Word: drilled
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...this was about as good as it gets, at least so far: Bayonet drills. Fifty of us in an empty classroom, slashing, thrusting and smashing our way through imaginary commies, yelling "kill" with every move and tossing out the creeds in unison: "Blood, blood, blood makes the green grass grow, drill sergeant!" and "Kill, kill, kill with the cold blue steel...
...Basic Training unit is the guinea pig for a new laser-based sighting technique that's supposed to speed up the calibration and learning process. Our one day with it proved only that the drill sergeants aren't any better at learning our tricks than we are - and probably worse. It was total chaos, and half our platoon never even got to switch the things...
...Thursday, the hard part - the Army I signed up for - began. As we sat on the bus waiting to leave Reception Camp for Basic Training, our heads down so we wouldn't be able to find our way back, a drill sergeant popped his head in to say a hearty good-bye. "Y'all can make it," he said. "But y'all gonna get scuffed...
...nine weeks you can follow any order they give you, with a stone face and an inner glow, just because they said so and because the Big D sure will come in handy if you ever have to start shooting people. At least that's the plan, and the drill sergeants, more than anyone, seem to buy it with all their hearts...
...drill sergeants have one saying for pretty much all of this - "Too easy." To which we are to gustily reply, "Too easy, drill sergeant," and when he walks by in his big-brim hat, a guy who's not only done all his asking but jumped out of airplanes besides, it really is difficult to tell him it's too hard. But that little saying is still a taunt. The time runs too long when it's theirs and much too short when it's yours (shine boots, clean locker, floss). Monday, they always promise you, it's going...