my first few minutes in boot camp

A part of this was written for a contest here.  I thought I should add more.
What the Army did for me, is to install steel into my backbone, and has helped me through many different problems that I had encountered as a civilian.

As we were assembeled, under the roof of an open air "pavilion;" we are standing by our suitcases.  One of mine had a big peace sign.

We were given a speech about what would happen if we were caught with any type of "drug paraphernalia."

They wanted ALL pipes,etc to be dropped in the "amnesty trash can."

I did ask if I could keep my rolling papers since I had no corn cob pipe to  smoke.

They let me keep it, calling me another "Bugler boy."

They had us load onto the trailer's of semi rig's.  They were called "cattle car's. for a reason. It was NOT a place where one should fart. Yet many did.

We then arrived at our future "home;" the boot camp barracks from world war 2.

As we are stumbling out of those cattle cars, the drill instructors are yelling at everyone.  Falling into 2 lines, facing each other, accross a 2 lane road, the innitiation

into army life began

As the D. I.'s were going up and down the line getting us to make some verbal mistake.
It didn't help that their breath stank worse than my feet ever did.
This one drill Sergeant came up to me, he looked like Archie Bunker from "all in the family."
About an inch from my nose, he is yelling at me, "Son, you look like you have been shot at and missed, sh*t at and hit. What do you think about that???"
People right and left were doing 50 push ups for making a mistake in what they said.  Usually forgetting that those with the stripes work for a living.
I  open up and say, "Drill Sergeant, you are entitled to your opinion."  
I knew that I could NOT crack the smile that I felt coming up.
He continues to stare at me, his rancid breath almost bad enough for me to vomit, is still filling my nostrils.
Then, he starts to walk off. Then suddenly turns back towards me, staring.
I am biting HARD on my tongue to keep from smiling.
After another 30 seconds, he walks away.
That was my first 2 minutes in boot camp.

I am smiling big time now!