Loren Troyer, 9th, Madrid Jr./Sr. High School, IA, (Fiction) "The Journey" “Wake up! It’s the Crucible! Get yourselves ready with your gear and stand at attention outside your barracks! Fifteen minutes, let’s move!” yells my Head Drill Sergeant, Jaime Meek. It’s 0335 and we have fifteen minutes to get all of our gear ready for the Crucible. The pressure is on to become a Marine or risk having to start basic training all over again. I jump off of my cot and quickly slip on my ruck boots. I run to the bathroom with my battle buddy, Audrey Scott. She reminds me a lot of my mother. Strong and outgoing. I think of all the fun times I had with my mom before leaving for basic training. Everyday she would remind me of how much she believed in me. “You ready, Erryn?” Audrey asks,pulling me back to reality. We rush back to the barracks and start packing our gear. It’s 0340 and we have ten minutes to get everything together and grab a quick breakfast. Once I’ve shoved all my belongings into my pack, I run to the mess hall with another battle buddy, Maeve Swindon. I stare at the beautiful Parris Island sky while I follow her to mess. “Keep it up, Clyborne,” Maeve growls. She’s likely the best recruit in our whole company. Though she’s small, she’s very strong. And she comes from a long line of military personnel. We enter the mess hall and I grab a piece of toast with a glob of peanut butter on it. I need all the calories I can get before the Crucible. I inhale the toast and chug some water. Then, I head out with Avyanna Pearl. She’s one of the toughest recruits I have ever met. She could easily beat up one of the male recruits in the other company. We practically sprint to the barracks again and pull on our packs and helmets. I grab my M16 and run outside. Meek walks back and forth in front of us. “Listen up you maggots! This is the beginnin’ of the hardest thing you will have to do in Marine BCT! In seven minutes you will begin The Crucible! It ain’t gonna be easy! You’ll have to work together over a 54 hour period where you will complete 36 warrior stations, 29 team buildin’ exercises, and 48 miles of marchin’! All with only 6 hours of sleep and two MRE’s,” I cringe as I remember the taste of dehydrated mashed potatoes and fruit. “Line up!” We run into our marching formation and start forward together. Meek begins to yell in my face because I’m out of step.
135
