Women in Boot Camp

July 2, 2001 -- When Amanda Dove and her fellow recruits climbed down from the truck at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri last fall, they knew they were about to start the notorious ordeal of Army boot camp, but Amanda didn't fully appreciate how all their lives would be transformed by the experience that lay ahead.

Granted unprecedented access by the U.S. Army, ABCNEWS' 20/20 Downtown was there to meet them, and for the next nine weeks, Downtown watched as Amanda and five other female recruits were disciplined, schooled in warfare and transformed into soldiers.

While they each struggled, their trials were typical of what women in the military must go through in order to join the ranks of the armed forces — still largely dominated by men.

What follows is a summary of those nine weeks and how it changed Amanda and her comrades.

Jarring Arrival

"You will put your heads down in the bags," yells a drill sergeant. "Do it!"

When the trucks arrive, the women are met with chaos and mayhem. They are under full verbal assault from the officers who'll turn them into soldiers over the next nine weeks.

Amanda, 21, is yelled at by three different drill sergeants until she breaks down into tears.

But her tears have little effect on the seasoned drill sergeants, who have spent years learning how to toughen new recruits. To them it's about instilling a "military bearing" in civilians.

"Lock it up private — there is no crying here," one of them shouts.

'I Hate Being Here'

For privates, the process called "Reception and Integration" can be intimidating, degrading and dehumanizing.

"I can't do this. It's the yelling that scares me," says Erin O'Reilly, 20. "I hate being here."

"It's about beginning the process of turning them into soldiers," says Lt. Col. Casey Haskins who takes part in the training. "They're really civilians with a haircut and a uniform when they get to us."

Team Building

Boot camp is designed to take recruits from different backgrounds and who have joined the Army for different reasons, and turn them into a unified team.

"Recruits come in with an 'I' or a 'Me' mentality," says Drill Sergeant Cindy Walker. "Now they're part of a team and they should work together and help each other get through certain situations." Which is why, she explains, "If one or two privates shows attitude, and if one private has to do push-ups, then all the privates do push-ups together."

"You kind of have to be friends," says April McGreevy, 21. "If you don't get along, you're not going to make it."

'Hurts So Bad'

Ten days into basic training, some of the recruits admit the fatigue and stress are wearing them down.

"It makes me want to cry, it makes me want to quit," says Tracie Rosales, 29. "Because it hurts so bad. But I don't. I just keep going."

Tracie is not alone. With nine weeks of Basic Training left, Erin says she is ready to give up. "I think this was a big mistake," she says. "I'm so stressed out I just want to go home … but I don't want to be a quitter."

Over the course of boot camp, the women learn to endure reprimands, marching, tear gas and sleepless nights. Some of the privates are pushed to their physical and psychological limits.

"I'm struggling to keep up with everybody," says Tracie. "I'm just like dangling, you know — my spirit is almost broken."

Learning to Fight

In order to graduate, they must become effective marksmen, knocking down a minimum of 23 of 40 targets.

"You can't shoot, you can't be in the Army," says Sgt. Bruce Machadeo. "I'll authorize four attempts to qualify private, after that, you're gone."

In the final stage of boot camp, the women put their training to the test in a series of simulated combat situations, which are as close as the recruits will come to real war without risking death.

With live machine-gun fire overhead, simulated bombs bursting around them and tracer fire streaking across the night sky, privates face off against a group of drill sergeants who are plying the role of the enemy.

Graduation

The rewards of battle come swiftly. In a torchlit ceremony called the Rite of Passage, the recruits are acknowledged for the first time as real soldiers. Graduation comes soon after.

April says finishing the training is one of the proudest moments of her life. "I had tears in my eyes," she says.

The women acknowledge that they were transformed by their nine weeks of training.

"You know they break you down," says April. "And they're going to build you back up. That's what happened to me."

Tracie, who lost 100 pounds since deciding to enlist, says she now likes the physical rigors of the Army. "Every time I get up in the morning now, I don't go, 'Oh God. We got to do a run, oh God, we got to do exercise," she says, "I like that part, now."

Next Step

And so, after nine painful weeks, the women are finally ready for the Army and their new assignments. Women in the Army are restricted to serving as combat support. They do not serve in combat units such as infantry or artillery.

Having completed boot camp, the privates move to Advanced Individual training in a specialty before receiving a permanent duty based on the needs of the Army.