Memories. I lived in Kennewick Washington and worked as a union laborer (Local 348, Pasco Washington
) there when I was young. One summer day out in the desert at the Hanford Number 2 site I was drag assing at work, standing in the sun and throwing cast iron screw jacks into a dump truck bed. The pile of metal was hot, the truck was hot, my hands through the work gloves were hot, and I was f-ing hot. I had my handkerchief (I'd soaked it in ice water that seemed to cool me for about ten minutes) over my neck and under my hard hat like some Foreign Legion reject, and was hating life.
I looked over at the job site ( I was about 70 yards from the exterior of the nearest building) when I saw one of the engineers (white short sleeved shirt w/ pocket protector and non-craft hardhat) walking fast - then stopping - then walking slower and sort of erratically - then falling down in a heap kicking up dust. I took two steps that way, and then saw someone run to him. I started laughing and turned to the older guy I was paired with throwing jacks, and as I started to tell him about the pussy engineer he sort of looked past me with this glassy stare, and he was as white as a guy who worked outside in the sun could be. I asked him if he was all right, and he did not answer, but sat on the ground hard, and then fell over. SHIT!! I ran to him and he was out cold. Not even sweating. As I ran toward the nearest water bucket I was yelling for the nurse as this loud ass siren started up. We had never heard a siren before.
Long story short, so many people were passing out from the heat that day (117) they called us all in to the shade, where we sat around for an hour and then they sent us home.
The guy was fine, just had to get an IV and some fluids. Funny memory from 1976.
Much better to be in a hot and humid place.
