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Life Lessons
That time we almost died from contaminated drinking water
For the best experience, always check to see what’s in your water
Everyone needs clean water. And we all expect to get clean water, especially if you are a soldier and approach a “water buffalo” that has the word “potable” clearly stamped on the side. (A water buffalo is just a big portable metal tank with clean drinking water.)
Usually.
They give soldiers and Boy Scouts (or anyone really) access to clean water out in the middle of nowhere. But someone has to clean it out occasionally and refill it and transport it back to the middle of nowhere.
So, once upon a time an Army captain and his soldiers were out in the middle of Camp Shelby, Mississippi. They’d been walking in the south Mississippi woods for hours and had understandably depleted their own supply of water.
Hot, muggy, tired — you get the picture.
And like a scene from Lawrence of Arabia, they spot a water buffalo in the distance.
So, these thirsty soldiers approach the docile water buffalo and are happy to find that it’s full of water. The rush is on to fill empty canteens and camelbacks.
