As I sat here and tried my hardest to not fall asleep while I grinded my Coop Race AI achieves, I thought back to Basic Military Training, and the time before and after it. It was really an intriguing time, and a slap to the face to wake me up to reality that introduced me to the people that chose to not go to college (a large majority of my class ended up attending universities.... or I assume).
I remember walking into my recruiters office when my mom came to visit once. She was always harping on me to figure out what I wanted to do after high school, as I showed no real interest in any career field, and was not really taking my SATs/SAT IIs seriously. I didn't know what I wanted to do after high school, and quite honestly, I didn't care. And then senior year came, and it was crunch time. Like I said above, my mom came to visit about halfway through that year. She was always traveling due to her job, so I was staying with my dad at this point. She threw a bunch of options in my face and I was intimidated by the though of even applying to a college (I don't really take rejection very well). The rest of my class was already gossiping about the various colleges in the area, what was a good idea to go for, and what they planned to do there. Not I.
My mom eventually brought up the military as an idea. At first I laughed it off as yeah, right, this geeky kid who knew nothing other than video games and anime fighting the war?
Well several days later, I wandered into a recruiters office. It was a combined services recruiting station, and I remember vividly that the Air Force's office was in the back, so I had to walk by the Army, Marines and Navy's office and have to resist their zealous efforts to pick me up. I knew straight up I was in no shape to be infantry, and that idea scared me anyways, so that left the Navy or Air Force. As I sat down in the office with my mom, the recruiter was giving me her shpeal on the wonders of the Air Force and all the benefits, blah blah blah. Then she asked me "What do you think?"
Honestly, I was not really paying attention to the thing, so I said the first thing that came to mind.
"Sure, let's do it"
A lot of you are probably like "lol wtf", and honestly, after I got home after signing some paperwork, I was thinking the same thing. What did I just do? It didn't hit me until I went to MEPS (the processing station where they make sure you were able to actually do the basic crap that they make you do). I think it was roughly 3 months after I signed the papers at the recruiters office that I went there.
Oh man, what an experience. I'll try to recount what I can, but that was a while ago, a lot of details are fuzzy. Basically, the recruiter said "Be here at so and so time, I'll take you to the hotel,"
The hotel? Because of the amount of stuff I had to do, and the fact that I had to do it in one day, meant I had to stay overnight to make it there on time. I believe showtime was around 5 or so in the morning, and there would have been no way I'd make it there living as far as I did, in LA traffic. I stayed at some fairly built up hotel that night somewhere in downtown LA. It was decent. When we first got there, my recruiter told me to head to some room or other to check in. They should know what I'm there for. I headed to the room to find it with several people with blank looks on their face. I slowly creeped my way to the back of them and they barely lifted their heads to acknowledge I even walked in. About 30 minutes of dead silence in the room, a hotel worker appeared with some sign in sheet and some room keys for us all. Also informed us what times that food would be available for us.
I stayed with some guy going Army, and he spent a good chunk of time doing pushups and situps while I watched TV. Eventually the dinner they were providing us was available downstairs so we wandered down to pick up some meager scraps of food that was more or less a reminder of the kind of shit we'll be eating in the future. Almost as if it was a warning to stop now, but I ignored it, I was starving.
About 3AM or so, we woke up and got ready to head to the processing station. They provided us breakfast which I can't remember what it consisted of, besides the eggs which reminded me of water. Again, I was hungry, and I was dead tired, I didn't even notice.
They stuffed all of us in a bus and we drove probably 10-15m to the station. I got there and just followed everyone else. They seemed to know where they were going, and I just followed along. While we stacked up against the wall, some conversations started. normal stuff about predictions of that season's sports, movies they've watched recently, small banter. A few minutes later, some woman in uniform barged outside and started going off about talking too loudly. As far as I knew, we weren't even allowed in for another 20m, and I had said nothing the whole time, I just looked the other way while silence again enveloped the crowd.
When we were finally let in, we were introduced to a room with several chairs, a TV with some DVD playing (I think it was Doom), a metal detector, and a closet to stuff our bags and junk in. We were told to line up, all the while, I could feel eyes in every direction suddenly were on us. After all, I guess if they worked there, we were all they had to care about. We were lead into a room with more chairs, a TV with a DVD playing (Without a Paddle, I think) and rooms with each branch of service's insignia on it. I sat down and watched the menu screen to Without a Paddle for about an hour. What joy.
I was eventually called into the office for the Air Force. Myself and several other people (I can only assume they were going Air Force as well), were given instructions as to where to go. What made this interesting was the demeanor of the Airmen there. They were all Sergeants, sure, but they were laughing and joking with us. It wasn't until we began our trek around MEPS that the air of caution that we had developed surrounded us again.
I don't actually remember the path or order that I went to the various areas in MEPS. I think that we were simply told, go do this list of crap, this is here, this is here, this is here, etc, come back here when you're done.
So we did. As I said before, I don't remember the order I went to stuff, but there were issues everywhere I went. Here's the stuff I do remember doing.
1. The piss test.
I remembered this right off the bat. If you have never taken a piss test, feel lucky for yourself, it's a very awkward experience. I still have to take them at varying intervals to this day, so I'm more or less used to it now, but damn it was weird as shit. And it wasn't the weirdest shit that I even did that day.
The basic premise is, well, piss in a bottle with your name on it. If you needed to pee right then and there, you were given priority, otherwise, you kinda sat outside and drank water until you were ready to go. When you were ready, you informed a very disgruntled looking person, who called over an even more disgruntled looking person. They would escort you to the bathroom. You had to sign some paper and they would give you a bottle with your name and some identifying information on it. You take the bottle and hold it over your head while this guy follows you there. When you get into the bathroom, it gets weird.
This guy's job is to watch you piss into the bottle. I later asked some other escorts when I finally got into the military, what that's actually like. Apparently you have to take a class, and to quote him "It has to leave the head of the penis, and be one continuous stream until it reaches an acceptable amount of piss in the bottle, in which time, you can break form the bottle and pee normally into the urinal". And there were 3-4 other people doing it with me. Stage fright is not uncommon, and it's not uncommon to get yelled at for wasting their time staring at a dick that isn't peeing, then having to do it again later.
You take the bottle, and wipe it off. I dared not look at my escort, I figured it would only make things weirder. I cleaned the bottle off with some towels, washed my hands, and handed it back to the guy who gave me the bottle. He grunted and I was done there. Sheesh.
2. The blood test.
I remember when I saw the line for the shot, it was fairly short so I jumped at the opportunity. I wasn't really expecting much. It wasn't until the guy I saw walking out was pale, and the bandage covered his elbow. I grew slightly worried.
Eventually it was my turn. I walked around to a dentist chair that they had me sit in, while lab coats fluttered to and fro. I sat a few minutes and they gave me a stress ball without saying anything. Eventually some attendant sat down looking bright and chipper.
"How are you doing today?" Damn well if I knew what the hell was gonna happen to me without the guesswork.
"I'm doin' alright"
"That's great, are you right or left handed"
"Right"
So she picks up my right arm and I begin squeezing the stress ball. If you have never given blood before, you might not know, but it may or may not take a bit for them to find an appropriate vein to draw the blood from. Well, it took them a while. What made it worse is I suppose that the attendant was new, and had issues hitting the vein. It starts to get on your nerves when the needle has to come in and out of your body and the previous pokes served NO PURPOSE AT ALL.
Eventually they hit the right vein and they drew a rather silly amount of blood, if I recall. They laughed and joked as my blood pumped into a test tube and all the while, I was squeezing the stress ball while trying not to throw it at the attendant that made my arm look like a damn polka dot design. After an acceptable amount of blood was drawn, I was let to go on my way.
3. The vision/listening test
At one point I was told I needed a vision and hearing test. I kinda laughed inside at the vision test, I'm blind as a bat.
There wasn't anything notable about this, except the depth perception test. It was pretty amusing, because for some reason, I had one eye closed and didn't realize it. I stared into some bino looking things and the lab coat said,
"Tell me what number the dotted line corresponds to,"
"What dotted line?"
"The dotted line that's goes across the image and it lines up with a number"
"I don't see a dotted line, sir"
It took us several minutes of arguing before he left the room in frustration asking for someone to come by and help him out with this retarded idiot (myself). While he was outside, I lifted my head from the machine and realized one eye was closed. I opened my left eye and saw the dotted line.
lol.
4. Lunch
If you have driven around in downtown LA, you might have noticed those trailers that sell food, similar to a hot dog stand in New York, except it's a full blow trailer with a grill in it and more food. And it might sound racist, but they're mostly driven by Mexicans. I wish there was another way to say it, but that's.... really just how it is.
Well one of those rolled up about the time we were told to break for food. There was a cafeteria in the actual station, but the trailer rolled up anyways, because the line got long. Either way, you had to pay, which was a change from the hotel, although the food was way better at MEPS than at the hotel. I ate in the cafeteria, quickly threw my trash away, and headed to the next station.
5. The duck walk
This station was the most packed. It was more or less a physical, but because it allowed the most room, it had the most people heading there. We all sat in a wide open room with a bench against the wall. Soon some lab coat came in and told us all to strip down to our boxers. Some of us looked around at each other, but others did it on the spot. So we complied. We all stood up, lined up shoulder to shoulder and he told us to do various exercises to make sure we could actually do it.
The most interesting was the duck walk. Basically you crouch and with your feet flat on the floor, walk forward in the crouching position with your heel touching the ground first. It sounds easy, but you have to remember that you're shoulder to shoulder with some other half naked guys and we're all bumping into each other. So I was the dumbass that fell over because the guy next to me bumped into me when the guy pointed me out.
"HEY. YOU. YEAH, SKINNY, GET BACK THERE AND DO IT AGAIN"
I complied, he looked at me funny, and we continued on.
After we were done doing our half naked PT (Physical training) session, they took our weight and height. We put our clothes on, and they lined us up on the wall and called us into an office one by one. I was somewhere in the middle, but I heard weird sounds coming from there, along the lines of gasping. I grew nervous.
My turn came and I sat in a chair while a guy asks me some questions about my health. It wasn't anything weird, until he told me to stand up and take my pants down. Here's where shit got weird. I pulled my pants down and he said my underwear too. I looked at him funny.
"Boy, you think I like this part of my job? I have more balls to feel after yours so I would appreciate if you would pull your damn underwear down, I could feel your damn balls and we could get over this awkward shit".
I complied. And he grabbed my balls.
"Turn your head and cough"
I complied.
"Put your damn shit back on"
I complied.
"Get the hell out of here"
I definitely complied.
6. The fingerprint
Everything else after the duck walk was more or less a blur. Most of it was administrative paperwork and stuff, except the fingerprint. I was pulled aside after I finished signing some stuff and was told I needed to give my fingerprint. The guy told me to shut up, just relax control of my hand and he would deal with it. So I did.
He put my hand onto some computer, and it began to scan. It kept coming up as a negative read.
"Are you controlling your hand?"
"No sir"
"So why does it keep coming up as a negative read, I do this all the time, there should be nothing wrong"
"Sir, it says scan the right hand. You're holding my left hand"
"...."
So yeah.
7. Heading back home.
I signed some more stuff and headed back to the Air Force office. There they told me that it was some tradition or other to be able to lift some weight above your head to signify that you were ready to be better than I am now. They lead me to some weight machine that I didn't notice when I first got here. I wasn't able to lift it until the guy lifted it for me. I didn't dare look behind me, because I was in a room full of gym rats, and they were probably all thinking the same thing watching some scrawny little Asian kid struggle at 100 pounds.
After about an hour of mind numbing boredom, and watching more of the menu screen for Without a Paddle, I eventually was released to my recruiter who had come to pick me up. She asked me what I thought about it, and I looked at her funny. She said yeah, that's how most people feel about it. Wait until you come back here before you head back out to Basic.
Dude you signed on to the air force right? I'll be honest. You got off lucky. From what I hear from A LOT of people, the air force is the highest paid and also most recognizable platform. On top of that, it is one of the branches of the armed fores that you leave in a better social position than going in. I could be totally full of it and misquoting a lot of sources but honestly from what I heard, the AF isn't actually that bad.
Oh, this is just my first real exposure to something resembling military life. I don't actually mind the Air Force, it's just that I had a bumpy start.
On September 22 2010 13:35 KissBlade wrote: Dude you signed on to the air force right? I'll be honest. You got off lucky. From what I hear from A LOT of people, the air force is the highest paid and also most recognizable platform. On top of that, it is one of the branches of the armed fores that you leave in a better social position than going in. I could be totally full of it and misquoting a lot of sources but honestly from what I heard, the AF isn't actually that bad.
I don't think they're all "bad" if it's what you want to do.
My father was Air Force, and I'm pretty sure that most AF positions get paid better than the other branches, and it's definitely easier than piss to get a job post-military coming out of the air force.
Also the flyboys are always the easiest to recognize for winning the battles, watch any war movie or talk to any non-AF WW2 vet. Rofl. My grandfather used to bitch about the flyboys taking all the glory after this or that battle. Hehe.
Good luck in the Air Force though, if shit gets tough, just remember that when all is said and done, it's going to help make life as easy as it can be in the future.
On September 22 2010 13:48 travis wrote: I go to MEPS for the air force TOMMORROW, lol
couple questions
1.) what was the blood test for
2.) how long u been in air force?
3.) how many other pee tests have u taken and what for?
1. The blood test was probably as a secondary drug test after the pee test. Either way, I'm sure they served the same purpose, testing for different drugs. Or I assume.
2. Going on 4 years now.
3. I've taken ... like 5? It's one of those things you can't really predict when it happens, although you can count on after you coming back from leave you're more likely to get hit with one. It's more or less to make sure you aren't taking drugs while you're out of the Air Force's watchful eye. Give or take.
and why did u have to get up at 3, wtf is that
Showtime was at 5 or something. I had to wake up at 3 to shit/shower/shave and eat. Then get my ass over there from the hotel. It might be different for you, I've heard varying stories about MEPS from my peers.
You're a scrawny asian? Why are you applying to the Air Force? :O
More or less to put SOME direction in my life because I stopped caring sometime halfway through high school. After I realized that I had nothing after high school, I wasn't ready for college apps. At that point, I figured the military would give me some time to put some thought in it.
I would say that I would rather have thought more about it before I just jumped into it. The Air Force has given me a lot, this I can't deny, but I definitely feel like I rushed the decision.
I'm military police (Security Forces in Air Force terms). I signed up as a linguist, and that didn't work out. In a future blog post, I'll post about my experiences there, it was ... stressful.
I'm planning to join the Canadian air force in 4 years. They require a bachelors and the ability to speak French for some reason.
If I can't get in (my vision is like (-8.5, but i plan to get lasik to fix it) for whatever reason, i might apply to be an intelligence officer (although Canada's agency is pretty defensive and id like to be in the action.
ShaperofDreams: I wouldn't know. My vision is too terrible to be a pilot, although I know you have to be an officer on the US side, so that is already harder in itself.
anch: That might be it. I vaguely remember passing an arcade room that I was afraid of what would happen if I walked in there.
travis: If you don't mind waiting, I can tell you all about it in another blog post. If you need a more quick and dirty answer, I can pm you.
i'm singaporean and had a similar experience for my physical. I had my physical at like 8am and I had just arrived in Singapore from Japan at like 2am. I was lucky to get an old guy for the blood test (I'm guessing he was the supervisor) instead of some recruit so he got my vein on the first try. They collected so much blood that I almost passed out during my eye/ear test. It was pretty funny because I went to some person behind a desk and told them that I was about to pass out. They started asking me questions but I had no idea what they were saying and just stood there trying not to fall over. Eventually some supervisor came over and gave glucose water and everything ended up all good.
Wow.. amazing writing job on that, maybe one of the most interesting and well-written blogs I've ever read. I have a lot of friends going into the army and air force, and after hearing so much stuff I'm really happy I'm not.. I consider myself to be decently athletic (when I'm in shape that is ) but I don't know if I could handle half of the stuff that really goes on.
On September 22 2010 14:30 ShaperofDreams wrote: I'm planning to join the Canadian air force in 4 years. They require a bachelors and the ability to speak French for some reason.
If I can't get in (my vision is like (-8.5, but i plan to get lasik to fix it) for whatever reason, i might apply to be an intelligence officer (although Canada's agency is pretty defensive and id like to be in the action.
How hard is it to get to be a pilot?
You wouldnt get in to be a pilot, thats for sure. Eyesight is VERY important for pilots, they need almost perfect vision.
Theres a chart somewhere that says what you need, im gonna apply as a Musician in the CF next year and obviously my ear/hearing needs to be greater than most other occupations.
Anyways, thanks for the write-up, like I said im looking to get in soon also. Doesnt sound too bad, hopefully I pass the physical stuff. Unlike you, im overweight (well not too bad, but 5'10 and 220, not great at all)
With all respect to the decisions you make about you own life, I feel obligated to provide some anti-war/army material for you(everyone) to think about. Even if you are heavily committed to your cause already, I think it is still wise to hear the fleshed out version of the other side of the argument (as opposed to short bullet points) before going all in and joining the military.
Lol, the first days in the military is just that kind of waiting and doing the most tedious stuff you can imagine, all while being just that little bit intimidated by the whole experience.
At least you are volunteering, over here we are conscripted.
On September 22 2010 15:40 Nightmarjoo wrote:I've considered the military as a last resort option for my life, do you reccomend the Air Force then from your experience?
That probably depends on what you're shooting for. This is more of a 2 part question, so I'll address both.
Military as a last resort, implies that you have other options in mind. The question then is, if those fail, and you join the military, do you have a step 2 after the military? A lot of people I talk to in my job (Morale is, quite bluntly, very low in my career field) want to get out, but have no step 2.
"I'm getting out when my time is done"
"Oh yeah? You going to college afterwards?"
"No"
"Oh... so you got a job lined up for you?"
"Nah... I'm pretty much gonna bum it for a bit"
Not all conversations are like this, but there ARE people who are like that. And that blows my mind. I'll be done with my term at age 24, and I'll be barely starting college. And at this point, it's a better option in my mind than dealing with my job. But if I get into that, it'll be a long bitchfest, so I'll just leave it at that.
The point is, have a step 2 if you consider the military. Unless you plan to retire from the military, at least go to school while you're in (It's possible, but hard, for obvious reasons) to leave yourself an out if you don't like it.
The second part is whether I recommend the Air Force over the other branches. There was a joke picture that I saw once that I can't find now. But essentially, it listed out the living quarters of each branch of service.
The Marines were in a foxhole. The Army were in tents. The Navy was on a boat. (lol) The Air Force was in a 5 star hotel. The Coast Guard wasn't even on there (I actually have never seen an Active Duty Coast Guard member come to think of it)
It's a joke, but it really does point out that the Air Force easily has the best quality of living. If you wanna go fight the war, the Army and Marines are in the front lines. If you want more time to yourself to go to school and stuff like that, I'd probably say Air Force is better. In the end, it's all what you put into it.
On September 22 2010 16:15 Ghad wrote:So are you going to war?
I guess that depends on what you mean by going to war. Am I going to the center of Afghanistan to find Osama? No, but I am over here, and I do bear arms everyday I work.
That was very interesting, thanks. I kind of wonder how much of the stuff they do is to get useful information, and how much is for setting the right mood.
Great read, and an interesting choice to go with the airforce rather than the navy, but I guess you have no aspirations to become a fighter pilot? With the shitty eyesight I mean. You don't seem like a particularly motivated guy, but I suppose you'd at least be trying for a non-combat position.
edit: just read it again and realized this was in past tense :p
On September 22 2010 16:15 Ghad wrote:So are you going to war?
I guess that depends on what you mean by going to war. Am I going to the center of Afghanistan to find Osama? No, but I am over here, and I do bear arms everyday I work.
I guess i was wondering if you were aiming for deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq in the near future.
Guys, there are two different groups in the Air Force. There are officers and there is the enlisted. In order to be an officer, you have to get a degree and go thru ROTC, the Academy or OCS (OTS?). The only way you can be a pilot is if you're an officer and it is pretty competitive outside the Academy. If you qualify physically at the Academy, you have to have a good reason for not taking a pilot slot. If any of you want to be a pilot in the Air Force, let me know and I can answer some questions.
MEPS isn't really that bad. You just have to do it and suck it up.
Travis, stop smoking weed if you're going into the military.
On September 23 2010 00:23 GreyCone wrote: Guys, there are two different groups in the Air Force. There are officers and there is the enlisted. In order to be an officer, you have to get a degree and go thru ROTC, the Academy or OCS (OTS?). The only way you can be a pilot is if you're an officer and it is pretty competitive outside the Academy. If you qualify physically at the Academy, you have to have a good reason for not taking a pilot slot. If any of you want to be a pilot in the Air Force, let me know and I can answer some questions.
MEPS isn't really that bad. You just have to do it and suck it up.
Travis, stop smoking weed if you're going into the military.
To OP, best of luck. My uncle is career Air Force and he and his family have had very good lives. The opportunities to live overseas are pretty cool, and the government takes good care of you from what I understand (paying for housing, schooling, etc.).
why, because im confident? u know jack shit about me, and basic training isn't a POW camp i know what it's going to be like already so don't be dumbasses
it's funny how badly anyone who tries to intimidate or "break me" will fail lol
You aren't going to last a week in the military.
I am so glad to see that I wasn't the only person who saw that and thought, "Oh wow..."
You know? The military depends on obedience and chain of command to work. Not conforming to the will of your superiors makes you a round peg in a square hole.
On September 23 2010 04:00 travis wrote: why, because im confident? u know jack shit about me, and basic training isn't a POW camp i know what it's going to be like already so don't be dumbasses
You go right on thinking that! It's no trouble for me at all, and I'm sure your drill sergeants will quite enjoy you.
Honestly for anyone to fail in basic training, is hard. Least in Canada, the BARE MINIMUM to pass basic training is like, 19 pushups and stuff.. Thats quite bad, even tho ive been eating pure junk and sitting on my ass for the past year I can still do that.
Basic training is more of a mental challenge, they push you to see who the weak ones mentally are, to try and weed out people who cant take pressure situations. But for anyone who doesnt have some kind of disease (like OCD/bipolar/etc) it shouldnt be hard.
Travis should be able to make it no prob if he really wants to do it.
To also put it into perspective; two people from my HS class joined the military after we graduated.. They were the boys who always got picked on, were chubby/fat and just plain stupid (like you laugh at them how stupid they are, not able to even point out Canada on a map?? lol) and somehow they made it thru Basic Training, and are now making like 3 times the amount of money I am. Anyways, my point being, you have to be REALLY messed up/lazy to not make it thru basic training at least.
On September 23 2010 04:21 Skyze wrote: Honestly for anyone to fail in basic training, is hard. Least in Canada, the BARE MINIMUM to pass basic training is like, 19 pushups and stuff.. Thats quite bad, even tho ive been eating pure junk and sitting on my ass for the past year I can still do that.
Basic training is more of a mental challenge, they push you to see who the weak ones mentally are, to try and weed out people who cant take pressure situations. But for anyone who doesnt have some kind of disease (like OCD/bipolar/etc) it shouldnt be hard.
Travis should be able to make it no prob if he really wants to do it.
Not in the American military. Anyone who bucks the trend is out. Seriously. Independent thought is not only discouraged, but basically forbidden. You are to take orders and execute them. Your job is not to think or ask, it is to do.
Physically they are far different too. American boot camp is arduous, for the same reasons you mentioned...to check for mental weakness.
In the American military, not blindly following orders is a mental weakness.
He already stated that he WILL NOT be broken. If a recruitment officer heard that, they'd just laugh in his face.
There is a reason that the US's military is a worldwide powerhouse, and Canada's....isn't
On September 23 2010 04:24 Skyze wrote: To also put it into perspective; two people from my HS class joined the military after we graduated.. They were the boys who always got picked on, were chubby/fat and just plain stupid (like you laugh at them how stupid they are, not able to even point out Canada on a map?? lol) and somehow they made it thru Basic Training, and are now making like 3 times the amount of money I am. Anyways, my point being, you have to be REALLY messed up/lazy to not make it thru basic training at least.
If you are even close to right(any Canadian military around here?) than the Canadian military training is to the US military training what an elevator ride is to a mountain climb.
On September 23 2010 04:28 travis wrote: u guys are so retarded u don't even know what i mean yet you just make assumptions and run with it
the entire point for me is that i don't mind taking orders, i don't mind being treated like shit, i don't mind most anything
but yeah keep talking like you know me so well
I never said I knew you at all. You said they will not break you. I'm taking about the institution that is the US military. With the mindset that YOU HAVE DESCRIBED(I'm not making assumptions, YOU said it), you will not last a week.
Really, go tell a recruiter that you want to join, but that you will not be broken or intimidated.
Just out of curiosity(it doesn't affect things, folks can be idiots no matter old they are), how old are you?
On September 23 2010 04:28 travis wrote: u guys are so retarded u don't even know what i mean yet you just make assumptions and run with it
the entire point for me is that i don't mind taking orders, i don't mind being treated like shit, i don't mind most anything
but yeah keep talking like you know me so well
I never said I knew you at all. You said they will not break you. I'm taking about the institution that is the US military. With the mindset that YOU HAVE DESCRIBED(I'm not making assumptions, YOU said it), you will not last a week.
Really, go tell a recruiter that you want to join, but that you will not be broken or intimidated.
Just out of curiosity(it doesn't affect things, folks can be idiots no matter old they are), how old are you?
ah i missed this post actually so i see that you did reply to my points, sorry about that
u know why i won't be broken? because im already willing to do whatever they tell me. im not some crybaby kid. im 26 years old and i've been through some shit already, and im a pretty tough son of a bitch. i also like challenges.
and like i'd tell a recruiter or commander i can't be broken or intimidated lol, im not retarded
I sincerely wish you good luck when you finally old enough to enlist. I hope by then your attitude has adjusted to the point that you succeed. If not, I hope you are able to take the letdown well, and move on to another arena in life where your admirable persistence and independence will serve you well.(If not your communication skills.)
On September 23 2010 04:28 travis wrote: u guys are so retarded u don't even know what i mean yet you just make assumptions and run with it
the entire point for me is that i don't mind taking orders, i don't mind being treated like shit, i don't mind most anything
but yeah keep talking like you know me so well
I never said I knew you at all. You said they will not break you. I'm taking about the institution that is the US military. With the mindset that YOU HAVE DESCRIBED(I'm not making assumptions, YOU said it), you will not last a week.
Really, go tell a recruiter that you want to join, but that you will not be broken or intimidated.
Just out of curiosity(it doesn't affect things, folks can be idiots no matter old they are), how old are you?
ah i missed this post actually so i see that you did reply to my points, sorry about that
u know why i won't be broken? because im already willing to do whatever they tell me. im not some crybaby kid. im 26 years old and i've been through some shit already, and im a pretty tough son of a bitch. i also like challenges.
and like i'd tell a recruiter or commander i can't be broken or intimidated lol, im not retarded
You have to keep in mind that you started this conversation by saying they will not break or intimidate you. That is what I have based my comments on. What you are saying here is essentially the opposite.
I don't think you are a crybaby kid(I'll be honest, I thought you were younger), you obviously have enough of a backbone to stand up for yourself, even if you did have to squirrel around in the conversation.(Ever consider sales?)
As I said in my last comment, I truly wish you luck. Honestly, the reason I was being hard on you is because if you really had the attitude you initially described, your time in boot camp would have been short and humiliating.
What you do with your life and how you live it is not my problem, but you'd be foolish to think you can stand up to drills and still become a military man.
On September 23 2010 04:28 travis wrote: u guys are so retarded u don't even know what i mean yet you just make assumptions and run with it
the entire point for me is that i don't mind taking orders, i don't mind being treated like shit, i don't mind most anything
but yeah keep talking like you know me so well
I never said I knew you at all. You said they will not break you. I'm taking about the institution that is the US military. With the mindset that YOU HAVE DESCRIBED(I'm not making assumptions, YOU said it), you will not last a week.
Really, go tell a recruiter that you want to join, but that you will not be broken or intimidated.
Just out of curiosity(it doesn't affect things, folks can be idiots no matter old they are), how old are you?
ah i missed this post actually so i see that you did reply to my points, sorry about that
u know why i won't be broken? because im already willing to do whatever they tell me. im not some crybaby kid. im 26 years old and i've been through some shit already, and im a pretty tough son of a bitch. i also like challenges.
and like i'd tell a recruiter or commander i can't be broken or intimidated lol, im not retarded
You have to keep in mind that you started this conversation by saying they will not break or intimidate you. That is what I have based my comments on. What you are saying here is essentially the opposite.
I don't think you are a crybaby kid(I'll be honest, I thought you were younger), you obviously have enough of a backbone to stand up for yourself, even if you did have to squirrel around in the conversation.(Ever consider sales?)
As I said in my last comment, I truly wish you luck. Honestly, the reason I was being hard on you is because if you really had the attitude you initially described, your time in boot camp would have been short and humiliating.
What you do with your life and how you live it is not my problem, but you'd be foolish to think you can stand up to drills and still become a military man.
i have no interest in "standing up to them"
this clearly was just a misunderstanding of what i meant, but that's not really my fault as waht i said still makes perfect sense.
i won't be intimidated, nor will i be broken. but neither of those things are necessary for me to be a great soldier
the reason i even said that is that the original poster clearly was very intimidated when he went to meps. and i thought i'd make commentary on that, as i know if i was joining 8 years ago i'd probably be the same. now i'll probably just laugh inside.
On September 23 2010 04:28 travis wrote: u guys are so retarded u don't even know what i mean yet you just make assumptions and run with it
the entire point for me is that i don't mind taking orders, i don't mind being treated like shit, i don't mind most anything
but yeah keep talking like you know me so well
I never said I knew you at all. You said they will not break you. I'm taking about the institution that is the US military. With the mindset that YOU HAVE DESCRIBED(I'm not making assumptions, YOU said it), you will not last a week.
Really, go tell a recruiter that you want to join, but that you will not be broken or intimidated.
Just out of curiosity(it doesn't affect things, folks can be idiots no matter old they are), how old are you?
ah i missed this post actually so i see that you did reply to my points, sorry about that
u know why i won't be broken? because im already willing to do whatever they tell me. im not some crybaby kid. im 26 years old and i've been through some shit already, and im a pretty tough son of a bitch. i also like challenges.
and like i'd tell a recruiter or commander i can't be broken or intimidated lol, im not retarded
You have to keep in mind that you started this conversation by saying they will not break or intimidate you. That is what I have based my comments on. What you are saying here is essentially the opposite.
I don't think you are a crybaby kid(I'll be honest, I thought you were younger), you obviously have enough of a backbone to stand up for yourself, even if you did have to squirrel around in the conversation.(Ever consider sales?)
As I said in my last comment, I truly wish you luck. Honestly, the reason I was being hard on you is because if you really had the attitude you initially described, your time in boot camp would have been short and humiliating.
What you do with your life and how you live it is not my problem, but you'd be foolish to think you can stand up to drills and still become a military man.
i have no interest in "standing up to them"
this clearly was just a misunderstanding of what i meant, but that's not really my fault as waht i said still makes perfect sense.
i won't be intimidated, nor will i be broken. but neither of those things are necessary for me to be a great soldier
the reason i even said that is that the original poster clearly was very intimidated when he went to meps. and i thought i'd make commentary on that, as i know if i was joining 8 years ago i'd probably be the same. now i'll probably just laugh inside.
Yea, you didn't communicate well. I understand that you won't be intimidated by the process and the idea of it. But you will be broken. If you can't be broken, than you are unfit for military service. The military is not like any job, school, or situation you have been in. (Unless you are part of a militia or nationwide gang) They break you, because if they don't, you are of no value to them.
I guess I should have mentioned, but I've already gone through MEPS (twice), and I've been in 4 years. This is more or less a recollection of memories that flowed back to me randomly one day. I guess it's actually interesting to you guys, so I'll be going over what my experiences were up to ... well about now I guess over some more blog posts in the future.
Concerning the idea of whether they'll break you or not, when they say they'll break you, they really will try. And by break, I mean they will get you to do what they say. There's no if ands or buts. In the Air Force these days, the motto is "Work smarter, not harder", but it sometimes certainly doesn't feel that way. Bottom line, if someone has more rank than you, you do what they say. Asking why isn't as much of a taboo as it was in the past, but I still wouldn't recommend it unless you have a damn good reason.
Nowadays, the military is much more, how would I say, strict with strictness? I've heard rumors about Marine Boot Camp, and how much more difficult it is than the Air Force's (and I wouldn't doubt it for a minute), but these days, I've been told you're given a stress card that you can just throw out and the TI will leave you be for the day. I presume that would be to assist in the prevention of any Columbine shit (as you WILL live fire weapons in basic), but that's a drastic change from the classic "Wall to wall counselling" idea that people have of the military.
Contrary to popular belief, people are much more relaxed, and more or less normal (At least in my eyes, or maybe I've been broken and don't even notice) in the real Air Force (and by real, I mean outside of Basic or Technical training. Where you do the real job for the Air Force).
They don't break you as an individual. They break you as a group and then build you back up again. You have to have a really weak spine in order to "break" in something like basic. All it is is an indocrination into the military. You do what you're told and that's it. It's not like a selection school for Special Operations Forces or something. Of course that doesn't mean you go and mouth off to a TI, but doing a few push ups and all the other mundane bullshit is hardly going to break you.
Like piroko said, military life is not like anything you will experience in Basic. It'll likely be strict through tech school, but beyond that not as much. Each job will obviously vary accordingly.
Tech, just wondering... have you served or are you serving?
On September 23 2010 04:24 Skyze wrote: To also put it into perspective; two people from my HS class joined the military after we graduated.. They were the boys who always got picked on, were chubby/fat and just plain stupid (like you laugh at them how stupid they are, not able to even point out Canada on a map?? lol) and somehow they made it thru Basic Training, and are now making like 3 times the amount of money I am. Anyways, my point being, you have to be REALLY messed up/lazy to not make it thru basic training at least.
If you are even close to right(any Canadian military around here?) than the Canadian military training is to the US military training what an elevator ride is to a mountain climb.
I didnt say that was the standard.. I said that the BARE MINIMUM to pass basic training is not much. Obviously the two guys I mentioned are not high ranking officers, infact they are frontline infantry because they are not smart enough for anything else, but the point is they made it past basic training.
Canadian Military is set up that people with desire can survive, but they will need intelligence and physical superiority to get in good ranking. Its the way military should be set up. Someone who can only do 19 pushups after 3 months of daily training, CAN make it through, but they will be shit on everyday and will never go high in rank. But they made it because they wanted to and took orders, even if they couldnt do them well.
And you are trying to make it sound like you have to be some fucking crazy cold-killer to join the military.. You realize how much of the population is employed by the military, especially in the US? A LARGE number, If it was so hard to get into like you are implying, how would half of those guys made it? The US military will basically take anyone who signs up, and I would bet over 95% of them make it past basic training without any issues. Its not that hard at all.
On September 23 2010 07:49 GreyCone wrote: They don't break you as an individual. They break you as a group and then build you back up again. You have to have a really weak spine in order to "break" in something like basic. All it is is an indocrination into the military. You do what you're told and that's it. It's not like a selection school for Special Operations Forces or something. Of course that doesn't mean you go and mouth off to a TI, but doing a few push ups and all the other mundane bullshit is hardly going to break you.
Like piroko said, military life is not like anything you will experience in Basic. It'll likely be strict through tech school, but beyond that not as much. Each job will obviously vary accordingly.
exactly the point I was trying to get across, and why Travis shouldnt have an issue getting thru basic. Almost anyone can get thru basic no problem.
On September 22 2010 14:30 ShaperofDreams wrote: I'm planning to join the Canadian air force in 4 years. They require a bachelors and the ability to speak French for some reason.
If I can't get in (my vision is like (-8.5, but i plan to get lasik to fix it) for whatever reason, i might apply to be an intelligence officer (although Canada's agency is pretty defensive and id like to be in the action.
How hard is it to get to be a pilot?
You wouldnt get in to be a pilot, thats for sure. Eyesight is VERY important for pilots, they need almost perfect vision.
Theres a chart somewhere that says what you need, im gonna apply as a Musician in the CF next year and obviously my ear/hearing needs to be greater than most other occupations.
Anyways, thanks for the write-up, like I said im looking to get in soon also. Doesnt sound too bad, hopefully I pass the physical stuff. Unlike you, im overweight (well not too bad, but 5'10 and 220, not great at all)
On September 23 2010 04:21 Skyze wrote: Honestly for anyone to fail in basic training, is hard. Least in Canada, the BARE MINIMUM to pass basic training is like, 19 pushups and stuff.. Thats quite bad, even tho ive been eating pure junk and sitting on my ass for the past year I can still do that.
Basic training is more of a mental challenge, they push you to see who the weak ones mentally are, to try and weed out people who cant take pressure situations. But for anyone who doesnt have some kind of disease (like OCD/bipolar/etc) it shouldnt be hard.
Travis should be able to make it no prob if he really wants to do it.
Not in the American military. Anyone who bucks the trend is out. Seriously. Independent thought is not only discouraged, but basically forbidden. You are to take orders and execute them. Your job is not to think or ask, it is to do.
Physically they are far different too. American boot camp is arduous, for the same reasons you mentioned...to check for mental weakness.
In the American military, not blindly following orders is a mental weakness.
He already stated that he WILL NOT be broken. If a recruitment officer heard that, they'd just laugh in his face.
There is a reason that the US's military is a worldwide powerhouse, and Canada's....isn't
And is that reason that the United States has roughly 10-to-1 population ratio to Canada, and thus the American military should, even if equal in every qualitative way, be approximately 10x as "a powerhouse" as Canada's? And add to the fact the funding that the United States gives to the military, using it as both a sword and as a government welfare system for low education people.
On September 23 2010 04:21 Skyze wrote: Honestly for anyone to fail in basic training, is hard. Least in Canada, the BARE MINIMUM to pass basic training is like, 19 pushups and stuff.. Thats quite bad, even tho ive been eating pure junk and sitting on my ass for the past year I can still do that.
Basic training is more of a mental challenge, they push you to see who the weak ones mentally are, to try and weed out people who cant take pressure situations. But for anyone who doesnt have some kind of disease (like OCD/bipolar/etc) it shouldnt be hard.
Travis should be able to make it no prob if he really wants to do it.
Not in the American military. Anyone who bucks the trend is out. Seriously. Independent thought is not only discouraged, but basically forbidden. You are to take orders and execute them. Your job is not to think or ask, it is to do.
Physically they are far different too. American boot camp is arduous, for the same reasons you mentioned...to check for mental weakness.
In the American military, not blindly following orders is a mental weakness.
He already stated that he WILL NOT be broken. If a recruitment officer heard that, they'd just laugh in his face.
There is a reason that the US's military is a worldwide powerhouse, and Canada's....isn't
And is that reason that the United States has roughly 10-to-1 population ratio to Canada, and thus the American military should, even if equal in every qualitative way, be approximately 10x as "a powerhouse" as Canada's? And add to the fact the funding that the United States gives to the military, using it as both a sword and as a government welfare system for low education people.
I was talking about why it is the way it is. I was just pointing out the differences.
And to the other person that responded to this, no, I wasn't saying that you need to be a cold-bolded killer. I was saying that you have to be able to follow orders, and anyone that is like your two friends wouldn't make it through the first few weeks.
I'm not saying our way is better or your way is stupid. Only noting the differences.
EPT
I suppose. From what you say would you rather have not done it?
) but I don't know if I could handle half of the stuff that really goes on.
