This was taken during my second 3 year tour as a Recruit Division Commander (aka Drill Instructor) at RTC Great Lakes, IL around 1996. That job was the most demanding as well as the most rewarding for me personally which is why I went back for the 2nd tour. It was really beyond any imagination working 110 hours a week for the first 2 weeks and then scaling back to about 80 hours during your 7 day workweek for the next 7 weeks. Getting to bed at 2300, getting up at 0330 to make the drive back to get them up and lead Physical Training at 0430, then marching, yelling, guiding, motivating etc. until 2200 again, day after day. Add to that some Chicago winter – marching with up to 50 below wind chills, all the while projecting to the recruits it was always the greatets day in my life. You normally had a competent partner for the 9 week ride, leading 88 new recruits, not always however, I did one completely by myself and 2 others with partners that should not have been there and were eventually moved. This all did pay some good dividends when I got out however, working at such large training commands, in many different positions give me the skills that have kept me employed in Training ever since.