Fort Benning, Georgia
“Charlie Company, a-ten-hut! Right face! Column right march!” Sergeant Peters was barking orders at Charlie Company for the last time. They came to him as boys, and after thirteen weeks, they left him as men. Through two wars and almost twenty years, Peters had led his nation"s youth along the path to manhood. His was a thankless job. The recruits never appreciated the sacrifices he made for them. They didn"t notice that he slept exactly when they slept, and that he ran every mile they ran.
But Peters did not need their validation. His performance was measured in pushups, miles run and standardized test scores. If his recruits improved in these areas, he knew he had done his job; that their chances of surviving combat were improved. He was particularly proud of his
