13 December 2009

Morning Vent, 13 December 2009

The Blue Cord, awarded to US Army Infantry

  Feeling a bit better today. My head is starting to clear up. Either that, or the dollar store cough medicine actually works. Whatever. Today is December 13th. I've always said 13 is my lucky number, and it is. Back in '85, my Army enlistment date was September 13, a Friday. I flew from Albany, NY to Atlanta (Etlanna for you purists. :D), GA where I was to hook up with a bus full of other enlistees for the final leg of the trip to Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning, GA. Predictably, it being Friday the 13th, the bus broke down. The Army had to put us up at a hotel overnight, 4 to a room, to await another bus in the AM. Some ninety days later, on December 13, a Friday, I graduated from Infantry OSUT. We rehearsed the graduation parade for a couple of days prior in beautiful, sunny weather. Come the day, and it rained, forcing the ceremony indoors, into an auditorium.
   But I graduated nonetheless. I saw a lot of guys who I thought were tougher than me crumple during training. I saw a few guys who I thought would never make it come out shining like gold. How did I do? With the help of 2 alibi fires, I scored Expert with the M16. I ran the 2 miles in 12 minutes 20 secs, the fastest I ever ran in my life. 

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