Short Story: Tiffany Couch, Scottsburg Indiana

The Recruit Division Commanders (RDC) that were waiting for the bus storm through the open doors, and start screaming orders at the new recruits. Your grab what little stuff you were told bring, and hurry off the bus before the bulldogs eat you alive. Your are shuffled in to an atrium with about 80 other recruits all scared as you are, and still getting orders yelled at you, half of which you cannot understand so you get yelled at more. As you all fall in, the RDCs start telling you the rules and regulations as fast as they can, and expect you to remember all of them or again get yelled at. You then get shuffled in to gear issue where they separate you by gender. Once in the large room they make everyone one strip down to nothing so they can strip you of all your civilian clothes, and in essence of your civilian life. Once you have all of your issued gear they walk you into another room where you get your first chance to sit down, and semi relax. But there is no relaxing on the first

“Alright everyone pack out and gear up” Thompson ordered. All 20 of us stood up and walked to the armory. When we got to the armory where Garcia, Marshall, and Lucky were gearing up as well.” Where the heck were you at during the briefing.” Tank shouted sounding annoyed.

It was on 10 January 2010 when I got to my 2nd duty station in Schofield Barracks

After one last look over from Drill Instructors and roll call in formation. We stepped off en route to the parade deck. I was in front as the second squad leader. It was a slow march, meant to help us stay in step and to emphasize the of our heels hitting the deck. Even though I was staring straight ahead, I could see the groups of people cheering for us. We marched to "sing-song" cadances, like the Pink

On May 31, 2013, while our unit was recently deployed with the 1st Brigade, 10th

My eyes slammed open; why was he yelling at me? What time was it? In a confused haze I rolled out of my rack feet slamming on the cold linoleum floor and ran to the front of my bed. AD1 Rentas, the Petty Officer in Charge of my boot camp division, was tromping around ripping clothing and personal belongs out of any bunks or lockers left open! My first real day of United States Navy boot camp. It was a stressful, loud and extremely long day, one of the longest ones to date.

I ran down the mountain as quickly as I could. It was more of a controlled fall down the mountain. I hopped on a Blackhawk and told the crew chief to take me to BAF. The pilot CW3 Rob Lyon was a great guy who often bent over backwards to take care of the Pathfinders; we tried hard to return the favor. We arrived to the rotary wing PAX terminal at BAF at about 1800 at night. Nothing was there for us. I ran into the PAX shed fresh off of the mountain. Everyone was staring at me like I was a caveman. I had a loaded weapon and thermite grenades exposed on my kit. I guess a lot of people there forget a war is going on. I called the only person I knew to call. Our BDE S4 NCOIC. We received four box trucks full of all sorts of stuff. Sleeping bags, beanies and about 3000 body bags. Mortuary affairs got told there was a MASCAL and came in force with their own truck and about five soldiers. I task organized my group of helpers including some Air Force truck drivers and the mortuary affairs team into building speed balls with the sleeping bags, water, batteries, and chow. Oh they also brought a shipping container and more cell phone

head up.” The Senior Master Sergeant ordered. “Bell you lead the way. Wo you bring up the rear.”

It was really depressing the idea to change a Special Forces detachment for a hospital bed, but everything has its recompense, I could save the commandos life, and I can breathe with tranquility. Once I finished my recovery, I took vacations, then I went to my unit and there were bad and good news, the good news was that for that action, the army gave the honor medal, the bad news were that I was reassign to an Engineer Battalion and history at specials forces was

I woke up to various sounds coming from my brother’s room and attempted to escape reality through sleep. That lasted about 30 seconds before I was drafted to help him finish his incredibly last-minute packing. After loading up the van with precariously-balanced boxes, we climbed in and set off for ASU.

The busses had finally arrived and they started pulling around to get us. My friends and I were on bus five. We had a ton of my friends there. Brad, Collin, Caden, Cameron, Alex, Colin, and Avery. As we boarded the bus we had tried to find seats close to the back, where we could all sit together. We found seats and were waiting for everyone else so we could start going.

- Decades ago I could not imagine I would have such a pleasure to spend a half of the night with two insubordinate soldiers, one of them officer who heavily violated strict military orders of our command... But, I suppose, that's a life...

When I arrived in Louisville, I wasn’t sure where to go. Eventually, I heard an announcement to head to the reception area. I sat there with another Cadet on the Morocco mission and we waited for a pick up van. After we arrived at Ft. Knox we were assigned linens and our bunks.

Got pack, gun, poncho, and numerous other things I don't know what are used for. Slept on the ground last night in a tent with just an even dozen in it. Some of the fellows are staying in town at hotels, rooming houses, and private houses. Taken altogether, things are in rather poor shape as yet, but I suppose it takes a little time to get around. A few of the bunch act like a bunch of bums instead of soldiers, but they will get that taken out of them when they get to a real camp.

asleep in the tower, the first five night cadets had to go on the watch tower everything went fine