Aug. 15, 2007. 6:05 a.m. The new troops’ day starts with a 5-mile march while wearing their rucksacks to an urban-combat training facility at Fort Benning.
Aug. 13, 2007. 10:24 a.m. Moving up from his PTs and fatigues, Ian is fitted for his Class A dress uniform.
Aug. 15, 2007. 7:27 a.m. Echo Company will spend the day training in vacant buildings. Drill sergeant Beauchamp has a lot of first-hand experience to share with the troops about urban combat: He served a tour of duty in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq.
Aug. 15, 2007. As his team prepares to clear and secure a room during a training drill, Ian is the first man in a four-man stack. The team includes, from left, Patrick Adams of Philadelphia, Richard Stotts of Newark, Ohio, Shadraq McBride of Florence, Ala., and Ian.
Aug. 16, 2007. 11:15 a.m. With some privates dressed as insurgents as part of the day’s urban-combat exercises, the 2nd Platoon takes part in an After Action Review of how the troops performed.
Reklāma
Aug. 17, 2007. 4:31 p.m. Cat naps are common but have their consequences. Troops aren’t supposed to sleep during the day, and when one does, he usually becomes prey to the platoon’s antics. Thomas Brenner of Toledo, Ohio, gives Ian the shaving-cream treatment.
Sept. 13, 2007. 9:28 a.m. It’s near the end of basic training, and the troops are deep into their week-long Field Training Exercise, or FTX, where they put all their newly learned skills to the test. Ian takes cover in the woods as his squad offers security for other platoon members raiding a trench.
Sept. 16, 2007. 6:53 p.m. Drill sergeant Eldridge uses his walking stick to encourage Ian during a ruck march. “Yeah, I get attached to some of them, Eldridge says. “I even got attached to Fisher. I don’t know why. He’s a good kid he’s come a long way. … They were young boys when they got here now they’re a well-oiled machine.
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Sept. 17, 2007. 12:46 a.m. After a 10-mile march interrupted by attacks and missions, Echo Company stands in formation at Honor Hill. The new troops were welcomed by bonfires and a ceremony in which they were pinned with their Cross Rifles.
Sept. 27, 2007. 9:44 a.m. Ian and Bradford Taylor of Griffin, Ga., use a mirror in the barracks as they prepare for the Turning Blue ceremony, when they will be pinned with their blue cord signifying the completion of their training and their qualification as infantrymen.
