Chapter Thirteen – NOW

 

Kyle

 

 

“I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America, in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.”

 

With hard eyes, I stare at the recruits standing at attention in front of me.  Keeping my authoritarian, no bullshit tone, I continue, “You will learn the Soldier’s Creed before the end of this week.”  I pause a beat before speaking again.  “You’ve got forty-five seconds to get your asses over to Inspector Dunn and Inspector Bradbury.  Move it!” They rush away and I watch them leave before walking inside with my fellow instructor, Presley, to inspect their bunks.

Presley barks out a humorless laugh as he takes in the unorganized state the recruits left their gear in.

“Looks like a cyclone’s gonna go through here.”

We trash the room, upending the stretchers, tossing clothes and belongings, until the room is in complete disarray. 

There’s always a method to our madness.  Recruits need to understand the importance of knowing exactly where everything is.  They need to be able to move with stealth, in complete silence and utter darkness.  They need to appreciate the importance of keeping your belongings in order and meticulously tidy, because it could save their life one day.  When you’re in a combat zone, you can’t use a flashlight to find your boots.  You can’t waste seconds or minutes locating a weapon when you’re under attack. 

When they come back from the exercises Dunn and Bradbury put them through, and they find their shit upended, they’ll learn two things:

1: to keep their shit organized, and

2: to work as a team to sort everything out.

 

“Get inside and clean that mess up,” Dunn barks an hour later.  “You think it’s all right for you to leave a towel on your bed?  You think it’s okay for your locker unorganized?  Well, think a-fucking-gain.  Everyone’s area must be kept in exactly the same order.  You’ve got fifteen minutes, recruits.  If your next inspection doesn’t pass, the punish will be a fuck-ton worse than the cyclone.”

 

Basic Combat Training is more than making grown men shit and piss themselves. More than watching them become sobbing messes.  It’s breaking down their outer layers and finding those who possess the determination to push through the pain and exhaustion to reach their breaking point.  It’s realizing what you thought was your breaking point, is just another layer, and the strength that comes from that realization is what builds the most courageous warriors.

 

By the time darkness descends upon the academy, one person has already quit.  It’s not a surprise.  Almost all of the fifty people who came through the gates today will leave before the week is up. 

“Everyone needs to write an assessment tonight,” I say after the evening meal is consumed.  “You’re going to write about why you decided to join the military, and the person who inspired you most.  And don’t even think about writing half-assed answers like ‘because I wanted to’.  You’ve got two hours.  Don’t waste a second.”

I hear a recruit whisper something from the back of the room and I immediately single him out.  “You got something to share with the room, Jones?” I bark.

“Uh, um, no, Inspector,” he mumbles.

“It’s Instructor, not Inspector.  You make that mistake again, recruit, and you’ll be sorry.”

“Yes, Instructor.  Sorry, Instructor.”

“Get writing.”

 

It’s after midnight when Bradbury and Dunn return to order the recruits on a fifteen mile run around the academy.  Even though it’s so late, I still pull out my cell and fire off a text to Liv.

Kyle: Just thinkin’ about you

I’m surprised when she replies back minutes later.

Liv: How was your day?

Kyle: Still going.  Won’t sleep much this week.

Liv: You don’t get a break?

 

Her response makes me laugh.

Kyle: Not really.  How was work?

Liv: The usual.  Matilda had dance practice so we didn’t get home until late.

Kyle: Tell her I’ll be there to read her a bedtime story next week.

Liv: Ok.  Don’t be too mean to the new guys.

Kyle: Bein’ soft kinda defeats the purpose, babe.

Liv: Night, Kyle

Kyle: Night, Liv

 

Falling in love with Liv wasn’t something I planned or ever expected.  When I met her, she was in a happy relationship with Brant, and despite the current of tension I felt whenever she was near, I blocked it out and let them be.  Over the years, she’s been a constant in my thoughts.  It was her face I saw each night when I lay down to sleep in Afghanistan.  It was her blue eyes and blonde hair that flashed through my mind as a sniper shot at me.  I don’t even know what it is about her that has me so enamored.  There are plenty of pretty girls in the world, with kissable lips, hips for days, and an ass that just needs squeezing.  But Liv is just more.  She’s more than her looks.  Her beauty shines from the inside out.  She’s the best mom I’ve ever known.  She’s sweet and kind to everyone she meets, and she’s had me hooked from the first day.

On the flight home before discharging after my fifth tour, I decided I wasn’t going to fight against the pull anymore.  Instead, I decided to fight for her.  I know she feels it too, the only difference is, she’s still denying it.  Winning her over will require the determination I relied on to get me through my darkest Army days, but the end result will be more than worth it.

I’ve never been the kind of man to quit, and I’m not going to start now.