Case:Black - 10. Chapter 10

Camp Shelby

Hattiesburg, MS

July 16, 2016 0530CST

Sergeant Rob Taylor watched his kids doing morning P.T. After five weeks in the Mississippi heat, they were shaping up nicely.

They weren't bad for weekend warriors. They were all too damn young and greener than grass. All of them had missed out on the big sand. Afghanistan. Iraq. That had all wound down and most of the vets of those hell-holes didn't want anything more to do with the Army.

It was a shame really. Taylor had spent a lot of years in the saddle and missed a lot of friends.

Some had walked away from the army to build a new life somewhere. Others had drowned in a bottle unable to shake the horrors that they had seen. All of them had screwed up at one point or another. It was that kind of war. There was just no way to tell who could live with it and who it would consume like a particularly vicious acid. Too damn many of his friends had committed suicide.

As he watched his platoon finished off morning PT and his squad leaders got the men in formation.

Corporal Kevin Vance approached Taylor, saluted and said, "Drill Sergeant Taylor, the Corporal wishes to inform you that the platoon has completed morning PT and is awaiting your instructions."

Taylor said, "Very well Corporal. I think it's a fine day for a brisk little run. Let's head up Indian Springs trail and back around the artillery range. After chow we'll spend the balance of the day on the range."

Vance stifled a smile and said, "Outstanding Drill Sergeant!" He turned in fine military precision and yelled, "Fall in by squads and saddle up. Follow me and move out."

Taylor suppressed his own grin. How could anybody be that gung ho at this time of the morning looking at a twenty mile run?

As the last squad took off, Taylor took off behind the squad.