It was a brutal afternoon in Texas, the kind of heat that baked the asphalt and felt like it could melt through combat boots. Sweat poured down the backs of soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, US Army Southern Command, as they pushed through the final mile of a 20-mile tactical march.
Private Alex Peterson, just three months out of basic training, was close to collapse when the bark of his squad leader jolted him back to reality. He adjusted his 45-pound rucksack and gritted his teeth. Peterson wasn’t remarkable—just a kid from New York trying to become someone stronger than his old self—but today he was determined not to give up.
