They didn’t have to wait too long before they were taken to their dormitory. Kurt knew that in his grandfather’s day they were called “barracks” but now they were “dormitories.” Maybe the military thought the word dormitory was more welcoming than barracks. Either way, everyone was a bit nervous.

His grandfather had explained how basic training had changed after 9/11. The need for change was due to the new style of warfare. There was more emphasis on weapons, chemical/biological, and combat skills training. He remembered laughing with his grandfather when he recounted how their undershirts and boxers had to be folded into 6 inch squares. Now he had to learn what weapon was more effective in killing the enemy.

The dormitories were large open rooms with rows of bunk beds and lockers. Everyone quickly claimed their bunk. Kurt and Blaine decided to grab the bottom bunks of adjoining beds. Blaine figured it would be easier for them to talk if they were next to each other instead of on “top of each other.” Kurt burst out laughing when Blaine finished that thought which made the boy blush a deep red. They were told to keep a few civilian outfits and their personal hygiene items in their lockers. They were to leave everything else in their bags as they would not need any of it for the duration of basic.

Kurt sadly packed away his iPod. Music was something that soothed him and he figured he would need some serious soothing in the next 8 weeks. He also packed away his contact lenses since those were not allowed. Everyone that needed corrective glasses had been handed their military issued lenses at the Welcome Center. They were the ugliest glasses Kurt had ever seen – no wonder they were called “BC” or rather “birth control” glasses. No one wearing those would ever get laid – they were so ugly.

Before long it was time for bed. Lights out was at 9:00pm. “Taps” was played on the intercom as the lights were turned off. Kurt was a night owl and couldn’t seem to adjust to sleeping so early so he just relaxed on his bunk thinking about his experiences so far. Blaine, on the other hand, was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Kurt decided basic didn’t seem too bad. He had heard so many horror stories from his grandfather and his uncle about basic training but things must have really changed since they had gone through basic. Everyone seemed so nice. Sure, there was that one Training Instructor that gave Blaine the stink eye but so far no one was screaming, yelling, insulting or making them run for miles for no reason except to see how long it took before they were too exhausted to keep on going.

“I can survive these 8 � weeks, easy,” he whispered to himself before he drifted off to sleep a few hours later with a smile lingering on his face.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“GET UP…WAKE UP…WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL IN BED, TRAINEES!!!” Kurt almost fell off his bunk when he heard the yelling and the sound of trash cans being thrown down the aisle of the dormitory. The lights were turned on without warning and he blinked. He wasn’t sure what was happening and his brain couldn’t seem to process anything at the moment. He looked over at Blaine and noticed that he was still sleeping peacefully. Did he not hear the yelling?

Kurt noticed there were two T.I’s walking up and down the aisle yelling and screaming for everyone to get up. Kurt nudged Blaine and finally had to resort to punching his arm to get him to stir.

“Five minutes mom…I promise…” mumbled Blaine as he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep before he was startled awake by a T.I. yelling, “I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER TRAINEE – GET YOUR ASS UP!” Unlike Kurt, Blaine actually did fall off his bunk. He managed to get on his feet really quick though but Kurt could tell he was disoriented.

Everyone was told to stand at the foot of their bunk. All the trainees were staring around wide-eyed and confused. What had caused this scene? Kurt sneaked a look at his watch and couldn’t believe it was only 3:00am. What the hell? 3:00am? He watched as the T.I.’s continued trashing the dorm throwing blankets and pillows around as they yelled at the unsuspecting trainees.

“YOU HAVE EXACTLY 15 MINUTES TO GET THIS DORM IN TIP TOP ORDER, GET DRESSED FOR PT AND BE DOWNSTAIRS IN FORMATION!” yelled the T.I. as he whirled around and left the dorm. The second T.I. gave them a glare as he followed his colleague out the door.

Everyone stood in shock for a few minutes until BAM – they heard a door slam shut and the sound jump-started everyone. In a blur of bodies and groans they all grabbed pillows, blankets, trash and whatever was around them in their rush to restore their dormitory to some semblance of order. Most of the boys were running around in their boxers trying to find clothing. Kurt’s grandfather had told Kurt to always sleep dressed for PT.

“PT gramps?” he asked.

“Physical training – trust me Kurt. You make sure you go to bed dressed in your t-shirt, running shorts or sweats - whatever the designated outfit for the day is and your socks on – every night. You will thank me.”

Kurt had made sure he shared this tidbit with Blaine so both boys were ready and even had time to brush their teeth before they ran down the stairs to line up in formation. Their dorm was on the second floor and the ground floor was an open area where the trainees would form every morning. The whole flight had been instructed how to line up properly before being dismissed the day before so they hustled to take their positions and to wait for everyone to line up.

And so the day began. They walked – marched – walked – everywhere! The first place they went to was to get their hair cut. Kurt was kind of dreading this part – for two reasons – he didn’t think he could really rock the bald look and because he hated the thought of Blaine losing his gorgeous curls. As he checked himself out in the mirror he knew for a fact that he could NOT rock the bald look. He almost cried when he saw Blaine nervously run his hand over his shaved skull.

“H-how do I look?” he asked Kurt.

“Different,” said Kurt as he gestured at his head. “I’m sure I look pathetic.”

“The best part is that our hair will eventually grow back,” smiled Blaine.

“True – but that doesn’t change the fact that for now we are bald and have to wear BC glasses,” sighed Kurt.

“At least we are together,” whispered Blaine as he bumped Kurt’s shoulder while they waited for everyone to finish.

Their next stop was to get their uniform. They were handed a duffel bag and were ushered into a warehouse. They went down the line collecting everything from underwear, t-shirts, camouflage uniforms, PT clothing, socks, boots, and hats. Their duffel bag kept getting heavier and heavier until they eventually had to carry it on their backs. By the time they got back to the dorms they were exhausted but alas, the day was not yet over. They had a chance to put their clothing away and then were back in formation ready for lunch.

After lunch they were marched over to the infirmary to get inoculated. They became part of an assembly line. They moved from one nurse to another getting shots for what seemed like every disease known to mankind.

“Am I ever going to be around smallpox?” wondered Blaine as he rubbed his arm softly.

“Well if you do at least you know you won’t die….ouch!” squeaked Kurt as he felt the needle jam into his arm.

They learned so many things that week but the most important thing to remember seemed that life would always be ‘hurry up and wait” in the military. They were rushed everywhere just to sit and wait. It seemed that the military made “waiting” and art form and the whole flight of trainees quickly learned to be patient and not grumble. Rumor had it that a trainee had once grumbled and had never been seen alive again. Nobody wanted to verify this particular rumor. Hence, no one grumbled or complained.

The days and weeks sped by and the trainees were slowly broken down so that the military could start building them back up from scratch into a lethal fighting force. They learned to think as a unit and to think about the whole rather than their own individual status. There were a few that couldn’t take the constant physical and mental demands and they were sent home. Kurt realized that the constant jeering, insults and physical abuse from all the jocks at McKinley had actually helped him deal with the T.I’s constant yelling and screaming. He knew how to deflect rather than internalize their abuse. He had learned something in high school after all he thought with a smile.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo

Before Kurt knew it the anniversary of his mother’s death arrived. For the first time since her death he was not able to lay flowers on her grave and he felt terrible. Blaine assured him that she understood why he could not visit her and they agreed that as soon as they were able to get back to Lima they would go visit her grave. Thinking about his mother gave him that extra bit of strength he knew he would need to survive the coming weeks.

They learned to shoot, clean and properly handle M-16’s as well as other specialized weapons. Of course, boys loved toys and Kurt was still sporting a black eye from not ducking soon enough when one of the trainees swung his M-16 around pretending to be Rambo. Blaine was livid and about to punch someone before the T.I.’s stepped in. The boy apologized profusely – he really was sorry. Kurt forgave him after all it was an accident even though it hurt like hell. The whole flight had to run 5 miles as punishment carrying their duffel bag full of equipment. Kurt was sent to the infirmary and did not have to run. He was just glad it wasn’t his left eye that took the direct hit – he didn’t know if it would have caused permanent damage. His eye was swollen shut for a few days and he had a blinding headache but he refused to remain in the infirmary. He wanted nothing to jeopardize his standing in basic training.

Week 5 and 6 pushed the whole flight past their physical limits. The obstacle course was demanding but nothing compared to the 96-hour exercise affectionately called the BEAST - short for Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training. This was a test that measured their combat readiness. The trainees were tested in a realistic setting complete with combat scenarios. The BEAST took them to their breaking point but they knew that if they survived this their training would be almost complete.

The battered, bruised, and exhausted flight made their way up the stairs to their dorm after completing BEAST and without even taking time to shower they collapsed on their bunks. The next morning they were ready to tackle another day even though they were all sore and bruised. The knowledge that they had survived the BEAST made it easier for them to survive the last few weeks of basic.

Before they knew it - it was finally the last week of basic training and there was one last final test to complete. Each trainee was to be tested on everything they had learned in the past 8 weeks. They needed a 70 percent to pass and a 90 to finish basic as an honor graduate. Blaine and Kurt both qualified to graduate as honor graduates.

At the beginning of basic each trainee met with a counselor before being assigned their AFSC. Kurt had thought about what job he might want and since he scored high in the mechanical aspect of the ASVAB he figured he would take a job in that field. He enjoyed working at the shop with his dad and this was one way to honor his father. Blaine knew he didn’t have the necessary skills to try for a mechanical position so he asked for a job in Personnel. After passing their final test, they received their orders. The orders listed their AFSC and their next duty station.

“What did you get?” asked Blaine anxiously.

“Tactical Aircraft Maintenance - I guess I am going to be working on fighter jets,” answered Kurt. “Technical school is located at Sheppard AFB, in Texas. I won’t get my final orders until the last weeks of school. I think I’ll be there for about 6 months.” He had assumed he would be working on cars but he was excited about his assignment.

“How about you?”

“Personnel Specialist and I’m headed to Keesler AFB, in Mississippi. Tech school is only 1 month long so I will be headed to my next assignment before you are even out of school,” said Blaine.

Their excitement was tempered by the fact that they would be separated from each other once they left basic. They had been too busy surviving basic training to really focus on a relationship but just the fact that they were together created a bond that neither one was ready to sever.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

It was almost Graduation Day! Kurt’s entire family, including his grandparents and Uncle George’s family, descended on Lackland AFB on Wednesday night. Blaine’s parents and his brother Cooper made the trip as well. The boys were participating in the “Airman’s Run” on Thursday morning and everyone was excited to finally get a chance to see them. The 2.5 mile run was a celebration of all the challenges the boys had successfully completed as well as the esprit de corps they had gained during basic training.

“Do you see them Carole?” asked Burt trying to figure out which boy running around the field was his son.

“All I see are a bunch of boys wearing the same thing,” said Carole anxiously trying to spot Kurt or Blaine. Even though Kurt’s grandfather had scored them seats in front it was still hard to really tell who was who in the sea of trainees.

“After the Coin and Retreat Ceremony we will be able to spend time with the boys,” said Jonathan.

Burt looked as his father-in-law with a blank look, “What is that?”

“Each trainee will be presented with the Airman’s Coin. This coin means they have earned the right to be addressed as an “Airman,” replied Jonathan. “After the ceremony they are dismissed and get to spend the day with family and friends.”

After the run the boys went to dinner with the families, but had to still report to their dorm before 9:00pm. Graduation Day was the following day and they needed to make sure they didn’t get into trouble on their last day by missing their curfew.

Friday morning was a hectic day. Burt looked on proudly as Kurt and Blaine took their final oath and were dismissed from Basic Training. They were now part of an elite group of young men and women ready to sacrifice their lives for their country.

He hugged his son as the tears silently fell as he whispered, “Your mom would have been so proud of you son.”