Chapter 13
Chapter 13
The D.I. was right, 0500 arrived far earlier than I would have liked. For most of the night, my mind raced with images from the night fire range. Like angry ghosts, they charged through my consciousness like war horses clamoring to battle. I would drift into a light sleep, only to be pulled away from badly needed rest by the images of blood and shattered bone. Some facsimile of sleep eventually came but only as the result of exhaustion. As I rose from my bunk, I couldn’t help noticing how heavy my body felt. I guess it was good that our one day of liberty seemed to be so well-timed. If it had been another training day, I’m certain that I would have been of little use. After the usual morning routine, we marched to the mess hall for breakfast. As usual, it was brief.
