My brother was a small guy, and didn't participate in vulgarity, so he didn't get many man points that day. As the day wore on, people started to think of him as wimpy and not cut for the army.
It didn't help that as soon as the lights got turned off for bedtime, as all the other "men" were laughing and punching each other and climbing into their beds, my brother knelt down by his cot to say his prayers.
Immediately, everyone looked towards him, and pegged him the worst thing you can be pegged in the army. Weak.
The began throwing things at him. Hitting him with shoes, books, socks, anything they could find. But he kept on praying until he was done, and went to bed. The other "men" laughed and said that he will quit before the week is out.
The next day was the day they put down how many pushups, pullups, situps, and all that stuff you can do so they can measure your progress, and make sure you pass a certain mark before graduating basic training. One by one, all the men went.
First was pushups. The guys with the huge biceps grinned and pushed my brother to the back of the line.
But guess what happened? My brother did the most pushups out of anyone in his company. A tiny bit of respect started to grow in their eyes.
One by one, each event my brother did, he excelled, and beat out everyone else in his company.
Let's fast forward a couple months. My brother still said his prayers every night.
One night, a new company was forced to sleep in the same dorm as my brother's company. As soon he knelt down to say his prayers, the new company began to laugh and throw things. Boots, socks, books, pillows. He didn't stir.
The leader of his company jumped out of his cot and bolted across the room to the nearest perpetrator, and picked him up by the neck.
"You shut up," he whispered murderously in the new boy's ear. "He is saying his prayers!"
My brother looked up when he was done to see his company in a circle around him, protecting him from the projectiles the new boys had been throwing.
My brother lead that company from that point onwards, despite whoever the army authorized.