Sitting by my computer in boredom I slowly drift off… My next conscious thought is I’m duck walking around in a skivy shirt and some digital green pants scrub brush in my right hand, left hand in the small of my back. Eyes looking down and occasionally bumping into other skinny kids wearing the same pickle suit I have on. Walking around monitoring our activity are these Pit Bull’s with circular disk shaped hats occasionally barking in the ear of a petrified recruit. Who once attacked, scrubs more furiously than before. The others around him have a slight sigh of relief knowing that they cant have their ass chewed if the Drill Instructor already has a mouthful of their buddies ass.

“What… The… Fuck… Recruit.”-DI

The word’s by themselves were not terrifying but the controlled anger in which they came out made me afraid to acknowledge that had just been said. Hoping upon hope that they were meant for another. That hope quickly went right out the door as a shiny black shoe and a pair of green khakis with an angle so sharply creased you could filet a fish. Stepped into my peripheral vision.

I felt the edge of the cap cut into the side of my head knocking me off balance and onto my butt. Then a deep hoarse whisper slowly penetrate my ears like an aggressive prom date.

“Recruit…. Why the fuck didn’t you respond.”-DI

“I didn’t kn<interrupted by DI> “I, I, I, KEEP TALKING TO ME ON YOUR FUCKING FACE TOO!!!!”- DI

I quickly snap up to the position of attention and sound off with all I have inside myself

“SORRY SIR, THIS REC< interrupted again by DI> “NEVER APOLOGIZE TO ME JUST UNFUCK YOURSELF. I UNDERSTAND THAT MAY BE A HERCULEAN TASK FOR YOU PORT-HOLES BUT THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION!!! YOU UNDERSTAND DAT!!!!- DI

“SIR, YES, SIR” – ME

“LOUDER” – DI

“SIR, YES, SIR” – ME

“LOU-DER”- DI

“SIR, YES, SIR”- ME

“ON’YOUR’FUCKIN’FACE’RIGHT’NOW”-DI

“SIR, YES, SIR” – ME

I drop to the push up position and a calm comes over me. Its not that I enjoy being ambushed by screams and push ups but the anxiety of when or if is gone. Now its just reaction, no anticipation my worst fear is being realized and there is an excitement to that because on the other side of fear… Is nothing.

“DOWN!UP!” -DI

“1 AYE SIR!”- ME

“DOWN!UP!”- DI

“2 AYE SIR!” – ME

“DOWN!UP!” – DI

“3 AYE SIR!”- ME

“4 AYE SIR!”- ME

“STOP!!!!! DID I TELL YOU TO DO ANOTHER PUSH UP RECRUIT?”- DI

“SIR, NO, SIR!” – ME

“GOOD… You just want to sit here and be on your own fucking program. Sit here do PT while the rest of the platoon swabs the deck.” he said with a sarcastic air.

“Where are you from recruit?”

“I am< I, I, I YOU ARE NOT AN INDIVIDUAL THERE IS NO I IN YOUR FUCKING VOCABULARY UNLESS IT IS IN RESPONSE TO A COMMAND! NEWSFLASH I DONT GIVE A FUCK WHERE YOU ARE FROM, RECRUIT!!! AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED YOU AND THE REST OF THE RECRUITS ARE A BUNCH OF SPERM SWIMMING TOWARDS THAT EGG SO YOU CAN BECOME A UNITED STATES MARINE AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I ABORT THE WEAK!!!!”-DI

“ALL OF YOU GET ON YOUR MOTHER FUCKING FACES RIGHT NOW!!!”-DI

“SIR, YES, SIR” we sounded off in thunderous unison.

“Who ever you showed up as is dead forever. You have no name other than “This recruit” you have no family outside of PLT 3010. Myself and the other drill instructors are not your mother and father. We are your Drill Instructors and we will give you the tools to thrive on the battlefield and kill your enemy. If you are weak I encourage you to use those same tools on yourself so that others may live… For the next 13 weeks You are mine.”- DI