This went on forever, and then the humiliation started. One of the drill sergeats, a very short Hawaiian woman took offence to me looking down at her, and ordered me to squat and look up to her when I talked to her. After awile they found someone else to torment, but drill sergeant Cooper was not done with me yet. He took me over the back of our platoon’s room and made me assume the dying coakroach positon, which involved me laying on my back with my arms and legs facing skywards. Then he whispered into my ear. I am going to send you to jail before this is all over, and I want you to know that I have no problem doing this to one of my own. Then he made me read a section on court maritals from the Uniformed Military Code of Justice while still in the dying cockroache position. I made it throught that day and the next nine weeks, but the question of why we were treated like that still didn’t need and answer. Our First Sergeant told us the reason is because negative reinforcement is scientifically proven to elicit following orders, but something about that seems archaic. In all of these centuries of war and conflict, is this the best way to train a warrior?
