Joseph Rankins, 19, and Gary Rankins, 40, prepare to participate in a team-building exercise organized by the Army at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita. The game is played with plastic BBs and pitted a U.S. force against “freedom fighters” in a mock village named “Hajistan.” (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Gary Rankins served in the Army from 1986 to 1994 and decided to reenlist this summer. Hes hoping to work in a noncombat role. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Gary Rankins recently lost a good-paying job with a shipping company and decided to return to the Army. Joseph finished high school last year, hated his job at a printing facility and looked into joining the Army at the suggestion of his mom and dad. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Joseph Rankins, standing, laughs with his friends at Frantone’s Pizza and Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos just days before shipping off to Army boot camp. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
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Joseph Rankins and his girlfriend Vanessa Heffernan share a quiet moment in the lobby of a hotel near LAX while awaiting his departure to South Carolina for basic training. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Joseph Rankins prepares to bid his father goodbye before catching his flight. The two will not train together and are seeking different jobs within the Army. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Joseph Rankins, 19, playfully twirls his girlfriend Vanessa Heffernan before saying a last goodbye and leaving for basic training. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
