“I love my country to death, and that’s why I’m here … and that’s why I’m fighting for my country,” Ian says. “That’s why I’m going to Fort Benning during wartime. I love my country and want to fight for it.” Because of the Future Soldier Training Program, Ian will join the Army as a private first class, two ranks above a basic enlistment.
One of the recruits’ first tastes of basic training comes with the sorting of their gear. They are given a series of three two-minute periods to try to sort their bags, which have all been piled in a giant heap…
Ian is introduced to his place in the military chain by drill sergeant David Vance.
On the second day of basic training, Ian checks his stance and the position of his hand as the platoon learns how to salute properly.
Ian stands with his new platoon. He has just a couple of weeks to get integrated with the group before leaving for Iraq.
When it is announced that their flight has been delayed, the troops take to the bleachers and most of them take to sleeping.
Ian and the rest of his squad go through an evening briefing before an escort mission.
“When I come home from Iraq, I’ll be in the best shape of my life,” says Ian, background, who works out in the gym an hour to an hour and a half on alternating days.
It’s been five months since Ian went back to Iraq, and now family and friends gather in a gymnasium at Fort Carson to welcome troops from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team back home from their tour.
Aug. 21, 2009. 9:03 p.m. Ian and 343 other troops deplane at the Colorado Springs airport.
The whole story including all the photos can be viewed at: denverpost.com
