6
Making The Grade
The Corpsman
I ran the same hills as everyone else, did the beach slogs in full pack, hauled myself through the obstacle courses, and crawled under sharp wire with guns blasting over my head. I marched, I drilled with an empty rifle, yes, I even fired one on the range, but I was no Billy Martens. I was bad. But they didn’t wash me out. I surpassed everyone with my first aid skills in the field. So much so, “Rudy” Rudebaker called me into his office and said they’d like to ship me out with the Division as a corpsman. I said yes. When basic was over, and I graduated with the others, my medical training began, and it was as intense in its own way as anything the DI had dished out on the hills of San Diego.
Butterworth bet on Billy on Record Day and made a bundle of gree
