A memoir of a Great Books warrior in the first regiment:
A war was about to begin. This was not just any crusade, for it would be intriguing and require deep strategy. I was going to be training with the Great Books army. I knew before going into the class that it would require work, but that the toil would be worth it. Studying war tactics and strategy and planning my own attacks was, and is, very appealing. However, there was that worry (once again), if I would be able to connect with the other fighters. A troop of fifteen warriors was a lot more in my mind that the seven there had been in the Intro to Great Books military over the summer. I had also been the youngest in my class before, but that was in elementary school where the whole class was close in age. These people were full time members of the army, whereas I was only a part time member. Nevertheless, I was excited to enter the army and have the experience.
It came as a nice surprise when I found one of my friends was to be in the class that had been in the Introduction program. For a while I felt awkward around my comrades, seeing them only twice a week. Over the weeks, however, I became closer to them as we shared our thoughts, fought enemy combatants, and joked around. The Office became a favorite topic since the comedy relieved war tension. I still kept mainly to myself, but did open up more, talking with others as they strolled past. We also quickly devised a system to show each other of possible danger by yelling “chicken.” While being serious and helpful, it was funny to hear. (I also decided who I would most likely vote for during a future election of leaders.) There was a period when the soldiers tried to see who could gain the most prizes, to the point it stressed several of my comrades out. I decided after that that trying to follow in similar footsteps was not meant for me. Thankfully, we were not forced to survive on our own. Our country and Captain provided us with provisions, making sure we would not suffer. I also wrote many letters about our exploits, though I have reason to believe they never successfully reached home. (Or maybe they never got sent. The world may never know.)
The war felt more difficult at times than at other. Sometimes the work seemed of incredible size. I needed to find an efficient way to accomplish all the tasks at hand and not fall off of a cliff. Some were more enjoyable than others and I wanted to complete for the sake of it, not because I knew if I did not the Captain would might be able to tell. When I finished the work it was wonderful. When it came to taking over territories, each came with its own benefits or problems. The Aeneid? I was looking forward to conquering that city so it would fall in our dominion, and especially wanted to around the eighth skirmish because the fight started to get boring. They used the same strategies and points of attack. With Republic, diplomatic talks went well for the most part. Many mandates were successfully set, but the ruler liked to run his mouth, sometimes to the point that it felt like no one else got a say. There were many other cities that the troop encountered as well, some falling into the happy camp, others that we rolled our eyes at. Some fights we struggled through while others were a breeze. I remember times when a storm would start and the campground would become muddy, making walking, and fighting especially, difficult.“We are going to traverse this field, and we are going to do so right now,” I found myself screaming during the hard times. But when there was a crisp, cold day, meeting the enemy was a joyful experience. We had many wartime talks and found many places we would have liked to stay, but our General forced us to move on in our campaign. Overall, the conquest was a wonderful experience.
All the recorded past events lead up to now when the war is almost at a close. I can say I have immensely enjoyed the journey. I look forward to possibly fighting future wars with the comrades from this fall, conversing more about strategy, and conquering many more cities. To the ones I will not see as often, I wish them good luck in the field.
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