Thousands of men and women put their lives in danger to serve our country, but it's not often civilians get to see everything that goes into this honorable line of duty. So to better understand our country's military operations, KAUZ is taking a closer look in our series "Operation Military."

These days, most soldiers are deployed within 90 days of completing basic. That makes the training session extremely vital. In this first edition of our "Operation Military" series, we'll hear not only from a soldier going through basic, but also the drill sergreant who teaches him the skills he needs to survive.

"This is a foundation for discipline, to stay motivated and physically fit," said Jose Gonzalez, Drill Instructor.

During the nine week course, soldiers wake bright and early at 4:30 in the morning.  They head straight to physical training and after "chow" are off to specific assignments for the day. When we caught up with them, the soldiers were going through a confidence course.

Paul Rakitin, Private First Class, said, "It could be nerve-wracking if you are afraid of heights, but when you get to the bottom you feel like you've climbed Mt. Everest and feel like you could do pretty much anything." And Rakitin said the camaraderie built is invaluable.
"Working well with others, working in a team...dealing with so many types of personalities and trying to get everyone on the same page. That is one of the more challenging but rewarding things," Rakitin said.

Soldiers learn from those who have come before them. "It's very important to make sure that they understand everything they're going to get into.  Make sure they're physically, emotionally fit that their family understand what they're getting into," Gonzalez said. Drill sergeants who teach everything they know in an effort to give their soldiers the skills they need to survive. "It makes me feel excellent knowing I'm doing my best making sure they're going to stay alive and implement training into their work."
 
Drill sergeant Jose Gonzalez said since he went through basic training in 1999, any things in the course have changed. He said hand-to-hand combat is more like mix-martial arts and instead of just being ordered what to do, soldiers are trained to think on their own. Be sure to tune in for the next in our series, when KAUZ visits Sheppard Air Force Base and brings us the next story in our "Operation Military" series.

Lindsey Rogers, KAUZ Texoma's News Station