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edit: title changed, thanks whoever changed it
So right now I'm sitting at a hotel just waiting. In two days I'll be sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to start my basic combat training in the US Army. I'm kinda bored so I figured I'd just write out some of my experiences in the last few months.
Sometime in the middle of September (can't remember the exact date) I went to my nearest army recruiting station. I'm not entirely sure why I chose the army. I figured marines would be too tough for me (I'm not the most physically fit person), air force seemed... boring (no idea why) and navy is just... boats. I still am not sure why I chose the army, but here I am. So I walk in the recruiting station and there were a lot more people than I expected. There was also a large black man, who I would later know as SSGT Brown, yelling at a group of people. Amid the chaos a SSGT sitting at the back of the room, who I would later learn was SSGT Escalera, asked me what I needed. I basically just nervously said "Uhh... I was thinking about joining the army." I then went and sat down at his desk and we talked for a little while. I don't really remember what we talked about, but after about twenty minutes he gave me a practice ASVAB. It was pretty easy, I ended up scoring in the 97th percentile. After this my recruiter asked me if I could come in tomorrow and go down to San Jose (I'm in the bay area) to take the real ASVAB. I agreed and left.
The next day I arrived at the recruiting station and was driven down to the San Jose MEPS (Military entrance processing station) where I sat around for a few hours and finally got around to taking the ASVAB. It was basically just like the practice but longer. I got in the 97th percentile yet again, I guess the practice test is really accurate. I walked out of MEPS to meet the recruiter that drove me to San Jose and I showed him my ASVAB score sheet. He then gave me some advice in what my MOS (military occupation specialty), essentially my job, should be. He told me about the job 35W. It's a military intelligence linguist. Essentially I would be sent to Monterey, California after my basic training where I attend the Defense Language Institute to learn another language. This job also has top secret clearance, which I think sounds fucking awesome. In order to qualify for this job I would have to take the DLAB. So I got my recruiter to schedule me to take a DLAB in San Jose a few days after I took my ASVAB.
The DLAB is the most fucked up test I have ever taken. It is so weird. It's a test designed to see how quickly you can learn a foreign language. In order to do this they take the English language and make up new rules and shit. I can't really describe it, if you are really curious there are a few practice DLAB tests on the internet you can take to get what I am saying. Once I finished the DLAB I was pretty certain I had failed so I was thinking in my mind what other MOS I wanted while I waited for the score sheet to be printed out. In order to qualify for the job 35W a score of 105 or higher is needed. I scored a 117. I was really confused since I was positive I failed the test... but I guess I didn't. After that I got a reservation for my MOS and everything to make sure I could get the job.
A few days later I went back to MEPS for the third time to finish up all my paperwork, get a physical, and swear in. Everything at the MEPS is pretty boring and this day was one of the longest of my life so I'm not really gonna talk about it. It was boring, long, and it definitely sucked.
After that I was officially in the army and I had to start going to future soldier training every Tuesday and Thursday to be prepared for basic training. It was pretty fun, although I only got to go to a few of them since my ship date was only a month after I actually joined (most people are getting them in like January-March).
I dunno what else to say, I left out a lot of stuff because I felt like writing a short-ish blog and I'm really hungry now and I'm using a public computer at the hotel I'm staying at. So I'll be here for two days and then I'm off to basic training. Thanks for reading.
 
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wondering why you chose to join, I have been arbitrarily thinking about joining (not super seriously yet)
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gl hf
dd
I remember taking the asvab in high school since it was required, scored on the 98th percentile lol. Had a bunch of recruiters approach me but i was like "nah" :\
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On November 08 2010 11:05 ZoW wrote:
gl hf
dd
I remember taking the asvab in high school since it was required, scored on the 98th percentile lol. Had a bunch of recruiters approach me but i was like "nah" :\
By dd do you mean don't die? That's so sad 
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GL man, I really wanted to join the army or navy after HS but after doing some research found out that i would get denied because i had asthma as a kid.
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I heard that there is some kind of brainwashing in the US army. I dont know whether it is too generalizing but stories are told that people coming back are different
Good luck though
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On November 08 2010 11:12 Gummy wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2010 11:05 ZoW wrote:
gl hf
dd
I remember taking the asvab in high school since it was required, scored on the 98th percentile lol. Had a bunch of recruiters approach me but i was like "nah" :\ By dd do you mean don't die? That's so sad
Nah he means dont derp
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Wow, I have MEPPS tomorrow; I went with the Airforce though. Not sure on my percentile on the ASVAB, but I got a "79" as my score. The guy said it was fine that, "I qualified for pretty much anything" and that I didn't have to retake it.
The freaking weird thing is that I was going to take the DLAB tests also, but changed last minute to the computer test instead... parallel universe much? Although I'm planning on taking the DLABs eventually. Didn't know the army did things so fast. My waiting time for basic is going to be 2-3 months.
Good luck with everything. As far as I know theres a 14k bonus for linguists in the AF. You should definitely check it out if its the same for the Army.
How old are you btw?
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He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.
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When shit goes down find nearest Planetary Fortress and stray not from its shadow
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print a picture of mushi out nitrogen
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On November 08 2010 11:25 floor exercise wrote:
When shit goes down find nearest Planetary Fortress and stray not from its shadow
Wise words. But freaking run for your life if you see immortals or void rays.
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Incidentally, I'm somewhat familiar with the DLI materials, and would like to hear some feedback on methodology and regimen.
I've always regarded the DLI methodology as one of the more grueling and systematic ones. It takes a lot of discipline.
Can you choose which language you will be specializing in?
Which language are you considering?
What would a daily regimen look like?
What if you had prior knowledge of a foreign language?
You may also want to keep updated as to your progress.
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You said that being a marine is too tough for you.. and you're not in the air force nor the navy. But you joined the army.. my only guess is that you're an SCV?
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anything government = acronym hell
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Korea (South)11583 Posts
On November 08 2010 11:19 ThatsNoMoon wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2010 11:12 Gummy wrote:On November 08 2010 11:05 ZoW wrote:
gl hf
dd
I remember taking the asvab in high school since it was required, scored on the 98th percentile lol. Had a bunch of recruiters approach me but i was like "nah" :\ By dd do you mean don't die? That's so sad Nah he means dont derp
obv. means drive drunk.
Congrats on the decision. I myself could never make the decision you have made to join the armed forces. I respect those who are willing to put their lives on the line for adventure, excitement, and honor.
Good luck!
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welcome to my word, keep your head low in basic, and you'll be fine throughout the rest of your career  ,
(currently a week (or something) out from kuwait)
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I'm 17 and applying to the USAFA but if the people in my life right now would allow me to, I'd just enlist in the army too. You're damn lucky that you can walk in and do that, don't take it for granted.
I truly hope that you have a successful career in the army.
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I've gone through DLI, so I will give you one warning.
When you get to DLI, drop SCII, drop TL, drop pretty much everything outside of studying. Monterey is an awesome city, but DLI... it is as hard as people say. I've blogged about it, but seeing my Army classmates go through it, they have to deal with much more military stuff outside of the regular DLI studying regime.
Because of your high score on the DLAB, expect a harder language. Something like Chinese, Korean, Arabic. If you get Pashtu or Dari, I'm sorry.
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On November 08 2010 11:04 snorlax wrote:
wondering why you chose to join, I have been arbitrarily thinking about joining (not super seriously yet)
i joined cuz i didn't have enough money for college and i didn't really want to get a normal job, especially with the economy the way it is right now... i'm really glad i joined so far though (not that ive done that much stuff yet)
On November 08 2010 11:20 BuGzlToOnl wrote:
Wow, I have MEPPS tomorrow; I went with the Airforce though. Not sure on my percentile on the ASVAB, but I got a "79" as my score. The guy said it was fine that, "I qualified for pretty much anything" and that I didn't have to retake it.
The freaking weird thing is that I was going to take the DLAB tests also, but changed last minute to the computer test instead... parallel universe much? Although I'm planning on taking the DLABs eventually. Didn't know the army did things so fast. My waiting time for basic is going to be 2-3 months.
Good luck with everything. As far as I know theres a 14k bonus for linguists in the AF. You should definitely check it out if its the same for the Army.
How old are you btw?
i randomly got a really early ship date, everyone else i enlisted with is leaving in like jan-march.
i got a 12k bonus, pretty nice. especially considering like no one gets bonuses anymore.
and im 18 years old.
On November 08 2010 11:29 rabidch wrote:
print a picture of mushi out nitrogen
mushi shall guide me in my times of need
On November 08 2010 11:34 MoltkeWarding wrote:
Incidentally, I'm somewhat familiar with the DLI materials, and would like to hear some feedback on methodology and regimen.
I've always regarded the DLI methodology as one of the more grueling and systematic ones. It takes a lot of discipline.
Can you choose which language you will be specializing in?
Which language are you considering?
What would a daily regimen look like?
What if you had prior knowledge of a foreign language?
You may also want to keep updated as to your progress.
i don't get to choose, but like piroko said i'll probably get something middle eastern/asian.
i believe the classes are like 7 hours a day, i'm really not sure on anything beyond that.
On November 08 2010 12:19 piroko139 wrote:
I've gone through DLI, so I will give you one warning.
When you get to DLI, drop SCII, drop TL, drop pretty much everything outside of studying. Monterey is an awesome city, but DLI... it is as hard as people say. I've blogged about it, but seeing my Army classmates go through it, they have to deal with much more military stuff outside of the regular DLI studying regime.
Because of your high score on the DLAB, expect a harder language. Something like Chinese, Korean, Arabic. If you get Pashtu or Dari, I'm sorry.
yeah i read all your blogs. it will be difficult, but i think i'll be able to pull it off... hopefully.
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bro its Mihai, I love you <3 gl ^^!
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I'm good at Chinese
u jelly
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Pray you get Korean, so when you come back, you can translate for us! or at least understand what the commentators are saying! good luck with wherever this path takes you
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Thats pretty unexpected... Wasnt thinking you can get such a position or MOS so easily. Anyway my brother is trying to get into the Marines, he passed the tests and whatnot but cant complete the physical. He cant do the minimum of 5 full pull-ups so hes going to miss the first bus to boot camp.
Hes doing ordinance or aviation ordinance I think, something along those lines. He cant pilot since he doesnt have 20/20.
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Expect lots of speculation, rumors, and misinformation from other dudes who are going through with you. Take anything anybody says with a grain of salt (to include your drill sergeants, who are not as holy and perfect as they make themselves out to be), and just take the initial entry training shit (and anything else TRADOC, for that matter) as it comes.
I don't know how much of a hard charger and how motivated you are, but I'd suggest taking on any opportunity that comes up for future schools/unit designations that you might encounter in basic training and your initial entry months. The risk and pain are definitely worth the payoffs.
Also, PT goes a long way. It's kind of unfortunate that PT = performance aptitude, but that's a general attitude the army seems to hold. You better be doing pushups in the controlled, chill-out environment that you're in.
Congrats on enlisting, and don't fuck up!
edit: it's SSG if Brown is in the army. SSGT = air force staff sergeant
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good luck ! it looks like easy test days for the start
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Dearest Nitrojizzle,
SupWolf's cousin and I will be waiting for you with Yogurt Park when u return to norcal.
With love,
paper
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They are going to teach you some Pashto (or what the hell the official language was) and deploy you to Afghanistan!
Interesting stuff. I hope you are cool with your choice and good luck!
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On November 08 2010 12:46 AhhBoxxah wrote:
bro its Mihai, I love you <3 gl ^^!
u gay
On November 08 2010 15:57 rainei wrote:
Pray you get Korean, so when you come back, you can translate for us! or at least understand what the commentators are saying! good luck with wherever this path takes you
actually korean is the one language i really don't want.
On November 08 2010 18:39 Disregard wrote:
Thats pretty unexpected... Wasnt thinking you can get such a position or MOS so easily. Anyway my brother is trying to get into the Marines, he passed the tests and whatnot but cant complete the physical. He cant do the minimum of 5 full pull-ups so hes going to miss the first bus to boot camp.
Hes doing ordinance or aviation ordinance I think, something along those lines. He cant pilot since he doesnt have 20/20.
well it wasn't very easy, i signed up at like the perfect time to get that mos. i also had to do a security interview with some privately contracted security interviewer. this lady like drove around my house and asked my neighbors and scheduled some interviews with my friends.
On November 08 2010 19:37 paper wrote:
Dearest Nitrojizzle,
SupWolf's cousin and I will be waiting for you with Yogurt Park when u return to norcal.
With love,
paper
dats cool.
On November 08 2010 20:35 Grettin wrote:
They are going to teach you some Pashto (or what the hell the official language was) and deploy you to Afghanistan!
Interesting stuff. I hope you are cool with your choice and good luck!
i hope i do learn pashto, i wanna do stuff in the middle east.
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I'm still thinking of joining the Army, the question right now is not "if" but "when."
Seeing this though kind of motivates me to start getting more serious and I really hope you do real well Nitrogen! Study hard and be #1 in your class!
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show them ur croatian skills
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On November 08 2010 11:16 economist_ wrote:
I heard that there is some kind of brainwashing in the US army. I dont know whether it is too generalizing but stories are told that people coming back are different
Good luck though
I don't know if it's really brainwashing. They absolutely try to break you down in boot camp, but from what I hear it's not actually that bad. Also the recruiters often make things sound better then they really will be or straight up lie to get you to join. No matter how well you score on you asvab you shouldn't expect to get a job you actually like. I have a buddy that scored in the 98th percentile and was told he could be an air traffic controller. He ended up being a mechanic repairing shit that isn't interesting at all.
I also have a friend in the military that have come back from iraq and been the same as they were before. Although he does apparently have nightmares of his experiences. I am sure some people mentally get totally fucked up due to their experiences. Not due to military brainwashing though.
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my friend who's a linguist learning Farsi says it sucks ass. hope your experience is better
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sounds like you are really smart guy and I hope you will do well in the Army - I live just up the street from Ft. Belvoir which is basically Army central command and I see you guys around here all the time
and it's awesome that you have really strong language skills - I'm bilingual Chinese/English myself and I'd love to learn a third - curious to what you end up learning and how it is for you!
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On November 09 2010 12:54 Bosu wrote:Show nested quote +On November 08 2010 11:16 economist_ wrote:
I heard that there is some kind of brainwashing in the US army. I dont know whether it is too generalizing but stories are told that people coming back are different
Good luck though I don't know if it's really brainwashing. They absolutely try to break you down in boot camp, but from what I hear it's not actually that bad. Also the recruiters often make things sound better then they really will be or straight up lie to get you to join. No matter how well you score on you asvab you shouldn't expect to get a job you actually like. I have a buddy that scored in the 98th percentile and was told he could be an air traffic controller. He ended up being a mechanic repairing shit that isn't interesting at all. I also have a friend in the military that have come back from iraq and been the same as they were before. Although he does apparently have nightmares of his experiences. I am sure some people mentally get totally fucked up due to their experiences. Not due to military brainwashing though.
desensitization really.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.northernsun.com/images/imagelarge/Join-The-Army-T-Shirt-%281002%29.jpg)
