Part 3/9:
Within minutes of disembarkation, typical encounters with wildlife began to occur. On one occasion, merely twenty minutes into the patrol, the soldier reached into his side pouch for a water bottle when a tarantula ran up his arm. The reaction was instinctive—frozen in place while others laughed, eventually batting the spider away. Later, a more dangerous encounter arose with a black widow spider, heightening awareness of the perilous environment.