Experience exceeds the rumors
Student reaps rewards from basic training
Basic training was what i ex
pected in some ways, but a lot
morn than I had anticipated in
others. Everyone had warned
me of the horrible tortures I
would endure and of all the
mental anguish and physical
exhaustion. They told me how
the army would strip away my
individuality and mold me back
into a stiff, starched, disciplin
ed soldier.
Yes, for the most part, these
things were true, but nobody
told me of the great moments 1
had to look forward to; of the
friendships I would form, the
people ! would meet, and the
self-satisfaction and pride I
would develop in myself.
When I arrived at Fort Oix.
N.J., I was s«Hin in awe of its
magnitude; the thousands of
acres of training field and the
beautiful landscape of green
fields and trees. As my bus
drove through the grounds, I
could seti the soldiers training
in the. fields. There were
soldiers everywhere I was ex-,
-cited to know that I was a part of
It. ' • .
The bus stopped in the front
of the reception station where I
was issued the fatigues that I
would wear every day of my
training, the black combat boots
with their dull leather glow that
would soon turn into a fine
.'gloss by -hours of spit shining
and the. field gear that would
take me through the complete
eight weeks of field training.
I heard the sergeant's, voice
instructing-us to line up against
the wall at parade rest; a posi-"
tton that would soon replace the
slouched,' hand-in-pocket
stance, as we were filed through
the raceptio’ii station: Here ’ K
. received .a pregnancy test and
vaccinations ranging from
chicken pox to turberculosis.
At last, four days later, we ar
rived at our training unit, our
Home.for the next eight weeks.
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This Is whore I met my drill
sergeant. I was soon to learn
that he was not there to harass
us or to strip away every fiber of
individuality we had, but to
balp us through eight weeks of
rigorous training that can be ac
complished only if you earn
their respect. and they yours. »
They encouraged us to ask
questions if we had problems,
and to get to know the other
women in our platoon and our
company. From the first week
on, I met people from all parts
of the country: people with dif
ferent personalities and people
representing all lifestyles.
I was elected platoon guide, a
position directly under the drill
sergeant. I was responsible for
42 women varying in age from
17 to 35: from spoiled mama's
girls to, independent, don’t
touch-me types. A lot of the
. people i met. 1 wouldn’t have
wanted to be friends with, let
alone help guide through basic,
training. They didn’t want me
to tell them what to do. and half
of them didn’t want to be there
at all.
But as the weeks went on, we
all started to mesh. Orders were
easier to give, and people were
more willing to listen.
Appropriately, one of - the
army’s favorite words is ’’flexi
ble.” Each one of us learned
how to be flexible, and to.bend a
little tp get the job done.. If we
weren’t, production, would
stop; .of move very slowly,
which would add to the stress
that was already a strong part of
our army lives. But the pressure
within the unit, from the other
women, was usually enough to
straighten it obt, ’
• ; Each one of us wanted to do
well. • to train' hard and to
graduate. Each week brought
graduation that much closer,
and each week wo gained more
respect for ourselves and each
other
r: ' - - • ■ ■.
We had all become close to
our drill sergeants, amazed that
they, too, had individual per
sonalities, and usually good
senses of humor. They were not
out there to insult and belittle
. Us, but to help us gain pride in
ourselves and our work, and to
train us to be proud of our ac
f complishments and of our
country.
This pride was established
through discipline and the
building of stronger bodies and
minds. Each morning we rose at
4:30 a m and headed to our
physical training field. There
we would endure an hour of
stretching, moaning and groan
ing In exact sequence, and
finish off with a quick double
time run of two miles,, along
with set after set of the
military's favorite muscle
builder and discipline instru
ment, the push-up. .-.?••
Aside from physical training,
or P.T., every morning, we
gained endurance from our mar
ching. We marched everywhere
— to chow, to our classes.-to the
field for training, and to the
Post Exchange (the military's
version of Shop-Rite). We even
dreamed of marching. Each ses
sion. we steadily increased the
weight of our gear until we mar
ched ■ around with 50-pound
ruck sacks on our backs, with
complete field gear and battle
uniform ranging from the steel
pots on our heads to our combat
ixwts; which became as smooth
as glass and as comfortable as
our sneakers. „
We went to the field and fired
everything from our "babies.’’
the M-IO rifle, to the” M-fiO
machine gun. grenade launcher
and the Light Anti-tank
Weapon..
One thing 1 really enjoyed
about the military is the equali
ty shown to each soldier
regardless of his or her' sex.
Male or female, each trainee
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fired the same exact weapon,
was qualified with the same stiff
requirements, and was expected
to train with the same intensity.
Much of the time, the women
did just as well as the men.
Quite a few qualified with just
as high, or higher, scores.
Basic training is a place
where each soldier can “go for
it” without having to worry
what society might think. It's a
place where society's sex roles
aren’t forced on you. 1 wasn't
worried if I should be running
around in combat boots with
sweat dripping in my eyes and
dirt and sand stuck to my back
and falling down my shirt. 1
didn't have to worry how my
hair or make-up looked. I
couldn't wear any. I earned the
respect of a soldier because I
trained like one. and acted like
one.
I got a tot more out of basic
training than self discipline, a
healthy body and a strong
mind. I gained respect and ap
preciation for our nation. 1 gain
ed pride and respect for its
defense and the men and
women who give their lives to
protect it. Not everyone can or
would want to be a soldier, but
I. myself, am proud that 1 made
the choice.
By Charla Parker
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