Thunder rumbled off in the distance as rain poured down in sheets over Camp Curahee. The compound, usually a throbbing hub of children receiving field training from barking drill sergeants, was still beneath the downpour. Not even Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, the camp’s head instructor and the scourge of the trainees’ existence, had the stomach for exercises in weather like this. The children were in their barracks, talking quietly amongst themselves, playing card games, or busying themselves with their latest homework assignments. The drill instructors kept to the camp’s administrative buildings, grateful for time off from keeping the trainees of Gamma Company in line. The camp’s equipment and vehicles had all been secured under heavy tarps to keep the water out. Everything and ev