At the mess tent, a cup of scalding coffee would accumulate a skim of ice within minutes. Canteens and C rations froze solid. Fingers stuck to metal. Helicopters refused to rise. Truck engines balked. Rifles seized. Batteries fizzled. The cold seemed to come with only one upside: It had a cauterizing effect on wounds. Blood from bullet holes or shrapnel tears simply froze to the skin and stopped flowing.
