Third Person - Complete

Wednesday Training Day

Roberts stood outside on the asphalt of the parking lot, glad that the sun was shining. It was still chilly, and the air felt like there wasn't enough of it, but Roberts liked the sunshine better than the ever present fog and misty rain. It was beautiful outside, the mountain covered with pine trees and shrubs, the gray and black rock, with the glacier gleaming at the cap of the mountain.

Everyone was drawn up by squad, the entire Group present for the morning formation. The sun was just rising behind Roberts as he watched Lieutenant Colonel Henry, Sergeant Major Standford stand at the front of formation. He was halfway down the line of the first row of Third Magazine Platoon, which was at the far left of the massive unit. Patch was at the far right of the squad, in the Squad Leader position, with that big diesel dyke standing next to him. Lewis was all the way at the left, last position in the thirteen man squad. Everyone was wearing their mask on their hip, their rifle's sling over their right shoulder, their Kevlar vests and helmets, and their Load Bearing Equipment. While in Basic Training and AIT it had been the belt, the suspenders, two magazine pouches (one on each side of the thick green belt buckle), the canteen pouch on the right hip, and a single field dressing on the shoulder strap of the right suspender, Group apparently had different ideas.

Sergeant Stillwater had two field dressings on the right strap, a compass in a pouch on the left, four ammunition pouches, two canteens, and a camo'd bag at the small of his back. Same as everyone but Roberts, the Marine, and Lewis. Sergeant Stillwater had passed out small plastic containers with earplugs in them, telling the three new people that it went on the first belt loop to the right of the belt buckle.

The other thing that struck Roberts was that most of the squad was wearing jump boots, polished to a high sheen, while Sergeant Stillwater and the guy with the heavy looking radio wore some kind of boot with just a leather toe and heel with green cloth for the rest of the boot.

At the front of the platoon stood Sergeant First Class Battle, who to Roberts surprise was a woman.

"Group!" The Sergeant Major called out.

"Platoon!" the Platoon Sergeants called out in unison.

"Attention!" Sergeant Major Standford called out. There was a shuffling noise as everyone came to attention. Back straight, shoulders back, chest out, heels together, arms straight down the side with fingers curled and end of the thumb pressed against the curve of the index finger.

"Report!" The Sergeant Major called out.

"Headquarters Platoon, all present and accounted for," A woman said.

"Operations Platoon, all present and accounted for," Another woman said.

"Support Platoon, all present and accounted for," A third woman.

"Motorpool Platoon, all present and accounted for," A man this time.

"First Magazine Platoon, all present and accounted for," Another man.

"Second Magazine Platoon, all present and accounted for," Again, a male voice, this one with a Southern drawl in it.

"Third Magazine Platoon, all present and accounted for," This time Roberts's platoon sergeant, another woman, called out.

The Sergeant Major did an about face and saluted Colonel Henry. "All present and accounted for, sir," He snapped out.

"Thank you, Sergeant Major," The big Colonel said, returning the salute. The Sergeant Major didn't drop his salute until after Colonel Henry. Once he did so, he moved around behind the Colonel, who stepped forward. "At ease!" he called out.

Roberts slid his feet shoulder width apart, his hands moving to the small of his back, one over the over, his elbows at forty-five degrees. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Stillwater just let his right arm hang down while his left arm went to the normal position.