I write from Basic Training with the Texas State Guard. Waking up at 4:15, roommates just returning from going out, Sergeant First Class Bradley and I drive for hours to get to Camp Bowie, where they used to house German prisoners of war. On the drive to the dusty military post, I think I fell in love with Texas. The landscape along the one-lane highway is unassuming, but there is something quietly enchanting about the striving tufts of bush and knotted trees, the red-rusted sheds. These passing shadows contrast against the vast and pink sunrise.
And then we're at Camp Bowie. We do push ups for not standing up while asking a question. We learn how to drill and march and only do for hours what someone else orders us to do. The military is pretty much the opposite of Amherst. At Amherst, we are bombarded with rules. Professors spell out class assignments. In the military, you learn by observing and screwing up. Then a higher rank officer barks at you for something you never knew you were supposed to do. But hat's just how you learn, "nothing personal".
Here, we all wear the same uniform, but after being fussed at enough, you start to see the the stray hairs, loose threads hanging off pants, exposed velcro that make a careless soldier. Or the squared badges, close shave that makes all the difference. And the patches on officers' chests start to make sense. Salute the black oak leaf that makes a lieutenant colonel, but not the three chevrons and two rockers that make a sergeant first class. It really is like learning a new language and I love it. It's weird but I want to stay for a few more days. It's been great gettin to know my battalion and they're just so different from everyone I hang out with in Austin. Anyway, here are a few visuals:
Here's a class photo!
And here's a close up!
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