Before I begin this article, I want to make one thing clear, this is not my attempt to be lauded for what I’ve done, nor is it my attempt to say, “Look at me! I’m so amazing because I have done this!” I may have gone through BCT (basic combat training) and AIT (advanced individual training) but that is nothing. Every enlisted Soldier in the Army did something like what I did. I am not any better than them. The true heroes are the warfighters who went overseas and deployed, who did their jobs in the face of danger. This is merely an explanation meant to inform civilians on what Army training is like and to dispel rumors that the media may fabricate.

For any individual wishing to join any of the Armed Forces, the first step after meeting with a recruiter is a quick stop at the Military Entrance Processing Station, more commonly known as MEPS. The “quick stop” comment was a joke, because you’ll be there forever. Upon arriving at the MEPS, the first thing that usually occurs is the administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, more commonly known as the ASVAB. This is a series of tests designed to measure what you are most suited for and where your skills are the most developed.

This is not like an SAT where it is strictly writing, reading and mathematically based; you will also be asked questions about mechanics, electricity, automotive, spatial reasoning and logic. While this seems difficult, understand that it is not. There are many study guides out there, and if you know what job you want, you can study the specific sections needed to do well and get the scores for that job. For example, as a medic, I needed to score a 101 in the Skilled Technician (ST) section and a 101 in the General Technician (GT) section. The breakdowns of what those sections are can be found online here.

This usually concludes day one of your day at the MEPS. You will find out your results and then are driven to a hotel where you will stay the night. The next morning you will wake up at an ungodly hour and begin the second portion of your processing, the medical section. You will have blood drawn, provide a urine sample, undergo a vision and hearing test as well as a functional movement test. Basically, you’ll be placed in a room with people of the same gender as you, told to remove your clothes down to your undergarments and forced to walk like a duck. The worst part is, I am not even kidding. The doctors are assessing your ability to move in different and unique ways; you will walk on your heels and toes, do some horizontal jumping, and other strange exercises not seen in the public realm since the “Sweating to the Oldies” videos with Richard Simmons debuted in the late 1980s. If you don’t know what this is, Google it, trust me.

The medical personnel are looking for abnormal reactions and buckling of joints. Don’t worry about this though, your recruiter will discuss with you the implications of past injuries. Just remember, there is a waiver for everything. Should you clear through all the medical requirements, you will then be fingerprinted, answer some security questions, some financial questions and then you will wait to swear in. Congratulations, you are now slotted to be a solider in the United States Army. My experience at MEPS was relatively easy. I did well on the ASVAB and had no medical issues preventing me from enlisting. The only thing that wasn’t smooth was when I originally went to enlist, it was during the huge November snowstorm in 2014; I went to Buffalo MEPS, but it was closed due to the weather and my appointment was moved to the next week. The closure caused the appointments to bunch up and there were just a lot of people there and it took a very long time to process through.

I enlisted in November of my senior year in high school and thus could not ship out until I graduated. My ship date was July 27, 2015. So, what did I do from the moment I rose my right hand until I went to BCT? A little something called the recruit sustainment program (RSP). This is a program offered exclusively by the National Guard in which it takes recruits, i.e. people waiting to go to BCT, and gave them advanced training. Once a month I went to my RSP unit, took an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) which consists of two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups and a two-mile run, and then conducted some training. I learned a lot from RSP; we covered marching, drill and ceremony, room clearing tactics, how to salute, military customs and courtesies and various other tasks. The program was run by the recruiters who are very friendly and knowledgeable. When I arrived at BCT, I was very grateful for the advanced training. The best part was that I also got paid for these weekend RSP drills. But nothing truly can prepare a person for BCT until the moment they arrive.

The journey to BCT was a stressful one, filled with mystery and intrigue and unexpected twists and turns. A Soldier shipping to BCT returns to MEPS for one night, to stay overnight and fly out in the morning. You are assigned a random roommate, and mine, well, he ended up being my best friend. Not only did we ship out to BCT together, but we then went to AIT, and now currently serve in the same unit. He is literally my day one. I digress, we got on the plane in Buffalo and headed to Atlanta, Georgia where we would be picked up and driven to hell, I mean, Fort Benning, Georgia. We safely arrived in Atlanta, saying goodbye to our newly made Marine recruit friends who were heading to Parris Island, South Carolina.

Nervously we milled around the airport, until we finally located the designated pickup location. If you’ve never been to the Hartsfield- Atlanta Airport, understand that it is huge; it is not the largest in the country, but it is the busiest. We found the rendezvous point and decided to have one final nice meal before we were condemned to Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). When the time came, we slowly walked over to where equally nervous and anxious looking recruits were standing around.

As I came to find out later, those who looked the most confident and joked about how easy it would be tended to be those who failed out. Humility is a bitter pill to swallow. The Drill Sergeants finally came in, easily crossing the airport with an air of command and authority unlike anything I had experienced up until that point. We were herded onto a bus and began the dark drive to the gates of Benning, with little idea of what lay ahead. We called our families and tried to prepare for what was about to happen.

Upon arriving to your BCT site, you aren’t technically “in basic” yet. You first must get through reception. Honest to God, reception is the worst part of basic. We were shuffled through so many stations, receiving our uniforms, various medical tests, and signing a ton of paperwork. Throughout the entire process, which usually lasts around a week, you have no idea what’s going on.

The Drill Sergeants are screaming, and you get no sleep. Welcome to the Army. It was interesting; we had no idea what we were doing and the transition to the Army lifestyle was shocking. Sometimes at reception you’ll be administered a 1-1-1, which is just half of a regular APFT. It is just a measure of where you are, and if you fail you will still go to BCT. Each day we did some processing, but most of the day we just sat waiting for the next task. If you are lucky enough to process through reception within a week, you are then picked up and move to your BCT company where the actual training starts.

The thing about Georgia was that it was hot. Hot is an understatement; the heat and humidity was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. Up until that point I had lived my entire life in New York and never had the pleasure of going to the south. The humidity was so thick and moist; I swear you could suck the water out of the air. I was in Georgia from July 27 to October 8, so the month of August was nearly unbearble. Even in the fall, it was still around 70 degrees.

The first day of BCT was one of the most confusing, rushed, and uncertain days of my life. We were picked up around noon, myself and 239 other recruits were herded onto buses reminiscent of 1960s airbuses and moved a few miles down the road to our company. We stepped off the bus with our two giant overstuffed duffel bags and were greeted by a row of round browns, the hats Drill Sergeants wear.

There was screaming, the shouting of orders and taunts, and one private was thrown when a DS tried to take his bag off. The private thought he was going to be smart by attaching the bag to his belt. Well, his bag went and he went with him. This was our shark attack. We half ran, half waddled a few hundred meters to the company training area (CTA) where we were assembled into a giant circle and dumped out all our equipment on the ground and conducted a layout. The rest of the day was filled with more screaming and learning that I only had seven minutes to eat and that talking meant forfeiting the rest of my meal. What I remember most about that first day is the ground, lowering my body towards it and then pushing up away.

The rest of BCT progressed as the slowest days of my life. It was an interesting passage of time. The days went by slowly but the weeks went fast. Training was divided into three phases: red, white and blue. In red phase, you are introduced to basic military training. You learn drill and ceremony, how to conduct a ruck march, and we ran an obstacle course and a confidence course. We went through the dreaded gas chamber and conducted PRT every morning. White phase is all about shooting. Every day you would go to a different range where you gradually gained confidence with your rifle. After qualifying with your weapon, you are introduced to the 249 SAW and the 240B in addition to the AT4 and the M320. In blue phase, you tie all your previous training together and learn military assault movements, how to clear houses, and you spend a week in the field doing training and movements. Then you graduate and move onto AIT.

In my next article, I will discuss my experiences in AIT as a Health Care Specialist.