Second Drill

My second drill was much like the first, but this time I had a better idea of what to expect. I met up with the group again in Mustang, but due to a new recruit getting lost, we were late departing. We had to rush to get to first formation on time. Since it was now my second drill, I got to take my PT test on Saturday. Since this was my last drill before shipping out to Basic, I did not want to fail again. Pushups are always the first event, and with very shaking arms, I managed to squeak out 4 pathetic pushups. But they counted them! Situps are my easiest event, and I was able to get 32 situps in one minute. Then for the run. My recruiter was worried about me and said I didn't look good. I had to laugh. I was nervous, but felt fine. Unfortunately for me, exercising makes my face turn bright red. The run was hard, but I pushed through it. My brother was done a lap ahead of me and ran the last lap with me. I sprinted the last 1/2 of a lap with all I had and managed a 10:23 finish. I passed! That was such a relief!
We then went back to get ready for lunch, and those of us on our second drill were sent to the classroom. Of course, I failed to have my study book with me and got the pleasure of doing 10 pushups for the failure. I won't make that mistake again!
After lunch was when we had the most fun! We got to have a weapons training class where we learned to disassemble and reassemble an M-16. This was the first time I'd ever really handled a gun, so I was a little nervous at first. But after learning how easy it was and trying it on my own, I was quite excited about gaining the knowledge. I should be more comfortable at Basic now when we begin marksmanship training.
We finished out the day with final formation outside (the drill floor was being used by an Army Reserve unit). They took us back to the DFAC for dinner to go before taking us to the barracks. A group of us then went to check out the local movie theater. The movie didn't start for awhile, so we went and bought something for breakfast at the Shoppette (convenience store). The movie showing was Footloose and was only $1. It was a fun experience!
Day 2 was similar as last time to. We cleaned barracks and headed back to the Reserve Center for first formation. Since the drill floor was still being used by the Reserve unit, we ended up sitting awhile in a classroom with First Sergeant giving everyone a hard time. Then we got the fun of First Sergeant PT. It ended up not being nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I was exhausted to say the least!
We then had a chance to visit with some of the Battle Handoffs and ask them questions about Basic. It was cool to hear more about what it was really like. We then had lunch followed by more drill and ceremony practice. I was then pulled to the office for my shippers brief. Our NCOIC made sure our paperwork was in order and we knew what to bring and how we would be getting to OKC. I'm shipping with one guy from our RSP unit.
After our brief we had the Battle Handoffs Ceremony and cake to celebrate the 375th anniversary of the National Guard. Then it was back to Mustang! The ride home was fun, as we are off duty, our recruiters let us relax a little and give them a hard time.
Only one month before I ship, it's hard to believe! I still have lots of work to do, but despite my nervousness, I'm also excited. I keep reminding myself that God would not call me to do something without giving me the strength to complete it.

First Drill Weekend

My first drill weekend started out very early. I stayed the night in Yukon after an event at church (and stayed up way too late!) and met my recruiter and other recruits in Mustang at the armory at 6am. We then drove to Fort Sill where we joined recruits from all over western Oklahoma. I asked questions of the other girls in the van on the way there, and followed their lead when we arrived. We signed in, had our weight checked, and put our bags in a classroom. We then assembled on the drill floor for first formation. My new friends showed me where to stand. The cadre (all of the recruiters in western Oklahoma) came in and two of them called roll. Of course, they also "yelled" at the few recruits who didn't show up with a proper haircut or uniform. Some of them inherited a nickname, like Hairy Potter, to remind everyone the rules. While they were making a point, I think everyone knew it was also all in good fun. I then got to meet the First Sergeant, who is in charge of our RSP Battalion. He was just a bit intimidating, but quite funny. He dismissed us then. Those of us who were there for our first drill went to the classroom where we received death by PowerPoint. We learned the basics of drill and ceremony (how to stand and move correctly), rank structure, chain of command, sexual harassment and equal opportunity policies, and basically everything else you would get on the first day of a new job.
The whole goal of the Recruit Sustainment Program is to prepare us for our Initial Entry Training (Basic and AIT). The cadre try to act a lot like Drill Sergeants so we know what to expect when we get to Basic.
We had lunch at a nearby DFAC (Dining Facility), had more death by PowerPoint, practiced our Drill and Ceremony, and had final formation. We then got MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for dinner and were taken to the barracks. After getting our room assignments and the rules of the barracks, a group of us went to the PX (Post Exchange, aka the mall or shopping center) for some real food and chance to walk around. I hung out with my brother, as he is also in the same RSP unit.
Everyone went to bed early, especially since we had to be up early to clean the barracks. After first formation the next morning, those of us on our first drill went to take our APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). We only had to take the 1-1-1 assessment. For me, I had to do at least 3 pushups in 1 minutes, 17 situps in 1 minute, and run 1 mile in 10:30 or less. I did my best, but could not manage any pushups and was 42 seconds too slow on my run. Considering where I started, this wasn't too bad, but I was very disappointed. Especially when my recruiter asked me later how I did.
After PT we had lunch, more classroom time, followed by a ceremony for the Battle Handoffs. These are the recruits who have finished their Initial Entry Training and are headed to their units. The First Sergeant had a lot of fun with them. He also gave rank patches to those who had earned a promotion. My brother was promoted to PFC.
After giving everyone a hard time, First Sergeant dismissed us and we headed back to Mustang. The whole weekend was exhausting, but was fun and I learned a lot. Now to get back to some serious working out!

A Day At MEPS

My recruiter submitted all the paperwork and received approval for me to complete a medical physical at MEPS. He then called and said I could just go and take the physical, and see how it went, or I could go prepared to swear in and if I passed the physical I would swear in that day. I decided that since I'd come this far and was certain I wanted to join that there was no point in delaying things any longer. So I told him if I passed my physical I was ready to swear in!
A day at MEPS starts really early (6am) so they put everyone up in a hotel the night before to ensure you arrive on time in the morning. So I went to my recruiter's office around 3 in the afternoon and his assistant drove me over to the hotel. It was a very nice hotel! My roommate for the night arrived soon after I did and we introduced ourselves. She was going to be shipping out for Army BCT at Fort Jackson, SC the next morning. It was nice to be able to ask someone what exactly to expect at MEPS the next day. We took a walk to Walmart for a snack, used the computers made available to us to catch up on Facebook, enjoyed a nice dinner, attended the brief meeting about the hotel rules, and crashed early.
I don't think either of us got much sleep. I think I was just a little bit nervous! We got up at 4:30am, enjoyed a nice breakfast, and then rode a charter bus to MEPS in downtown OKC. They had us get in two lines outside. One for those shipping out to BCT, and one for those processing. Almost everyone was a shipper, mostly young men heading to Marine Boot Camp. There was 6 of going through medical. We checked in with our branch of service, and then were given a brief explanation of what would happen. We filled out multiple forms, took a breathalyzer test, and had our blood pressure checked. With only 6 of us, it all went fairly fast. I was usually first in line as well, being the only female. We had our vision checked, took a hearing test, had blood drawn, a urine sample collected, and then an interview with the doctor. He reviewed my medical history, and asked questions about my jaw surgery. After I explained how the surgery had been performed and that the screws in my jaw were not painful, he cleared me to continue on.
Then came the infamous "duck walk" in your undies. Lol. I know I looked hilarious! They took my height an weight and had me perform multiple exercises to prove my range of motion. Then a quick physical exam and I was done!
All of this took until about 11am. I then met with a counselor with the National Guard and he wrote up my contract. My Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is 09S, or Potential Officer Candidate. If for some reason I don't make it through OCS, then my backup MOS is in supply.
After this I was given a chance to eat lunch (a sandwich) and saw my hotel roommate. She was about to head to the airport for her flight to South Carolina. I then got to fill out more paperwork, and had my official fingerprints taken.
The came the swearing in! They showed a short fill beforehand, to make sure you understood what you were about to do. Then I was taken into the swearing room, and shown how to stand at Attention and At Ease. My mom and brother came up to watch, and they stood in the back of the room. I was sworn in by a Captain. It was a very surreal moment. I couldn't believe it was actually happening!
After there was more paperwork, and I gave my final signature/fingerprint. My recruiter than took me across town to the 45th Infantry headquarters where I received my initial military uniform. Until I go to BCT, I'll be attending drill once a month with the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). We have nice navy windsuits to wear and they'll be teaching me all the basics of being in the National Guard.
It was about 4pm before I headed home, so it was a really long day! I'm very excited for my first drill and to start learning what it means to be a solider.

The ASVAB

The ASVAB, or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, is required for entrance into the military. It is comprised of nine separate test ranging from math and vocabulary, to auto mechanics and basic electronics. All of the branches of the military use this test to determine if you can join and what jobs you will qualify for. Many high school students take the test at some point, but since I was homeschooled during high school, I had never taken the test. I purchased the ASVAB For Dummies book and studied up! I had originally planned to wait several months before trying to join or take the test, but my recruiter encouraged me to take the test and see how I did. So with one week to study, I quickly reviewed math I hadn't seen in 10 years and learned the basics of electronics and auto mechanics.
I took the test on a Thursday evening at my state's Military Entrance Processing Site (MEPS). This is the same location where you do your physical, swear in, and eventually ship to Basic Combat Training (BCT) from. My recruiter's assistant drove me to MEPS (she's a very cool gal!), helped me get checked in, and held onto my cell phone for me.
Normally you take a computerized version of the ASVAB, but of course when I showed up to take the test, the computer server was down. So I had to wait a couple hours and take a paper test. The paper test takes quite a bit longer, as you have to wait on the whole group taking the test to finish each section. Like the ACT, we wrote our name on the answer sheet and filled in the bubbles. The test proctor filled in the bubbles of our test version while we tested, to speed things up.
After 3 1/2 long hours, we were given our scores in a sealed envelope. My recruiter came and picked me up, and once outside of MEPS we opened to see my score. ASVAB scores range from 1-99 and are actually a percentage score that compares how well you did to the base group of testers from back in 1997. 72 means you did better than 72% of those who took the test in 1997, so the higher the number the better. My score sheet said I got a 4! Yes. A 4. My recruiter was shocked and knowing that wasn't possible, we returned to MEPS to see what happened. He joked that to receive that low of a score, you would have to misspell your name!
It turns out that the bubbles with the test version were filled out wrong on my answer sheet, so the computer scored me for the wrong test version. It took almost a week, but they did finally fix my score. I actually received a 92. My goal had been a 93, but 92 was still more than high enough for me to join and train as an officer.
So with the test behind me, the next process was to get permission to take the physical, since I have screws in my jaw (from a surgery at 17). The military doesn't really like metal in your body. My awesome recruiter was on it, and I had no doubt things would work out.

The Background Story

Welcome to my blog! My name is Jana and this is my story from a farmer's daughter in a small town to an officer in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. I'm using this blog to keep my friends and family up to date while I attend Basic Combat Training (BCT), Officer Candidate School (OCS), and Branch Officer Leadership Course (BOLC), and to provide a resource of information for those who follow me. 

So why did I join the military? I have many reasons, but the most important one is that this is the direction I felt God leading me. I have always been fascinated with military history and held great respect for our service men and women. After watching my brother spend years dreaming of joining the military, I started looking in to joining myself a few years ago. Distracted with my current job at that time, my pursuit was pushed to the back burner. 

On September 1, 2011, my little brother joined the Army National Guard and my desire to join was rekindled. I started doing research and talking to a recruiter. And I started praying and seeking God's wisdom. I also started to prepare physically. Unable to run more than a couple blocks and possessing zero upper body strength, I had a lot of work to do! The more I prepared, the more excited I became. I thrive on being challenged and pushing to offer my best, and I knew the military would provide just the place for me to become a better person.

As I spent time praying and weighing the pros and cons, I continually saw confirmation from God. I was able to overcome hurdles and received love and support from friends and family.

So I moved forward and with the help of my awesome recruiter, SSG Caywood, I saw my dreams become a reality. So here is my journey!