The next morning Diegert arrived at the Armed Forces recruiting center in Bemidji. Standing at the counter Deigert observed as a tall, strong looking, African American man dressed in fatigues approached.

“Hello son, I’m Major Carl Winston,” said the man with confidence as he offered his hand.

“David Diegert,” was the simple reply as the two men instinctively assessed one another’s strength while gripping hands.

“Oh, Sheriff Lowery gave me a call about you. I’m glad you’re here.”

Diegert cracked a slight smile as the Major directed him around the counter and brought him into the recruiting center. The Major’s crisp, spicy cologne made Diegert wish he had showered that morning.

“Son, let’s address my first question right now. Do you think you’re strong enough to be in the U.S. Army?”

“I think so.”

The major stepped over to an open area with a metal bar suspended from the ceiling.

“The army standard is 10 pull ups. Why don’t you show me how many you can do?”

Diegert removed his coat, took off his heavy boots jumped up grabbing the bar and pumped out 22 pull ups.

“Well that’s a good place to start,” said the Major whose look of surprise revealed he was truly impressed.

The two walked into an interview room and sat down on comfortable chairs. The Major offered Diegert bottled water and asked, “Why do you want to join the Army?”

“Whoa, I never said I did. The Sheriff told me to come and I knew he would call you.”

“Alright, so Sheriff Lowery told me you lost your job at the Mini-Mart.”

“So?”

“So what was your mission at the Mini-Mart?”

The Major let the question linger. Diegert looked at him suspiciously.

“Whaddaya mean, like exceptional customer service and bullshit like that?” asked Diegert.

The Major smiled knowingly, nodding his head, and then asked. “And what is the mission of the U.S. Army?”

Diegert returned the look and wasn’t going to answer with something stupid.

Winston continued, “The mission of the U.S. Army is to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States and to protect this country from all enemies foreign and domestic.”

Diegert was underwhelmed, everybody knew that. Why the question he wondered.

Going on Winston said, “We achieve this mission through the actions of soldiers who go from being lost young people to dedicated military professionals capable of learning, achieving and leading.”

Winston stood up and walked over to his desk. “All men need a mission and there is no better training experience in the world than that of the U.S. Army. We help you find within you the best you can be.”

Diegert watched as the Major turned from his desk with a picture frame in his hands.

“The U.S. Army challenges your sense of self and allows you to bring out the brave person who resides within you.”

The Major sat back down next to Diegert with the picture frame, face down in his hands.

“David is there a brave person inside you?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you know?”

Diegert held silent.

“How do you know what bravery is?”

Diegert stifled a quiver in his lips as he held the Major’s eyes and sought his answer.

“I’m not afraid.”

“OK, you’re defining what it is not, but do you possess the courage and resilience necessary to persevere in the face of physical and moral adversity?”

Diegert angled his face to Major Winston but held his gaze.

“I’ve seen young men like you David grow into capable, powerful warriors with integrity and values which represent the very best of our country. These men sat in the chair you’re in and then became members of the most formidable fighting force in the world.”

Winston spun the frame in his hands and showed Diegert a group of a dozen young men all dressed in combat uniforms with helmets and rifles. He saw the smiles on their faces and the spirit of union apparent in their camaraderie.

“These men are all members of the First Cavalry out of Fort Hood. This picture was taken upon their arrival in Afghanistan. It was sent to me by this man.” Winston pointed to one of the guys whose broad smile conveyed the pride he felt for what he was doing.

“That’s Joe Bortle. He came through here after being in a drunken bar fight and getting arrested. He was headed to jail until a judge gave him the kind of choice Sheriff Lowery gave you. Now he’s the Sergeant of this squad and they are one of the best units in Afghanistan. He sent me the picture and on the back he wrote,

Major Winston thanks for helping me make the right choice with the most important decision of my life.”

The Major looked squarely at Diegert.

“If there’s a warrior in you David, and I believe there is, then there’s only one safe way to let him out and that’s to grow and develop within the U.S. Army. Guys like you make the very best soldiers. You’ll become a man of high character.”

A smile spread across the young man’s face for the recruiter had coaxed a sprout of pride to emerge from the compost of Diegert’s dreary life.

“Have you ever considered going to college?”

The question yanked Diegert from his thoughts of becoming a soldier. “Yeah, but it’s too expensive.”

“After serving two years of active duty you’ll be eligible for the GI Bill which can pay your college expenses while you earn a Bachelor’s Degree.”

“Really, I serve two years and they pay for four years of college?”

“Well you have to complete basic training then begin active duty. You also have to qualify for the tuition payments. But if you’re smart and serve well in your MOS I’m sure you’ll qualify.

“What’s an MOS?”

“It’s a Military Occupational Specialty. It’s basically a job in the Army. You said you were getting minimum wage at your retail job, right?”

“Yeah.”

“As a soldier you will earn more than that in a salary but you’ll also receive a full compensation package that covers housing and healthcare so you get to keep all the money you earn.”

“How much will I make?”

“I would estimate your total compensation package would be worth 35 to 40 thousand dollars.”

“Really, that seems like a lot.”

“If you’re willing to serve your country then it’s worth it for your country to pay you. If you enlist in the next two days there’s also a $1500 signing bonus.”

Diegert looked at him with suspicious but excited eyes.

“You can start filling out your information on this tablet.”

Diegert went to work typing all his personal information into the small computer. While he typed he started to feel the excitement of moving forward with his life. This was going to be exactly what he needed. When he was done he handed the tablet back to Major Winston.

“Look son,” said the Major calmly and clearly, “you go home and discuss this with your folks. You don’t need them to sign anything. You’re of legal age to make this decision yourself. But you are volunteering your life for several years and I want you to talk to them. Call me in two days. If you tell me it’s OK, I’ll have you processed to Fort Benning, Georgia to begin basic training.”

“How long does that take?”

“Basic is 10 weeks, then you’ll have 14 weeks of Advanced Infantry Training before you’ll join the First Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas.”

“That’s a lot of training.”

“Wanting to become a soldier may feel natural to you, but it definitely takes a lot of training.”

Diegert shook the Major’s hand with enthusiasm and left the office excited he was going to become a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3