Sergeant Charlei

1.

"On my mark", Sergeant Charlie, the head of military left-wing power shouted for the preparation stance. "Go!" he commanded the troupe.

Again, everyone started to march under the burning fire of sun where half of our body were exposed to it. It is already our twenty-fifth lap after a short rest under the big oak tree. Everyone started to shout in a rhythmic pattern for inhaling and exhaling, after finishing another sixteen laps aside from earlier lap count. Bits of sweat had already escaped again from our tanned-skin complexion due to a heavy training these past few weeks. Unluckily, today is the second week of July and obviously, it is summer here in California. The sky was not showing any signs of possible rain or any cold breeze. The captain halted everyone. While waiting for the others, he jumped off from the truck where he was standing all throughout the march, commanding and shouting.

"That flag had risen since the day that Tertiary Class 43A3 helicopter first arrived here in Camp Pendleton. And I am challenging everyone here to whoever reach that flag would be exempted for the remaining twenty more laps and would be able to have a ride back to camp", Sergeant Charlie mouthed with full of confidence as he pointed out the flag using his index finger.

Sixteen buffed soldiers lunged their selves towards the pole where the flag was hanging and freely waved by the current of the winds. No one managed to even have a touch of it and as for surrender, they all went back to their marching stance and readied their selves for twenty more laps. I, Daniel, a private first ranked soldier of Team C low-headedly went to the pole and examined it right from the bottom to top. I left the place with my head lowered and my fingers are entwined with each other. A couple of minutes had pass after I came back with three stones in my soft and little palms. Gearing a nice shot, on my second throw, I hit the right stance, creating an enough impact, causing the flag to fall. I smiled as it reached the ground. I walked to its direction and gave it to Sergeant Charlie and lunges myself to the truck. Some of my comrades, especially my block mates cheered for me and I did just a thrifty smile as a response. The sergeant had his announcements and commanded the man in-charge of the engine to consume the fuels left.

"How did you do that?  are you a genius, aren't you?", Sergeant Charlie spoke to me a couple of minutes after the engine started to travel with a distant speed towards the barracks of the left wing of the camp base. He was sitting oppositely in front of me, closed eyes and he seems like waiting for my response. And, yeah, I don't want to mark him a bad impression, therefor I responded.

"I'm no genius sir, all I did was just applying what I learned in college, sir" I replied. I fixed my no longer white training shirt and continued watching the dark blue sky with the sun leading west.

"Your professors must be brilliant also, where did you graduated?" he asked me again. He left me no choice but to face him again. For all the Sergeants that I encountered in Camp Roberts before, Sergeant Charlie is the only one who is so talkative. Like, he never runs out of something to ask.

I smiled a little. "I graduated at Stanford University, sir"

"My dad is a professor there," he said. "He teaches Physics and Chem", Sergeant Charlie added.

"Is your father's name 'Aleksendar', sir?" I asked him with full of awe. Well, I knew it already- I mean it's not even questionable- they are really looked a like, a carbon copy of his father's physique, in fact.

"Yeah, you're right, don't tell me you became one of his students, am I right," out of a sudden, I noticed that his voice became softer than how his voice was used to be before. His deep and husky voice can be heard from his mouth every time he commands us to do something due to our trainings.

"Yes, sir. In fact, Professor Aleksendar is one of my favorite professors" I smiled out of disbelief. I just cannot believe that the man sitting in front of me is quite related to the professor who enlightened me before to become a soldier and to serve our country.