Now it can be told, continued

We pulled K.P. duty as part of our training, and the one time I got called, I luckily was assigned to set up the tables and put out the dishes for the noon meal. The food was hearty and good, although I got tired of grits and bacon. We were down South, remember, and we got a good many meals of ham and baked beans, as well as hominy and corn bread. I can’t say I ever went hungry because we were fed very well. The cooks were women and did a commendable job of feeding large numbers of recruits.

Remembering basic training, I am reminded of the refrain from a prayer: “As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.” It never changes, from one generation to another. Suffice it to say, if you have experienced it, you know what it was like. If you haven’t, you don’t need to know. It was what one made of it, like all experiences in life. I rather enjoyed it, myself.
I need to dwell a while on memories of two of my barracks mates, however, because they are important to my story. One was unique in that she could never get anything right. Invariably upbeat and happy-go-lucky, her shoes were never tied correctly, she couldn’t get her tie straight, and accepted her many demerits with cheerful good grace. A chubby, even lumpy figure, she was always disheveled and her bed and area never met inspection. We of course nicknamed her “sad-sack” and tried our best to help her out however we could. She got more demerits than anyone else and we were worried that she might be washed out of basic training.
Another recruit in my barracks was perfection itself. She invariably passed inspection with flying colors. She didn’t get a nickname, and was hardly visible at all, being always aloof. I thought of her as a prima donna, and naturally envied her because she was so attractive, and because she was always held up as an example to poor Sad-Sack.
I myself was neither very good nor very bad. I fitted in and made friends with some of the privates around me, and managed to pass most of the physical tests. Time flew by and before we knew it we were being given a battery of tests to determine which niche we best fitted in. I had almost forgotten my mother’s dire prediction about sex slaves, and looked forward to learning of my fate. I still had no inkling of the turn my life would take and of the story I am still withholding from my readers. In due time you will hear of my participation in one of the greatest secrets of all history!