I enlisted in the Army when I was 31 years old. Some people thought I was stupid, the rest just thought I was crazy. Basic Training is for people between the ages of 18 and 25, so I was considered an old man. Most of the guys in my basic training company called me Dad, Old Man or Pops. I didn't mind, as long as I pulled my weight, and kept up with the younger troops.
I took my ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and had my initial physical examination at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) in Oklahoma City. No big deal, just answer some questions, turn your head and cough, lift some weights, and normal physical exam stuff. Not much different than the physical most people take before they can compete in school sports. One thing that struck me as either humorous was the sign at the weight lifting station. It had a mark, about 6'-7' high, that said "Army/Marines", and another mark at about 4'-5' that said "Navy/Air Force". I don't know if there was any truth to the markings, or just someone's idea of a joke. Maybe the navy and air force recruits only have to lift the weight to the 5' line. I didn't ask, so it's just a guess on my part.
After all the questions, poking and prodding, I had to decide what I wanted to do. The sergeant at the desk asked what I wanted for an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) I had already made up my mind that I wanted to enlist in the Infantry, since I thought any other job would be boring. Despite having my mind made up, I asked him what he had to offer. He looked at the results of my ASVAB and laid a book in front of me. He said, "There are 190 MOS's in the Army, so take your pick". I stuck with my original idea, and enlisted in the US Army Infantry. Signing on the line got me a free ride on an airplane to Atlanta, Georgia, and a bus ride to Fort Benning, Georgia.
When I arrived at Fort Benning, we were met at the bus terminal by several Drill Sergeants, and they all seemed to have stayed up too late and maybe even missed breakfast. We arrived at around 2300. Some of the recruits were asleep on the bus, but it didn't take long to wake up. One of the Drill Sergeants stepped onto the bus and started screaming at us to "Un-Ass his bus". Everyone jumped up and hurried off of the bus to find more Drill Sergeants screaming that we should lay down all of our "Shit" and get in a straight line beside the bus. As soon as they could take a head count, they had us pick up all our stuff and run to the nearest building, which I later found out to be the Fort Benning Reception Center (Johnson Hall). Johnson Hall wasn't even close to what I expected. Everyone was really nice. They wanted us to be comfortable and fed. The only weird moment was when each recruit had to take a turn stepping into the "Amnesty Room". That was our last chance to get rid of any contraband with no repercussions. Contraband could be anything from Aspirin to cough syrup, radios to pocket knives and candy for sure. If it wasn't Army issue, you weren't supposed to have it.
Certain things still had to be done, so it wasn't all comfy cozy. I was assigned KP (Kitchen Police) duty. I had to scrub the DFAC (Dining Facility) floor and wash dishes until about 0200, and I finally made it to bed around 0300. Wake up was 0500, so I guess 2 hours of sleep should be enough for anyone.
While at Johnson Hall, all of the new recruits have to get a complete physical to include vaccinations, hearing and vision tests. It's an assembly line process and it runs amazingly smooth, when you consider that they process 200-400 new soldiers every day. When I got to the final station, the soldier behind the desk was double checking each 201 file (Army speak for medical file). Before he handed me my file, he took a big rubber stamp and slammed it on the cover sheet. When he lifted the stamp, I read "Occupational Hearing Loss". I said "Wait a minute! The guy back there said my hearing was perfect." The soldier never looked up. I'm sure he had heard the same response a thousand times. Still looking at the next folder, he calmly said "It won't be perfect in 13 weeks." I think he was right. I have had an awful ringing in my ears ever since. It's so loud that I can hear it even when I'm talking.
I loved the time I spent serving my country. I don't think any of us, other than those that have made the supreme sacrifice, can ever repay what this country has given us. You don't have to look very far (just South of the border) to see how great it is to live in America. Duty, Honor, Country!
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