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!