What it was like for me to join the service (In the USA)
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2019 10:21 am
Before I start this draft, I want to say that not all experiences are going to be the same. Other people might have different experiences in the same situation. That disclaimer out of the way I wanted to write this for people that might be thinking about joining the service or for others that are curious about what joining the service is like. If you’re a young person working at a dead-end job it might be an option for you to think about.
I grew up in a small town in the middle of the woods. It took close to 2 hours to get to a decent size city. The population was not very diverse and since logging was no longer much of a thing the job prospects for High school graduates was abysmal. When I was 19, I knocked up my high school sweetheart. And after our daughter was born I knew I would need a better job.
After our daughter was born things hit the fan. I was working from 4am to about 12 pm doing laundry at a hospital. After I got off work from my job, I would ride my bike several miles to attend my college classes. After going to college, I would bike several miles home. I would lift (at the time I only had a bench), spend time with my family, eat dinner then start homework. I would get done about 10 pm go to bed ant start the process all over again the next day. My new born would wake up several times a night as they tend to do. After about a year of this routine I needed a change.
One day after work I stopped by my local Navy recruiter office and took the entry test to see what jobs I was qualified for in the service. I did well and qualified for a long list of jobs. I never considered myself a above average intelligence person. But according to the recruiters I had scored towards the top of potential candidates that take the test. I heard about the different jobs that I qualified for and liked the sound of “Master at Arms.” The job sounded like a mix of police and security guards. At the time I wanted to get my degree to be a police officer, so I quickly signed the paper to enter the delayed entry program.
The delayed entry program meant I would not ship out to boot camp for 6 months while I worked on getting in shape and learning basic military knowledge. First, thing about getting in shape for boot camp is that you must get good at running. I want to say at the time (2002) I had to run 1.5 miles in 10:30 to be considered as having a decent time. I thought I was in pretty good shape from ridding my bike every day and benching a couple times a week (I benched roughly 275 with a BW of 185).
After meeting up with the recruiter one Saturday and giving the fit test a try I saw that I needed to do some work before shipping out. The fit test at the time consisted of pushups in 2 minutes, sit ups in 2 minutes if you stopped during that 2 minutes you were done. After you had a 1.5-mile run and a body fat test. Your body fat had to be below 20% if I remember correctly. You had to score a high good to get promoted before boot camp. I think to qualify as a high good it was 10:30 on the run and 60 or 70 pushups and sit ups to qualify. These had to be good push ups and sit ups to count. You also had to pass a basic military knowledge test.
Fast forward a few months later. I was able to meet all the requirements to get the promotion to E-2 before shipping out to boot camp. I packed what I needed and left for boot camp in June. I left everything I knew behind and prepared to face a whole new adventure. I had only left my state a few times yet alone to travel across the country. I Packed to leave for 3 months of training to change me from a civilian to a military member. I was very nervous to state it mildly.
This part is already running long. So if people like this I will work on a 2nd part about what boot camp is actually like.
I grew up in a small town in the middle of the woods. It took close to 2 hours to get to a decent size city. The population was not very diverse and since logging was no longer much of a thing the job prospects for High school graduates was abysmal. When I was 19, I knocked up my high school sweetheart. And after our daughter was born I knew I would need a better job.
After our daughter was born things hit the fan. I was working from 4am to about 12 pm doing laundry at a hospital. After I got off work from my job, I would ride my bike several miles to attend my college classes. After going to college, I would bike several miles home. I would lift (at the time I only had a bench), spend time with my family, eat dinner then start homework. I would get done about 10 pm go to bed ant start the process all over again the next day. My new born would wake up several times a night as they tend to do. After about a year of this routine I needed a change.
One day after work I stopped by my local Navy recruiter office and took the entry test to see what jobs I was qualified for in the service. I did well and qualified for a long list of jobs. I never considered myself a above average intelligence person. But according to the recruiters I had scored towards the top of potential candidates that take the test. I heard about the different jobs that I qualified for and liked the sound of “Master at Arms.” The job sounded like a mix of police and security guards. At the time I wanted to get my degree to be a police officer, so I quickly signed the paper to enter the delayed entry program.
The delayed entry program meant I would not ship out to boot camp for 6 months while I worked on getting in shape and learning basic military knowledge. First, thing about getting in shape for boot camp is that you must get good at running. I want to say at the time (2002) I had to run 1.5 miles in 10:30 to be considered as having a decent time. I thought I was in pretty good shape from ridding my bike every day and benching a couple times a week (I benched roughly 275 with a BW of 185).
After meeting up with the recruiter one Saturday and giving the fit test a try I saw that I needed to do some work before shipping out. The fit test at the time consisted of pushups in 2 minutes, sit ups in 2 minutes if you stopped during that 2 minutes you were done. After you had a 1.5-mile run and a body fat test. Your body fat had to be below 20% if I remember correctly. You had to score a high good to get promoted before boot camp. I think to qualify as a high good it was 10:30 on the run and 60 or 70 pushups and sit ups to qualify. These had to be good push ups and sit ups to count. You also had to pass a basic military knowledge test.
Fast forward a few months later. I was able to meet all the requirements to get the promotion to E-2 before shipping out to boot camp. I packed what I needed and left for boot camp in June. I left everything I knew behind and prepared to face a whole new adventure. I had only left my state a few times yet alone to travel across the country. I Packed to leave for 3 months of training to change me from a civilian to a military member. I was very nervous to state it mildly.
This part is already running long. So if people like this I will work on a 2nd part about what boot camp is actually like.