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.“Shut up,” Malvino said.“First Squad Leader, front-leaning rest.Second Squad Leader, report!”When the second squad leader failed to promptly give accountability, she was in the front-leaning rest.Swiveling my eyes, I could see peripherally that a similar scenario was being played out across the common area, with multiple recruits going down to their hands and their toes.Second’s fourth squad leader had fair warning, so he got it right.But that left the squad leaders for first, second, and third on the cement, with Malvino looking like he was going to explode.The tirade from Malvino began.“First of all, this is not gawtdamned lollygagging Reception anymore, Recruits.You should know this already.We shouldn’t have to be reminding you of how this works.We have more important things to do than to dick around with you at morning formation, to say nothing of getting your stupid asses out of the head on time to toe the line up in those bays.It’s a bad start to the day, recruits.A very bad start.I’m already in a very bad mood, and it’s not even breakfast yet.In IST we hit the ground running every single gawtdamned day.No excuses.No time to relax.You get up out of that bunk and you vacate your bowels, scrub your grills, scrape your necks and your pink little cheeks, and you report on-time and ready to train.We’re already well behind schedule, and do you know what that means? Less time for you.Less time for hygiene after PT, less time to take care of all the little crap I know you didn’t take care of before the lights went on.”Malvino stopped, though it seemed he had a lot more on his mind that he wanted to say.He extended his palm like a meat-cleaver and rapidly “chopped” his way down the platoon, counting columns of heads.When he was satisfied he had a number, he ordered, “Recover, squad leaders,” then spun around and faced to the front.First, second and third’s squad leaders quickly got back to their feet, and I waited silently, glad that I hadn’t been stuck with any kind of recruit “authority,” as had happened in Reception.First platoon’s platoon sergeant sounded off with their accountability, saluted the first sergeant, and then the first sergeant’s head turned towards Malvino, who shouted while saluting, “Second platoon, thirty-four recruits assigned, thirty-four recruits present for training,” then dropped the salute after the first sergeant had dropped hers.When all of the platoons had performed this ritual, the first sergeant looked at her chronometer and gave Charlie Company an at-ease.“Oh-kay, Chah-lee,” Chau said, “lets rub sleepee sand from eyes and wake up.Yesterday was day zee-roh, and today it’s gonna be on.You know what I mean?”As a company, Charlie weakly sounded, “YES, FIRST SERGEANT!”Boos and hisses from the line of drill sergeants in the back.“Wow,” Chau said, taken aback, “that was really half-ass, Chah-lee.Makes me think I should have gone on sick call, not come out here to be with you.’Cause if you no wanna be here, I no wanna be here.You wanna be here?”Company: “YES, FIRST SERGEANT!”“You mean it?”“YES, FIRST SERGEANT!”“’Cause I don’t believe you, recruits.We are soooo fah behin’ schedule today.So fah.So fah I don’ even wanna talk about it.You gonna learn, recruits, the longer you in my company, the tighter I expect you to be.Time hacks especially.You gotta be on time every time, because as some of my drill sah-jeens already say, we have a lot to do, and if we get behind schedule, we gonna take it out of your time, recruits.Not ours.And not mine.Is that understood?”“YES, FIRST SERGEANT!”“Oh-kay…Companeeeee!”“—Platoon!”“Ah-ten-SHIN! Drill sah-jeens, take charge of da platoons and move ’em out for physical fitness training.”The six platoon sergeants saluted, while the Top saluted back, then she dropped her salute, spun, and marched back through the double doors.Platoon sergeants spun—Malvino looking particularly murderous—and began snapping commands.Before long I was trailing off in-file with the other recruits, out from underneath the overhead cover afforded by the stacked-block structure of the bays—each of which radiated out from the battalion’s administrative core building, like spokes on a bicycle wheel.Off in the distance Charlie Company could see several of the other companies already arrayed on the massive expanse of grass—acres upon acres—that fell back from Charlie’s east side.Beyond that were the towers, cranes, and sky-scraper-like hangars and buildings of Armstrong Field’s tremendous aerospace works.All of which appeared as black silhouettes against the early morning sky, which was now beginning to color.Sweat came instantly.I gritted my teeth.Technically, this was the Midwestern portion of North America.Not the Mississippi Delta.But the air was already uncomfortably moist, as well as warm.Despite the early hour.I suspected there would be no relief in store for me, as the sky continued to brighten towards actual daybreak.Once the sun was fully up, things would get even more hot, and more humid
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