We had a few guys who couldn't hack basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., for whatever reason, and they'd go to sick call every day to avoid training while trying to get discharged. We called them "sick call rangers." This one guy stands out in my memory because one day when he had to train on the night fire range, he and the other sick call rangers had to be dropped off at the range with us, because they couldn't stay in the barracks unsupervised when the clinic was closed.

The drill sergeant had us all get in formation; he called one of the sick call rangers up front and asked him what the doctors told him. He answered that he was being discharged for depression. The drill sergeant then asked him if he had a girlfriend, if she and his family threw him a going away party before he left for basic training and if they were all proud of him. He answered yes to all questions.

"Well, what are they going to think of you now?" the drill sergeant yelled.

That hit home for all of us standing in formation.