While the Army proclaims itself to be about teamwork, its soldiers, including its sergeants, compete against one another. The sergeants push their troops to be named honor platoon, to win marching and marksman- ship citations, to score the highest on the P.T., or physical training, test. That means doing the most push-ups and situps, and running the fastest two miles. Winning is not just a matter of satisfying testosterone-fueled egos. Any award, any citation, goes into a soldier's personnel file and can help lift him or her to the next rank.
Promotions are everything.
The raises they bring may be small, but they are the only means of easing the financial strain. With that they had to buy their own uniforms, knapsacks, sleeping bags, helmets and even the stripes they sewed on their sleeves. Meals in the company mess hall were charged to them. Housing is free if soldiers live on the post. But that means families must make do with cramped row houses.