The army has a reputation for being rigid, intimidating, and even scary.  You hear stories of drill sergeants yelling at the privates, making them do things that the human body is barely capable of.  So, what makes people keep going back?  Why is there a constant flow of people going into basic training?

      Travis Gonnuscio, a recent graduate of basic training, can help to explain this.  Basic training, he says, teaches you to do the things you thought you could never do.

      I personally have seen changes in the young man that I didn’t think were possible over such a short period of time.  Before completing basic training, Travis was getting into a lot of trouble with his friends, and he had no vision for what he wanted in life.  When things got tough, he’d simply give up. 

      Now, though, he is very mature.  In a matter of nine weeks, he became more patient, more understanding, and much more disciplined.  He knows exactly what he wants in his life and is willing to work long and hard to get it.

      “I can handle anything that comes my way,” Travis told me the day before he graduated from training.

      Would he do it all over again?  After a sharp intake of breath and a short, thoughtful pause, he admitted that yes, he would do it again.