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over
on her first try. Rocco and I decided we would head back out that
evening and work on the wall some more.
    Morning inspection was a nightmare. My shoes
were perfect but not according to Sgt. Dickens. He stepped on my
toe, and then complained I had dust on my boot. He also complained
about my hair wisps touching my collar. It didn’t stop there. He
gave the entire class twenty pushups for each infraction I had. He
watched me like a hawk, and I managed to pull through the
punishments.
    During our first week, we were given school
identification cards. We attached them to our shirt pockets. We
were told if we lost an ID card it would be like losing our police
badge and the punishments would be endless. A cadet reported his
missing badge to our class leader, and Cadet Clark reported it to
the sergeant. Sgt. Dickens told us to be at the running track for
lunch.
    Before the lunch punishment, we had to take
our weekly test. I only missed five of eighty-five questions and
had the fourth highest score in the class. It was a relief, but I
was more worried about what was ahead because of the missing ID
card. We double timed it to the track and saw Sgt. Dickens waiting
for us.
    There was a flock of large black birds on the
football field, and Sgt. Dickens told us one of the birds had our
ID card. We all started chasing the birds. Sgt. Dickens then
shouted we needed to be begging the birds to give us back the
card.
    We started begging loudly saying, “Here birdy
birdy, give us back our ID card please.”
    We ran across the field and through campus
following those damned birds. The college kids got a real kick out
of us yelling at the birds. This went on throughout the entire
lunch hour.
    Sgt. Dickens then told us the birds had left
the ID on the hill at the water tower and we could look after
class. Starving and dehydrated we headed back to the
classroom.
    We ran the hill that day until we couldn’t see
straight. I think the only reason we were allowed to stop was that
several cadets looked as if they would pass out.
    When everyone left, I stayed behind to do my
ten punishment hills. Cadet Clark told me he had to stay and
monitor me and he waited at the bottom of the hill. A young Cadet
by the name of Philip Rodriguez (P-Rod) stayed behind as well. He
told me he didn’t want me to do the hills alone, so he ran by my
side.
    As we ran, he told me about himself. I was
incapable of speech at this point. Every breath was a struggle.
Cadet Rodriguez was twenty years old, and would be turning
twenty-one in a few weeks. He’d worked at a county jail, and had
waited until he was old enough to attend the police
academy.
    He said he admired me for coming when I was so
old. I didn’t take offense. I was feeling particularly ancient and
just happy to have someone with me. He chatted the entire time and
didn't seem to mind that I didn't have the breath to spare for any
encouraging remarks. Fortunately, I didn't have any food in my
system to throw up or I would have. I did spit up some foul tasting
liquid that I assume was bile.
    Cadet Rodriguez told me he was struggling with
the weekly classroom tests, and asked if I would tutor him. He said
he would shine my shoes nightly if I was willing to help. So we
made a deal.
    That night, after the run, I went to
Rodriguez’ room with notes and boots in hand. His roommates were
busy shining their boots and said they wanted to participate as
well.
    My boots were passed around. As the weeks went
by we fit about eight cadets nightly in that small room and I also
had a study group at my breakfast table on Monday mornings before
our tests.
    The next day I began the Pushup Club. During
every break I worked on my pushups. We added one pushup daily to
the total we did at each break. I kept track of our totals for the
entire day, week and month.
    Including our morning punishment for
inspection the Pushup Club did 843 pushups our first week. It
started with just Rocco and me but we soon had about ten