Not only the Special Forces I would say. When I was in basic training at Fort Ord, Calif with the U.S. Army [1963] and all of us had run and run again with full packs and rifles day after day and week after week. Toward the end of our training guess what? Our platoon sergeant was a very tough little Puerto Rican who had just recently finished a tour in Viet Nam. [He had been in the Special Forces at that time prior to heavy US involvement there.] He put us to such a test.
We had been at intervals double-timing and walking for several miles. It was late in the day and after a rest stop when we already had been moving in the direction of the barracks and the mess hall for the evening meal he decided to double time us home. It wasn't that far so everyone was ready and willing to make that last comparatively little final stretch before rest and food, but just within sight of home there was a large open field. Our platoon sergeant in the lead suddenly began to run in circles around that field and of course the platoon ran right behind him also in circles. Within a few of those large circles men began to fall out of formation... out of the running. He continued to run. Of a platoon of perhaps 50-60 men he ran on until even his very best ones [so some us may have thought] fell out onto the ground in exhaustion or was it frustration? When only 3 men and his assisting nom-coms were still following him he finally headed directly toward home. Every one of us had completed longer treks on previous rough training days, but never before with such a seemingly unattainable and meaningless goal. He had made his point.
What was my platoon sergeant's point? What is Episkopos' point? What is God's point?
