"Up an' attem maggots!" Called the Drill Sergeant as he marched through the middle of the bunkhouse yelling loudly through a megaphone. Recruits began stirring immediately, one even fell out of bed, with a loud thump on the hardwood floor. Buddy immediately slid out of bed to avoid disturbing the covers too much and immediately began tucking down the corners and sides of the sheets, making his bed to code before the other recruits even realized the shit they were going to get for not making them.
Just as he predicted, a few seconds later the drill sergeant barked out "You filthy slime-piles going to leave my fucking bedsheets like that?". Buddy was the only recruit pulling his boots on and lacing them to stand at attention in front of his foot locker. The Drill Sergeant pivoted on heel, as if psychically becoming aware of that fact as he marched straight into Buddy's face.
"Why are you not making your bed, recruit?" He barked loudly, this time without the megaphone.
"Sir, I've already made my bed, sir!" Buddy replied just as loudly, as he was expected to.
The drill sergeant looked him up and down, noticing that the recruit's boots were laced and on already as well.
"Good fucking job!" The drill sergeant said, although not sounding any happier, and just as loud as before. "Keep it up, Hunters!" He growled out, before storming around the room to administer sweet, drill sergeant styled motivation to the slower troopers. To Buddy's surprise, Devlin soon joined his side in front of his own foot locker, being one of the first to follow his actions. Soon all of the recruits were standing in front of their footlockers in a neat 'U' shaped line around the room. Sergeant Oliver paced through the room quickly infront of them.
"Out-fucking-standing!" He yelled, tossing the megaphone to one of his assistant drill instructors casually. "You all look like you want breakfast!" He turned suddenly to the nearest recruit, a short, pale looking boy who looked just a bit intimidated.
"Do you want breakfast?" Yelled Oliver, directly to him.
"Sir, yes sir!" the recruit replied swiftly. Buddy almost shook his head in pity for the poor guy.
"Too-fucking-bad!" yelled back the Sergeant, beginning to resume his route around the room. "As a trooper you get ONE square ration a day and TWO snacks! There will be no sugar bombs, no Atomic gum drops, and no fucking jelly donuts in this outfit! Is this clear?" He roared. A few of the recruits immediately sounded off in response. Buddy, and Devlin were both included in that small group.
"Sir yes, sir!" Came the immediate reply from them. The drill instructor swerved sharply again, seeming rather loud and unpredictable, as most drill sergeants are.
"I can't fucking hear half of my recruits! Sound off like you've got a pair!"
This time, the response was much louder as the other recruits joined in.
"Sir yes, sir!"
"Fan-fucking-tastic! Left face!" He barked out, which everyone immediately turned to obey.
"In a single file line, to my obstacle course, on the double 'croots!" He called, ushering the line out the door. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
After being berated, rushed, guided along by the nose by the drill instructor, the platoon of recruits arrived at the obstacle course and were split into 2 single file lines at the head of it. It was just Buddy's luck to be first in the right hand line. The drill instructor paced impatiently nearby as the recruits nervously eyed the course.
"When I blow my whistle I want the first pair to begin down my course, second whistle blow the second pair, so on and so forth! You will run this obstacle course from beginning to finish, and all of you, will make it through. Do you understand?"
"Sir yes sir!" came back the loud reply from the double stacked line, which was quickly followed by a burst of the whistle.
The obstacle course looked easy to Buddy, at first. They started off with an agility test - running through a set of tires as quickly as possible without stepping on the tires - Then a platform raised a few feet off the ground and a high wall infront of it. Buddy quickly planted a foot on the platform and threw himself onto the wall, catching the edge of it with his fingers, and with a grunt of effort, beginning to haul himself over it. The other runner wasn't far behind, doing fairly well at it. Buddy didn't catch a glimpse of him, after dropping off the wall on the otherside, he turned to see something like a flat, ten foot high wall looming ahead.
"Let's go, recruits! Get that lead out of your boots, move it!" The drill instructor called as he blew the whistle once more, releasing the second pair.
Flustered, Buddy ran full sprint at the wall and leaped, trying to catch the edge, and failing. He didn't want to get passed by the person behind him.. In his mind, it would've been shameful.
Exasperated, he tried again, his hand coming up at least two feet short. He heard a thud, and the other runner was doing the same. The drill sergeant slowly smiled. "My recruits can't seem to outsmart a goddamn wall!" He chided loudly, and it was only then that it clicked with Buddy, he stopped and guestured over to the other recruit.
"Hey, I'll give you a boost up, once you're up there, give me a hand and we'll climb over this thing together." He said, placing a hand on the other recruit's shoulder to stop him from jumping for the edge again. The boy turned, a freckle faced, shorter, stocky recruit with steely eyes. He nodded at Buddy.
"Damn, wish I'd of thought of that.. Let's get over this wall."
Buddy nodded, immediately taking a knee at the front of the wall, clasping his hands together and allowing the other recruit to step onto them, boosting him up to the ledge. The other recruit pulled himself half way over, extending his hand down towards Buddy, who took a few steps back and leaped, managing to clasp hands with the recruit who grunted loudly as he pulled Buddy over, just as the second pair approached the wall. Buddy stopped, sitting on the edge of the wall with each leg straddled over the sides even as the recruit who helped him continued the course. He leaned down, offering both hands to the recruit behind him, who gratefully jumped to meet them, Buddy pulling him up the wall.
He continued to do this and help each and every recruit in his line make it over the wall. By the time the last recruit was over, his arms, shoulders and back were all aching with soreness, but he turned, dropping to the ground on the other side and jogging on to complete the course raggedly, just behind the last recruit he'd helped.
By the time they made it back to the start of the obstacle course, the Drill Sergeant appeared to be waiting for Buddy, because he immediately stepped directly into Buddy's face, again.
"You were released first, Why are you the very last recruit off of my obstacle course?" He demanded.
Buddy stood stock still, with his hands by his sides as he panted a bit.
"S-sir, I stayed behind to assist the other recruits over the high wall, sir!"
The drill sergeant paced a bit to his right, circling the boy. "So you stayed on that wall and pulled the recruits in your line over - Even though they were passing you?" Yelled the drill sergeant into his ear.
"Sir, yes sir!" Buddy called out, who was beginning to feel like he was about to get his first taste of "motivational exercise" - Or PT as a punishment, really. In that respect, he was nervous, sore, and tired from the course - far more so than his fellow recruits.
The drill sergeant pivoted, Buddy still isolated from the main group, he turned to face them. "Recruits! This is Recruit Hunters! He was the first into the course, and the last out of it! He has the single worst course time right now, than I've ever fucking seen in my time instructing at Camp Shady Sands!" He exclaimed loudly, leading Buddy to surpress a sigh, looking down at the ground. The other recruits shifted nervously too. This was the same recruit that just pulled them over a ten foot wall - Buddy earned their respect on the course, he didn't deserve what punishment was about to come his way.
The drill sergeant paced quietly, before barking up, continuing. "He is to be your new Platoon Leader!" He said loudly, smiling widely.
Buddy blinked for a moment, in doubt of what he just heard. Second time the Drill Sergeant blindsided him with something like this, and although he was happy, he certainly knew it wouldn't be the last time.
The other recruits looked equally as stunned, as if just slapped in the face. "He will set an example for all of you to follow, and you will follow it! If you need to be taught something, brought up to speed, he is the one you can look to! As far as I'm concerned, Recruit Hunters is your new goddamn best friend. Now - I want a jogging run around the perimeter fence until my whistle blow - Get to it!" He snapped, rushing the recruits to what Buddy could best describe as a "Victory lap" around the perimeter fence, because to him it sure felt like victory.
