Stars And Stripes

Chapter 1: Basic

Cloudy day. Cloudy day. Cloudy day. That's what every recruit wished for, but was rarely granted one. The road to becoming a Jarhead was far more treacherous and demanding than the advertisements had made it, but Daniel Wells hadn't expected it to be be easy. 

Daniel was fresh out of high school. He enlisted with the Marines in the hopes of following in his Grandfather's footsteps. The old man's WW2 stories of beach assaults and close encounters had always grabbed Daniel's interests, so he made it his life goal to become a Marine and do his part. 

Today's training was relatively easy compared to the past few days. The trainees were being instructed on marksmenship. 

"Marine, steady your breath and hit the damn target!" shouted Drill Instructor Mendez. He towered over a prone trainee, looking down at the poor soul and embarassing the man in front of the company.  

"Yes sir," weakly replied the trainee, Jenkins. He peered through the sights on his M16, aiming at the target 500 meters away. The target was roughly the size of a man's torso, but was quite a challenge to hit when it was 5 football fields away.  

The rest of Company Charlie watched as Jenkins steadied his breathing, lowering his heartbeat and eliminating as much human error as possible. His finger squeezed the trigger slowly, and a shot rang out. All eyes quickly shifted to the target downrange. It was still standing.  

Mendez smiled his eery, mischievious smile and Daniel knew something bad was coming. The Drill Instructor cleared his throat before saying, "Well, it appears that Trainee Jenkins is incapable of completing his marksmenship training, which means none of you pass. Charlie Company is a team, and as you all surely know, a team is only as strong as the weakest member. If that target had been an enemy soldier carrying an RPG, you all would be dead because Jenkins would have bee unable to secure his sector." He slowly glanced over the entire company, looking each man in the eyes. "So until Jenkins is able to hit the target, sleep hours will be cut in half, along with rations. Dismissed." And with that, the trainees made their way back to the barracks.  

Daniel ran to catch up to Jenkins, who was ahead of the pack, and for good reason. Jenkins turned sharply when he heard footsteps and snarled, "If you're here to give me crap, don't bother. Yeah I know I fucked up, and I don't need your sorry ass to remind me." 

Hands raised in surrender, Daniel slowed his pace to a walk. "Calm down, cowboy. I ain't here to give you nothing." He patted the man on the back. "Don't worry about what happened back there, just try to nail it tomorrow, alright? I'm sure one night of less food isn't going to kill anybody." He gave Jenkins a warm smile. 

A look of regret quickly overcame Jenkins. "Sorry, Danny. The DI's just been on my case nonstop lately. It just sucks letting everyone down like that you know?" 

Danny laughed and put his arm around Jenkin's shoulder, directing him towards the mess hall. "Buddy don't worry yourself to death, tomorrow's a new day. We all learn at a different pace." And with that, the rest of the day was spent in the mess, until it was time to sleep. 

The next day, training started three hours earlier. All the recruits were abruptly awakened by the shouting of DI Mendez. "Get up you maggots! My grandma is faster than you and she has no legs!" He walked down the aisle between the rows of beds, shouting profanities until everyone was up on their feet and properly dressed for the days activities. The recruits lined up on both sides of the aisle, the two lines facing each other in dea silence. 

Mendez paced down the center, between the lines. He stopped directly in front of Daniel and looked him hard in the eyes. "Trainee Wells, care to explain something to me?" asked Mendez. 

Daniel swallowed and replied, "Sir, yes sir!" He stood at attention, looking at the wall just right of Mendez's head.  

Mendez nodded slowly. "Good. Please explain to me why we are all up so early?" 

"We are awake this early because Jenkins failed to pass the marksmen training, sir!" shouted Daniel. 

Once more, Mendez smiled his dispicable smile. "Wrong, Wells! You all failed! Which tells me that you all need a course in teamwork since you failed to ensure Jenkins passed!" 

The air was still as each trainee nervously pondered what Mendez planned to challenge them with.  

"Trainees, grab your backpacks and fill them with items you would deem necessary for long term wilderness survival, on the double!" 

All the recruits quickly ran to their bunks, throwing various items into their respective backpacks. Flashlights, BDUs, and various other tools were shoved into Daniel's pack. He was the first to return to his spot on the line, awaiting further instruction. The other men weren't far behind, and soon enough they were all lined up.  

Mendez looked them over and nodded approval. "Outside, let's go!" Everyone rushed outside after Mendez. He jogged only a short distance from the barracks before turning around and stopping, motioning for the rest of the men to circle up around him. A circle of camouflaged men was quickly created, with Mendez at the center.  

"Alright boys, so today we're going to-" He was abruptly interrupted by the sound of his radio, which he carried on his belt. Static erupted from it, but a voice was quickly audible. 

"All USMC companies, foreign hostiles have been sighted off of the coast of California. Intentions are unclear, but they have not responded to inquiry calls. All companies are to report to their commanding officer and await further instruction." The radio remained silent after that. 

"What the hell was that?" called a voice from the crowd. 

Mendez seemed deep in thought, a serious expression cemented onto his face. "Alright boys, all companies includes us. We need to gear up and return to Camp Peddleton." 

Camp Peddleton was just a few hours south of their current position, the only Marine base in California. They men returned to the barracks and prepared themselves for the unknown. Daniel retired his training uniform and donned his BDUs and MOLLE tactical vest. Jenkins, in the same attire, made his way over to Daniel. "What do you think is going on?" 

Daniel gave the question a moment of thought before answering, "Probably the damn Russians, you know how they're all jealous of the high and might United States of America" In reality, Daniel had no idea what or who would attack the US on its home turf, but Jenkins nodded slowly, seeming to go with the idea. 

Laying a reassuring hand on Jenkins shoulder, Daniel said, "Just don't miss them alright? My momma wants me home in time for dinner, preferably in one piece." That brought out a nervous chuckle from both men.  

As soon as everyone was done tending to their needs, they all loaded up on several troop carriers, long trucks with large beds outfitted to accomodate troops. Daniel stuck with Jenkins, sitting next to him in one of the middle trucks. He unslung his M16 and leaned it against the bench opposite of him. "Scary shit, ain't it?" asked Daniel. 

Jenkins offered a weak smile. "You know it buddy." He tapped his foot nervously. 

Whether they knew it or not, both of their lives were about to change drastically.