Chapter 10

We go through the chow line as usual. We still can't go to the short line, only the sergeants are allowed to go through the short line. The big difference between the short and mainline is the food that's served. The mainline has healthier foods like pasta, regular steaks, greens, that stuff. The short line on the other hand serves fast food. Things like burgers and hotdogs. We are also limited to water and maybe some power-aid. This time around I grab some chili, crackers, and cheese. As I leave the line I see Sgt. Hines wave me over to his table. I wasn't quite sure why he wanted me to sit over there with him, what he wanted me to give him, or what he wanted me to do once I got there. I look beside him to see the other sergeants and Brandon. I take a gulp and make my way to their table. "Yes, sergeant?" "Take a seat, recruit." I oblige and take the seat directly in front of me. "So, recruit, I and the other sergeants were quite curious as to where you learned to shoot like that." "Hunting, sergeant." "Where'd you grow up?" "Anderson, South Carolina, sergeant." He gets this look, almost like he's figured out how to solve world hunger. This look of accomplishment. "Really? I grew up in Spartanburg." I look Brandon in the eyes, begging him to tell me what's going on. He just gives me a shrug. I turn my gaze back to our sergeant. "You two surprised me at the rage today." "Yes, sergeant." "Since you two were the two shining stars of the range today, I'll allow you to get a Coke from the vending machine sometime." I honestly can't believe it. We're getting a reward for our performance. "Thank you, sergeant." We finish our lunch while the sergeants talk about the performance of the rest of the unit. "I'm honestly disappointed." I look to the voice to see another instructor, Sgt. Joahn. Sgt. Joahn was one of the nicer sergeants, and he had quite a unique name. It wasn't easy to forget. "There were so many things wrong with today's visit to the range. I mean, look at this shit." I hear Hines speak up. "I swear, some of these recruit's parents should've swallowed. How stupid do you have to be to 'accidentally' keep your finger on the trigger after being clearly instructed about firearm safety." "This isn't their first time on the range. They came down all throughout phase one to learn about the safety, how to troubleshoot issues with the weapon, disassembly, the whole nine yards." I'd be lying if I were to say that I was disappointed in the least. They aren't wrong. To be fair the sergeants are very rarely wrong. So rare that we've never seen them mess up once throughout the past 3 weeks. Granted, they have been in for 6-8 years, so I understand why we haven't seen them slip up. I'd be a lot more surprised if we did. "This isn't common, is it?" they look at me. It looked like they felt betrayed. Joahn responds to me. "No, it's not often that recruits make mistakes, let alone four or five." Hines follows up with another comment. "Whenever a recruit has a negligent discharge or sweeps other guys, it's our fault. That's why we make sure that nobody makes any mistakes. We did the same as we always have but for some reason, some of you guys just didn't get it." Wow, I'm a lot more disappointed now that I hear that. "Anyways, it's about time for my favorite part of the day." That's right, it's almost drill sergeant time. At least that's what they call it. Drill sergeant time is basically more exercise but the DS says a few things before you do it. Oh, and the DS gets to choose what you do. I hear the clanging of trays and garbage being gathered as people gather outside of the mess hall. I see the NCOs at our table go outside. I hastily gather my trash and throw it away. "Fall in!" I hear the sound of an angry sergeant outside. Quickly, I jog to my spot in the formation. I go to the automatic dress-right-dress to fix my spacing. As I stare forward I see Hines pacing in front of the formation. "You fucks must have a brain the size of the pair of nuts you have! We stated very clearly what the safety procedures for handling a weapon are, but you retards must have the intelligence of a chimpanzee because you cast it all aside as soon as we got to the range! I have never had a unit genuinely disappoint me in an entire iteration of basic as much as you have in one day!" I guess that one of the other recruits looked down slightly in disappointment and Hines saw it. I see the DS change his course faster than a Humvee that just started taking fire in the middle of a street in Iraq and head right towards the recruit. He holds a knife hand out and starts screaming bloody murder. "What was that recruit!?" "I-I-" "'I-I-I' I what?! What were you looking at on the ground that was so fucking interesting?!" "I-I don't know sergeant." "What was that?! I couldn't hear you!" "I don't know sergeant!" "What are you, a bitch?! What is your fucking name?!" "Stowes, sergeant!" It seems that he was finally able to speak up. "Wrong! Your name is Bitch! Is that understood Bitch!?" "Yes, sergeant!" "Now what were you looking at, recruit Bitch!?" "The ground, sergeant!" "What on the ground!?" I watch as he bends over and picks up an oddly shaped gray rock and shoves it in recruit Bitch's face. "Is it this rock, were you looking at this oddly shaped rock?!" "Yes, sergeant!" "Hold out your hand!" He puts his hand out and opens it. Hines flips it over furiously, so his palm is facing up. He takes out a pen out, draws a face on the rock, and puts the rock in Bitch's hand, and looks up to his face again. "Whats's name?!" "S-Sergeant?" "Answer the fucking question recruit Bitch!" The recruit looks puzzled for a moment and finally stutters out a name. "D-Dwayne, sergeant!" "Dwayne has a wife, two children, his mother, and his late father!" I am trying very hard not to laugh at the predicament that my brother in arms is facing right now. "You are going to protect Dwayne here, at home, and overseas! If I find out that you lost Dwayne at any time I'll put you through hell, and make you write a two-page apology to each and every one of his relatives!" "Yes, sergeant!" With that being said our angry DS walks away. "Since we're on the topic of rocks, all of you, mountain climbers, now!" We did mountain climbers for the rest of the day, and that was it. This one day sums up basic pretty well, I think.