Kickball! Brings back memories of grade school

I had my April DEP meeting today with the other future sailors and the recruiters. Since it was a day we normally have PT we also did that. All of the DEP people were there, so we played a game of kickball against the Army recruits.... and tied the game (despite the Army recruiter making up his own rules and calls). We were all relieved because we were told before the game that if we lost, we would have to run 3 miles. It would've been no big deal, but after some fun, it would've been a little bit of a let-down. We still had to do push-ups and sit-ups when we got done with the game, but that's okay.

Our meeting that followed the PT mostly focused on learning how to perform an about face, reciting the Sailor's Creed, and choosing the Recruit Chain of Command. They wanted to see how well we can follow directions and work as a team. For example, when we did our warm-up stretches we had to follow the recruiter's lead and he counted out of order to see if we were following his lead. (This was the second in command guy who works under my recruiter.)

When we chose the chain of command, it was based not only on responsibility and ability but also on our ship dates for basic training. I was chosen for an important position. I am now the Chief Recruit Petty Officer for the purposes of our DEP and PT meetings with our Future Sailors group. Basically, I am the first in command following the recruiters themselves. If the recruits have a simple problem that can be solved without involving the recruiters, they come to me. I will ensure that the meetings run smoothly and keep people on task. The reason I was chosen was because they said that they "trust" me more than the other recruits (they said this in front of everyone)... and I have heard them compliment me frequently on my attention to detail and organizational skills. Also whenever I talk to my recruiters, they are impressed with how thorough and precise I am with my questions and research-gathering skills... that I make informed decisions. One other thing is that I am one of the couple, and possibly only recruit in this group with a college degree. I am confident with their decision and I am sure I will do well. Here we go...