as he had reached out to help me as I landed on him taking him under. We both stood up to the booming voice of Mac, HAVING FUN BOYS, Eck replied for both of us, just checking it was all clear underneath Sargent. Well done was his supportive reply.
Tried again and in we both went flopping into the gunnels, Eck started doing his engine checks I was sent to check everything was secure on deck. All checks done engine started my job was now to haul in the mooring, it was a folding grapple type, quickly stowed, gave the thumb up to Eck and off we went like a bat out of hell. Talk about a thrill as we wave hopped it was ecstasy in speed, we did a 360 turn for the hell of it then headed up the loch to our staging point. We were the rescue and command point, three teams of three plus a junior leader who were all on field assessment for their first or second stripe, each team was to hike around the loch. We would only be needed if something went wrong other than that we were free to relax in the sun.
Eck brought the Raider ashore at our designated hold point, my job was to get wet again jumping in from the bow before we grounded. In I went then straight down face first in the water, didn't matter there is a point where you can't get any wetter. I stood up with the mooring rope over my shoulder like in the movies and waded ashore, motors cut silence then a splash as Eck joined me hauling it up onto the beach near some foliage. Mooring grapple dug in and secure, next bit was fun we camouflaged the Raider, you couldn't make it out unless you knew it was there.
Our next job was to set up our hide, that was fun too, and again you couldn't see it unless you knew where to look. Eck explained that the teams would pass over the hill opposite us looking for us to ferry them back to the camp site tonight after they had completed stage one. Test was, no easy lift home they would have to hike round the end of the loch in one not two stages with an overnight rest period, demoralized, and it would take them all night to do, no food no hot drinks and no tent if it rained. A survival test which as Forrester's could happen to them. We were to stay hidden just in case they freaked out or got injured, monitoring their radio traffic we would come to their rescue out of the dark if called upon.
We retired under the camouflaged hide, as we were soaking wet Eck said off with your kit and dry it out. I stripped down to my speedos and hung my clothes up to dry including my trainers. Eck standing there naked looking at me as he had done in the tent, said speedos too. We both clambered into the hide in our hands and knees bumping into and rubbing against each other, must admit I was starting to enjoy doing that, from the look in his face Eck did too. After we brewed up and had a hot bacon sannie we both lay on blankets in the sun which, was streaming through warming and drying us nicely.
As we lay on our backs naked talking, Eck asked me was he right in thinking was I gay too? Lost for words I said I don't think so are you allowed to be gay in the Army? Yes, changed days, all-inclusive these days. I looked over at him he had a hard erection that looked so hot and fiery, that seemed to set me off, not hot and fiery but very hard. He leaned over and towards me, I could feel his fingers on my penis slowly caressing it. I was now on a high that I had never experienced before then he leaned over and kissed me on the lips, touching my tongue with his. I had never felt as excited as I felt his erection press on my side, I turned on my side facing him and he let me start caressing him. We were now equally committed to what we were doing to each other as the sun bore down seductively on us.
How long this went on for I don't know, I unloaded first over both of us, not to be outdone I increased the intensity of how I was stroking him, I could feel him tense up then he unloaded over me. It was warm and comforting. We both lay back in a trance looking at the sun in silence. Eck said I though you said you were not gay, no I said I didn't think I was gay. He looked at me and said you bloody well are now we both laughed at that. He asked what else do you do that you don't think you do, I said nothing but can you show me, he looked seriously at me and said, yes I can.
He leaned over to his kit bag pulled something out and said I will ease you first, at that time I had no idea what he meant. He pushed a folded blanket under the small of my back then my knees up I instinctively opened my legs as you do, I felt him apply oil or cream with his fingers as he rubbed them around and up and down. I was starting to get an erotic high lying there, I felt my self start to drip as he pushed my legs further apart and leaned over me. Then I felt him prod at me with his hard erection then slowly filling me up as he entered until he touched me inside, I was on an all-time high at that point. I instinctively squeezed to hold him back as he withdrew, from the look in his green eyes I was doing what he wanted. We kept this up until we were both wheezing with excitement, just after his motion became erratic he unloaded and froze leaning over me, I could feel it fill up and then escape slowly. He slowly withdrew which was a tantalising feeling and flopped down alongside me saying are you sure you haven't done this before.
