Soldiers in Heat: Training Session Read Online Free PDF

caught her attention.
“Come on, Zimmerman, hang in there, girl.”
    Zimmerman’s breathing became erratic, and she
was fading fast.
    “ Don’t think about the pain. It’s
all in your head. You can do this,” Kimberly kept talking, but her
words were falling on deaf ears.
    More candidates in the companies in front of
them had fallen all the way back to their formation.
    “ You’re done, candidate. Stop and
get on the bus,” she heard cadre from different companies shouting
out and catching the ones who failed to stay with their
company.
    Kimberly watched as Zimmerman’s eyes strayed
to the failing candidates.
    “ Don’t do it, girl.”
    It was no use. Zimmerman slowed
down.
    Looking back over her shoulder, Kimberly tried
one last time. “Come on, catch back up. You can do it.”
    Kimberly’s foot caught against a pothole.
Instant pain shot through her ankle. She faltered, trying to stay
in step.
    “ You injured or hurt, candidate?”
Staff Sergeant Isome asked. He ran alongside her.
    The difference between injured and hurt in the
Army was injured goes to medical to get checked out. Hurt means
you’re in pain and will be okay.
    “ Hurt, Staff Sergeant.” She
winced. With each step, she felt discomfort.
    “ Good, then suck it up and keep
moving.” He gave her a pat on the back and ran off.
    “ Don’t let your dog tags dangle in
the dirt,” Carlson said, calling cadence.
    “ Don’t let your dog tags dangle in
the dirt!” she and the other shouted back.
    “ Pick up your dog tags and put ‘em
in your shirt,” he said.
    Kimberly focused on his voice instead of the
stabbing sensation in her ankle. The other companies in front of
her rounded the last corner to the battalion area.
    A little further. She willed herself
forward.
    Two hundred more feet and she was back in the
battalion area. When they stopped, she stood, balancing her right
foot on its toes, but with only a slight bend in the knee. She
faked the position of attention and was able to limp-march back to
the company area and then on to chow. Instead of running back from
the chow hall to Delta Company, she waited outside until other
candidates came out and marched with them.
    Stevens gave her a look of concern when she
walked in the room, but Craig spoke up. “You okay? What
happened?”
    “ Twisted my ankle on a pothole.”
She limped to the chair next to her hutch and sat down.
    “ Are you going to
medical?”
    “ Hell no. You’ve seen what
happened to folks who go to medical. They’re put with the gimps and
singled out by the cadre until they break. No thank you.” Kimberly
pulled out a t-shirt and underwear from the hutch drawers. “I’ll
just pull the bootstraps tight and pray it doesn’t swell. I can ice
it tonight.”
    “ If you say so, G.I. Jane.” Craig
gathered her stuff for the shower and headed out.
    Kimberly soon followed, limping down the hall.
She managed to make it down to the showers and back. She popped an
800 milligram of Motrin and swallowed it with water from her Camel
Pak before pulling on her boots. The pain brought a tear to her
eye. She wiped it away and tied the right boot as tight as she
could.
    The boot formed a small brace around her
ankle. Kimberly stood to test it out. It hurt but not as
excruciating as before. She finished buttoning her ACU top and
headed down to their next formation for class.
    Marching to the school house was eased by
focusing on Carlson’s voice again. Inside, she took her seat and
propped her foot on the base of the chair in front of her. The rest
of the day, she didn’t step out in the hall for break until she
couldn’t hold her bladder any longer. She moved slow but tried her
best not to limp and draw attention to herself. Her plan worked. No
one noticed her. She made it back to her seat and finished out the
class.
    The Company Commander wanted to speak to them
when they made it back. Instead of going to dinner chow, they
formed a gaggle around the base of the stairs. “This