Bus doors opened. Upon exiting, sounds of chaos filled the air. The meanest yet most professional-appearing “Smokey the Bear” hat-wearing Military Instructors foamed out of their mouths barking orders. Complete strangers would soon become lifelong brothers; this was the start of a long initiation into the military path of becoming a veteran.
Our young vets endured weeks on end of grueling effort learning the basics of military discipline. They marched for hours, perfected their “make a dime bounce” beds, shined boots such that they could see their reflections, and embraced one another knowing teamwork was critical to defeat this hellish encounter of boot camp. Eventually, the majority would succeed while many would either be washed out or recycled only to endure more high-stress, agonizing psychological pain.
Those who graduated basic would eventually be sent off for some type of advanced training. Advanced training normally falls in one of two categories–combat specific or support and services. No matter the category, advanced training serves as the main schooling which prepares the troops for their primary military duty, ultimately readying them for war.
For those who have endured military combat, the majority will agree that no training demonstrates the reality of such hell. Only one training event came close–the Night Infiltration Exercise, aka the Gauntlet. This was when troops were forced to low crawl, high crawl, breach walls, and go under barbed wire, all under the blanket of darkness. Darkness soon turned to light when slap flares were launched and live tracer rounds fired from machine guns barraging overhead, which lit up the midnight sky. Controversial training tactics, indeed; this was an event that actually took the lives of some yet saved the lives of many.
Upon graduating advanced training, many veterans endured specialized schooling and advanced leadership training. This could consist of Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, SF, SERE, etc. Make no mistake, no matter the individual training endured, a tremendous amount of blood, sweat, and tears was shed just to make it to an assigned unit.
After several months of training, our veterans were shipped off to military bases. Some were inside the United States and others were strategically positioned around the world. These combat-ready troops often skipped the luxury to take a breadth and learn what garrison was like. During times of war, the most “green” troops were often directly assigned to already deployed or deploying units.
The stresses of living the life of a veteran start on day one of basic training. They never really end, as the recruits know that at any time, the United States could be engaged in a military mission. Whether offensive, defensive, stability, or support operations are conducted, make no mistake, the stress levels constantly peak.
Brotherhoods were made, friends were killed, and boys became men. Our women veterans went through the same–sisterhoods were made, friends were killed, and girls became women. Sex was neutral on the battlefield. We all went through the same fiasco. Scenarios may have been different but the situation was not. We walked a path in life and became our nation’s best and brightest–Veterans.
Kerry Patton, a combat service disabled veteran, is a Senior Analyst for WIKISTRAT. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of “Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies” and the children’s book “American Patriotism.” You can follow him on Facebook.
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