FORCED MARCH

The regiment had started to disintegrate at about the 15-mile mark. It was a strange experience. Noel had noticed the first signs of it back around mile 10. There were a few guys, the always-talkers, who went silent, and then a few others starting to mutter under their breath. He could feel it happening around him, but he was unsure what to do about it. Whether to try and help, try and stop it, or keep going.

They were part of a large unit training exercise on Vieques Island off Puerto Rico. It was August, ninety degrees, a hundred percent humidity, a thousand percent awful. Yet he was not doing that bad. He knew he had at least ten more miles to go so he reminded himself to keep to himself and, most importantly, to keep it together. His canteen was still ¾ full, so he knew he was better off than a lot of his friends who’d poured water over themselves at mile eight. The pace was a little faster than normal but this hadn’t really bothered him. He liked to walk. He had been walking everywhere most of his life. When he lived in the city it was how he made space for himself. In some ways, he loved it, even now. The challenge of it was something enjoyable. Though he’d never have said so, given a half dozen guys nearest him would’ve kicked the shit out of him for even suggesting it.

When they finished he looked for a place to sit and found his gunnery sergeant sitting in the shade against the wall outside the mess hall. He couldn’t go inside just yet and the little breeze that had picked up felt unbelievably good. He sat down,

S – Nice walk?

N – sure.

Noel undid the top laces on his boots to let the air in.

S – Shit.

N – What?

S – Look

The sergeant nodded toward the doorway on the opposite wall, where Captain Hall was sitting on a little crate, taking off his left boot. As he pulled the boot off, he lifted up and tilted the opening toward the ground and they both watched as blood poured and then dripped out.

S – I knew he was fighting it.

N – When?

S – 15 maybe? Don’t know.

N – Jesus

S – Exactly.

Captain Hall looked up at them.

C – What are you looking at?

Both of them looked away.

N & S – Nothing sir.