August 17, 1997 - Another Day, Another Transition

970818 - Yesterday was your typical relaxing, low stress Sunday.
With less than two weeks left on the Island, there were parts of Boot Camp that were ramping up, and other parts that were winding down.

For starters, over the course of the upcoming week, we would be taking our final academic test. If you recall, our platoon performed horribly on the first test we took, scoring the lowest in the entire company. Now that I was knowledge recruit, I was tasked with reviewing knowledge in any free moment. Additionally, we were getting ready for another inspection. This one would be more challenging than any of the previous ones had been, so we were spending a good deal of time on our uniforms. Finally, at the end of the week we would be heading out on The Crucible, a three-day final exam of sorts.

But it wasn't all high-stakes anticipation. The Drill Instructors had finally started to mellow a bit. There were definitely still times when they would erupt, don't get me wrong. But for the most part, we had learned to act as we should and they didn't have to lose it with us as often as in the previous weeks.

All in all, it was surreal to think that this experience would soon be coming to an end. I was looking forward to it, but I was also aware that it hadn't been nearly as bad as I'd assumed it would be. At times, I'd even enjoyed myself.

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