What the hell was she thinking? Joining the Army at age thirty. It seemed like a good idea at the time; at least her damn self centered husband thought so. Or was he just trying to get rid of her so he wouldn't have to listen to all the nagging about money? Teresa Rom wanted to own a home someday but her husband was spending money like there was no tomorrow. And never anything of real value; fancy clothes, leather jackets, designer shoes and name brand cologne. Appearance was a big deal to her husband and that was another incompatibility problem they had. Rom was a tomboy all her life. She could remember all the special occasions when she actually wore a dress. Anyway, she was here now. Thinking back a few days, she now realized recruiters were the scum of the Earth! They will tell you anything to get anyone to sign those papers. Once those papers are signed, those bastards disappeared like a sprinter in the Olympics.
Rom remembered all the scared faces on the young boys and girls getting off the bus to Fort Johnson, the official training grounds for the United States Army. She was terrified too but she tried her best to hide it since she felt out of place being thirty. Like looking tough would actually hide her age. Besides, she didn't really look her age, in the face that was. Her body was a different story. She was five feet three and weighed one hundred and sixty pounds. Most of the weight was on her hips and thighs so that probably qualified- as the pear shaped body frame.
"Get the hell off the bus NOW soldiers" some very tall man screamed at them! Rom didn't even see his face it all happened so fast. She just remembered being pushed from behind and trying her best not to trip while exiting the bus. There was another man waiting on the sidelines, also yelling, and directing them to go and line up in this big field of grass. By the time all the yelling was done, there must have been over 300 soldiers, all in neat little rows. There was a weird silence for about two minutes. You could hear the grass growing or maybe those were the crickets. With all the yelling going on, either their eardrums had popped or they were just too damn scared to speak. They all just stood there in the grass, still and silent. It was a hot, sticky day and Rom's sweats were beginning to cling to her.
"Welcome to Fort Johnson" she heard a strong voice say over the rows of cowards. "This will be your new home for the next two months. We have a few rules here at Fort Johnson and YOU WILL FOLLOW ALL OF THESE RULES. Now everyone look to your left at the person in the uniform. That is your Drill Sergeant. Your Drill Sergeant is responsible for teaching you the rules here at Fort Johnson. Think of your Drill Sergeant as your father, mother, grandmother, grandfather or whoever took care of you back home. Make sure you learn to pronounce your Drill Sergeant's name correctly because they hate when you mispronounce their names. Oh, they really hate that! Nothing pisses them off more than mispronouncing their names.
"Rom's Drill Sergeant had a kind looking face and really brown eyes that seemed to twinkle. He was about six feet tall, maybe 250 pounds. She thought he lost a little weight because his uniform was baggy. Drill Sergeant Anderson was his name. She didn't remember the rest of the Commander's speech because she couldn't take her eyes off Drill Sergeant Anderson and those brown very brown eyes; he was quite handsome. She just loved a man in uniform.
"The next time you see me will be at your graduation ceremony here at Fort Johnson" the Commander told them. She never saw what he looked like; just heard his voice. Wow! We get a graduation ceremony? Just like high school. How exciting she thought. Her mind started drifting off to her old high school days when she felt that familiar push from behind; nudging her to follow the other soldiers. They were to follow Drill Sergeant Anderson to their new home. They were like little ducklings in a row following their mother. Marching off into the blue yonder to learn about their new world called the Army.
Rom remembered all the scared faces on the young boys and girls getting off the bus to Fort Johnson, the official training grounds for the United States Army. She was terrified too but she tried her best to hide it since she felt out of place being thirty. Like looking tough would actually hide her age. Besides, she didn't really look her age, in the face that was. Her body was a different story. She was five feet three and weighed one hundred and sixty pounds. Most of the weight was on her hips and thighs so that probably qualified- as the pear shaped body frame.
"Get the hell off the bus NOW soldiers" some very tall man screamed at them! Rom didn't even see his face it all happened so fast. She just remembered being pushed from behind and trying her best not to trip while exiting the bus. There was another man waiting on the sidelines, also yelling, and directing them to go and line up in this big field of grass. By the time all the yelling was done, there must have been over 300 soldiers, all in neat little rows. There was a weird silence for about two minutes. You could hear the grass growing or maybe those were the crickets. With all the yelling going on, either their eardrums had popped or they were just too damn scared to speak. They all just stood there in the grass, still and silent. It was a hot, sticky day and Rom's sweats were beginning to cling to her.
"Welcome to Fort Johnson" she heard a strong voice say over the rows of cowards. "This will be your new home for the next two months. We have a few rules here at Fort Johnson and YOU WILL FOLLOW ALL OF THESE RULES. Now everyone look to your left at the person in the uniform. That is your Drill Sergeant. Your Drill Sergeant is responsible for teaching you the rules here at Fort Johnson. Think of your Drill Sergeant as your father, mother, grandmother, grandfather or whoever took care of you back home. Make sure you learn to pronounce your Drill Sergeant's name correctly because they hate when you mispronounce their names. Oh, they really hate that! Nothing pisses them off more than mispronouncing their names.
"Rom's Drill Sergeant had a kind looking face and really brown eyes that seemed to twinkle. He was about six feet tall, maybe 250 pounds. She thought he lost a little weight because his uniform was baggy. Drill Sergeant Anderson was his name. She didn't remember the rest of the Commander's speech because she couldn't take her eyes off Drill Sergeant Anderson and those brown very brown eyes; he was quite handsome. She just loved a man in uniform.
"The next time you see me will be at your graduation ceremony here at Fort Johnson" the Commander told them. She never saw what he looked like; just heard his voice. Wow! We get a graduation ceremony? Just like high school. How exciting she thought. Her mind started drifting off to her old high school days when she felt that familiar push from behind; nudging her to follow the other soldiers. They were to follow Drill Sergeant Anderson to their new home. They were like little ducklings in a row following their mother. Marching off into the blue yonder to learn about their new world called the Army.
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