His initial reaction was complete shock, revealed when he wrote, "It's been over two days in this place now, and believe me it feels like a year." It took him some time to get used to his new way of life, from the quality of food, to the amount of work, to the level of tiredness he would feel. He wrote: “Only the Lord knows why they make us work so hard here. I haven't had a minute to myself in the last three days until now. The training phase, however, was not all exhausting. Snead writes: “The life of a soldier was not all vaccinations, drills and work. Despite some challenges, Brownie and most of the other soldiers enjoyed the Army.” They could write and receive letters, enjoy the camaraderie of their brothers, and occasionally even get away for a day. During this time, however, Browne began to discover how painful missing Marty was and how painful it would continue to be. On one occasion he wrote: “Sometimes I dream about you and then wake up and find out it's a dream. This is the worst thing. I'd rather not dream." Yet, despite this, Snead writes: “To say that the Army was not prepared for the carnage of World War I is the gravest thing”.