An interesting article on the current state of the US Army
The Army We HaveBy Brian Mockenhaupt
The Atlantic Monthly | June 2007
[B]To fight todayÂ’s wars with an all-volunteer force, the U.S. Army needs more quick-thinking, strong, highly disciplined soldiers. But creating warriors out of the softest, least-willing populace in generations has required sweeping changes in basic training.[/B]
Brian Mockenhaupt talks about the men and women who enter basic training today, and how the Army has adapted to meet their needs.
Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” begins to blare through the trees behind us. “On your feet!” a drill sergeant shouts at the hundreds of men from Alpha and Charlie companies lining a street at Fort Benning. It’s 4:30 a.m. Down the road, the first soldiers from Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment bob into view. After marching through the sticky Georgia night for hours, they’re finishing the final field exercise of their 14 weeks of basic infantry training, and their fellow recruits, who are only halfway through their training, are here to cheer them on. Sweat-slicked hands clutch rifles. Their backs ache from 35-pound rucksacks. They stink, and their feet burn. They rumble past, some smiling, others tight-lipped, eyes straight ahead...
Link to Full Article on the Atlantic Online
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200706/mockenhaupt-army?ca=8ZEl%2BFk93q4ad1vL4Ae33THTuCQl23t7URGCp%2BsWkso%3D