Week 8. Week 8 is called "Team Week," which means you get to spend all of your time working at the "mess hall" or some other glamorous detail.

This is much better than it sounds, however; for an entire week, you'll be free of the incessant presence of the T.I.s (to be replaced with the relatively gentler attitudes of the mess sergeants). Additionally, you'll enjoy using your status as a "senior recruit" to help, um.....motivate brand new recruits as they stumble throw the chow hall lines. (BTW, the best way to tell "senior" recruits from the newbies is to look at their haircuts. Bald heads indicates new recruits, while stubble, or "high & tights" indicate more senior recruits).

One word of warning. Enjoy it while it lasts......when you return to your platoon at the end of this week, you'll more likely than not discover that your D.I. thinks you've grown sloppy and undisciplined during the week, and will expend extra effort for the next few days in returning you and the rest of the platoon to his/her version of disciplined recruits. This "re-transformation" will most likely require several applications of "quarter-decking."