21 Mile Ruck March

Today we conducted a 21 mile road march. It was a definite mental challenge. Our company had only 1 guy who fell out of the road march and had to take a ride back in a truck. I wasn't all that tired, just my feet hurt and my legs muscles hurt from earlier playing touch football a few days ago. I made sure this time I brought some snickers with me to help give extra energy during the march. Luckily it didn't rain, because it would have made the ruck sacks that much heavier. Our new cherry we just got last week, this was his first road march since basic training. Most guys get at least to do some 6 mile road marches to build their body up before. This guy had to go right into the big 21 road march. He is my new roommate, since my other one moved out and went to HHC (headquarters company) since he was a broke soldier who wasn't going to Iraq. I would try to encourage him that we are the best trained and hardest Infantry in the world because we do stupid and what sometimes seems unreasonable road marches to test intestinal fortitude and so when we go to combat it will seem like a piece of cake. I can tell you, my tour in Iraq was the easiest time for me in the Army. Besides not getting a whole lot of sleeping, the real thing was much more easy than how we hard we trained. He made it though, and got alot of respect for it, since he looks like he weighs about 100 pounds and is like 5'5" feet tall.