ASV karavīra 2 dzīves gadi23

June 19, 2007. 4:17 p.m. After securing gear in the barracks, Ian descends the stairs to join the rest of Bravo Company in formation. When the soldiers aren’t filling out paperwork, getting their teeth checked or learning how to properly wear their uniforms, they must stand in formation, reciting the Soldier’s Creed.

June 20, 2007. 10:38 a.m. The rigors of the transition to Army life begin to take their toll. Overnight, Ian says, he aggravated an elbow injury when he slipped in a stairwell by morning, he could barely straighten his arm. He calls his father inquiring about medical records the Army needs to evaluate his childhood injury. He had never revealed the earlier injury to the Army, leading to the prospect of his being sent home.

June 20, 2007. 12:41 p.m. “I want to go home. It makes me feel like I have an excuse. I’ve been thinking about everyone, Ian says. He waits to speak with Sgt. 1st Class Robert Russell, the recruiting command liaison, to outline his injury and make a new claim: A drill sergeant mistreated him for not seeking permission when he got an X-ray the night before.

June 22, 2007. 10:56 a.m. One of the recruits’ first tastes of basic training comes with the sorting of their gear. They are given a series of three two-minute periods to try to sort their bags, which have all been piled in a giant heap… The Bag Drill.

June 22, 2007. 11:11 a.m. It’s been three days of endless lines, little rest, second thoughts and, basically, life turned upside down. Now comes the hard part. For the next 14 weeks, Ian and fellow members of 2nd Platoon, Echo Company of the 330th Regiment will be broken from the regimen of their civilian lives through the grueling labor, discipline and harassment of basic training. Ian, who has put his initial reluctance during the days of processing behind him, is introduced to his place in the military chain by drill sergeant David Vance. “We see who’s going to quit in that first hour, says drill sergeant John Eldridge.

June 22, 2007. 11:20 a.m. Because they couldn’t complete the drill in time, the new soldiers must hold their bags above their heads as punishment.

June 23, 2007. 12:06 p.m. On the second day of basic training, Ian checks his stance and the position of his hand as the platoon learns how to salute properly. The first weeks of basic training are intended to break the recruits down to nothing – an intense period of sleep deprivation, heavy physical training and psychological harassment – so they can be built back up over time in the Army mold.

June 24, 2007. 8:27 a.m. Day Three of basic training: The new soldiers are issued their M-16s. Ian held his awkwardly at first until receiving instructions. Then he became playful – after the drill sergeant passed – quietly making machine-gun noises as he pretended to fire.