Back in the middle of July 2011 I walked into a recruiting office in my local mall in my hometown after deciding to join the Army. After almost two weeks of paperwork, meetings, and waivers I finally got the chance to go to the MEPS station and sign my contract to be a 19D. One thing I didn't realize before going into MEPS is that right now all newly enlisted people sign up for eight years minimum. Once again yes, that is correct eight years minimum. You sign up for eight years, do however many you want active and do the rest in the National Guard or Army Reserve. So, I ended up signing for three years and 18 weeks active duty and the remainder (It comes to like four years and 44 weeks or something like that) NG or AR.
Before going into MEPS and officially signing up my recruiter warned me that the wait time to ship to training is quite a while but I didn't realize that it was going to be a nine month wait! Since it was the middle of July and my ship date wasn't till the middle of February I had to just keep doing what I was doing and join all the other DEP (Delayed Entry Program) soldiers in all the prep classes and PT at the recruiting station. While I waited I continued to take classes at my local community college, I kept working for the greatest company in the world, QuikTrip, and went to all my DEP classes at the recruiter which ranged from suicide prevention to military time to drill and ceremony.
When my ship date finally started to near I started to get ready to leave my family, whom I am really close with, and friends to spend the next 18 weeks of life getting yelled at, name called, and put into the front leaning rest. Lucky me I got to spend those 18 weeks in Fort Benning, Georgia with some of the most intense training available in the Army being thrust upon me and the battle buddies by my side.
When I arrived in Fort Benning on February 14 we had approximately 11 days of in processing before our training unit came to pick us up and unleash all hell upon us. Those 11 days were spent slowly being issued uniforms, getting shots in medical, getting your mouth checked out by dental, and various other paperwork related tasks that were all required before starting out training. Finally February 25 rolled around and our training unit came to pick us up from the reception battalion and the "fun" could begin.
That morning we were formed up under the overhang in front of our company barracks with all of our gear and personal belongings. Some had more then others, some less, but mine consisted of a full green duffle bag, a full laundry bag, and my personal black bag that had my civilian clothes and items in it. We were sitting there in formation for quite a while before the busses finally arrived to pick us up. Once the busses stopped several Drill Sergeants, a couple Officiers, and some other sergeants got off the bus and calmly but firmly were getting us into lines and onto the busses, there was next to no yelling at this point. Although now that I think about it we did have three kids quit right then and have to get picked up by the MP's for disobeying a lawful order. Once we were all on the bus with all of our gear piled on top of us the Drill Sergeant told us to shut up and put our heads between our legs and pray because we were going to need it...
^This is half of us formed up with the Drill Sergeants walking around before mounting the busses.^
