Good On You, Private Pyle

In previous posts, I shared that I participate in weekly PT (physical training) sessions with kids who are on the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program.  It's something I look forward to every week.

Every now and then, a kid washes out.  The most common occurrence is that a kid will show up once, see how hard it is, and never return.  That happens about once per month, and it's just a blip on my radar.  I've also seen a kid who got dropped from the program a week before he shipped out because he got a DUI after attending a high school graduation party.  Another kid made it to boot camp, but dropped during recruit training.  But I'm here to talk about a certain young man, who I'm going to call Private Pyle.

I started referring to him as Private Pyle with the recruiters because of physical similarities with the character from Full Metal Jacket.  He was overweight, and he had problems with all things exercise related.  He was always last.  Always.  When he showed up, he couldn't do a single pull-up.  It took him 30 minutes to run 1.5 miles, and he couldn't plank for longer than 30 seconds.  While this lad did make a lot of progress, he ended up washing out because after 6+ months, he still couldn't do a single pull-up, and in order to even qualify to go to boot camp, you need to do at least three pull-ups.  He was dropped from the program in February.

At last week's PT session, I was informed that Private Pyle has enlisted in the Army.  I will admit that I was a bit dismissive when I first heard about this.  And in all honesty, I'm not sure he will make the cut in the Army either, because he's really that physically unfit. But the more I think about it, the more I'm proud of the kid for his grit and determination.  Okay, he's not cut out to be a Marine.  But he hasn't given up on his desire to serve in the military.  Instead, he chose to regroup and find an alternate path to his goal.  The Army and Navy kids hold their weekly PT the same day as the Marines do, so this week, I'm going to make a point to find Private Pyle and tell him that I'm proud of his grit and determination.  And I'm going to make a point to tell the Marine kids that they are not to disparage him in my presence.  He's earned my respect for not giving up, and he is worthy of the Marine kids' respect for the same reason.

Good on you, Private Pyle!