Now, I know what you're thinking. You would never join the military. Most of you, my readers, are college students. You are in the process of turning your dreams into reality but are having to deal with the boredom, the people, the finances and the stress. But what if I told you there was a way to make this lifestyle a vacation by comparison?
Yes, this is an article about my experiences in the military, the Air Force specifically, but I promise I'm not here to recruit you. I will try to stay clear of the path we all know: the "make so much money,"travel the world,"pay for college" that annoys all of us. I wish only to give you a new perspective on the military from the inside.
I swore into the U.S. Air Force on September 18th of 2014, which I later learned to be the USAF's birthday. "Boot Camp" is a term more used by the Army, whereas the Air Force uses the term "BMT", or basic military training. I left to BMT on June 16th feeling ready.
After doing several hours worth of paperwork, I was put on a plane to Dallas, Texas, then flown to San Antonio, also known as Military City USA. San Antonio is home to Lackland AFB, gateway to the Air Force. Any person to join the USAF must go through those gates as a civilian to walk out an Airman.
I met a group of people at the airport in my same situation, and we, about thirty of us, were bussed to the base. Upon arrival, a tall, scary man climbed on the bus, and we all went silent.
"When I say go," he said after looking each one of us in the eyes, "You will all get off of my bus and follow the footprints painted on the concrete. You will move faster than you have ever moved in your entire life. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!?!?"
"YES, SIR!"
"GO!"
Me, being in the front seat, I grabbed my bag and bolted out of the door. I mean, I sprinted out, but it made no difference. We were too slow. We were told to get up back on the bus (HURRY UP!), and get back off. We repeated this process six times until we moved faster or the instructors were no longer amused watching us scramble over each other. We were then lead inside and into a small room where we were told to sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up, over and over until we learned to do it with a sense of urgency. I was moved to another part of the building after answering a question asked by an instructor, "Raise your hand if you do or have ever played an instrument."
After sitting in the same room for nine hours, we were taken to our dorms. The fellow trainees with which I had been grouped also confessed to playing instruments. Together we were Band Flight, meaning we received all of the exact same training as any other flight in BMT, except we had frequent rehearsals and played our instruments at the ceremonies we would have upon completion.
We spent day after day following the same routine: waking up at 0445, PT, chow, class, chow, various appointments, chow, details (cleaning the latrine along with the rest of our dorm till it was spotless), and lights out at 2100. The best way to get through is to live meal to meal and Sunday to Sunday. Anyone would agree that BMT brings you closer to God or at least your personal faith. I hate to admit it, but I hadn't prayed in the months prior to leaving, but now I pray every night after the lights out. It had been a year or more since I had attended church, but I attended every Bible study and every church service I could during my time there. And every Sunday, I cried.
The repetitiveness was almost enough to drive one person crazy. However, the subtle differences in classroom subjects or training locations were interesting enough to get us through, especially because we had no phones or reading material. In eight weeks, we were allowed two fifteen-minute phone calls and mail.
I personally spent my eighteenth birthday training in the desert at Medina, a spot outside of Lackland where special forces train. It was the fifth week of BMT called B.E.A.S.T. in which we lived in conditions similar to deployments such as: living in a tent, carrying weapons with us at all times and eating the delicious M.R.E's twice a day. We were allowed to receive mail, but we couldn't send it. I received several letters from my parents and siblings wishing me a happy birthday. I cried in my tent that night.
BMT continued, I graduated as an Airman First Class, or A1C. That same day I was taken to the Security Forces Academy and assigned to training Team 044 where I spent the following fourteen weeks training as a security specialist. Three weeks of this training was done in the mountains at Camp Bullis where we had seconds to eat meals, raced through obstacle courses weighed down with our gear and weapons, shot and got shot with Sim(ulation) rounds, lived in huts, drove big trucks, shot big guns and really came together as a team of trainees.
I graduated the academy on Nov. 26 of 2015 and came home just in time to spend Thanksgiving with my unsuspecting family. They weren't expecting my return until December of that year. Days later, I reported to my duty station, the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base where I am now a traditional guardsman.
The Air Force really is a great program. People gain things through the AF that they never had before. I'm not referring to money for college or training experience or exceptional fitness. I'm talking about friends, trust, confidence, respect and a family.
Was it easy? No. Was it fun? Not even a little. Would I do it again? You couldn't pay me enough. Am I glad I did it? Of course, I am.
Some may read this and think to themselves that my title is irrelevant to the content. I was not about to list the benefits, telling you anything you can learn on Google. I feel as if nobody knows what to expect before joining and the best way is to hear it from someone who's done it.
The reason to join, or not to join, is exactly the same. Challenge. Maybe it isn't "your thing" but everyone has a role in this world. In the United States Military, there is a spot for you, should you accept it.
P.S: Did I mention that while I was living in the same building that Chuck Norris once lived in while he attended the same Academy?
