Monday, May 27, 2013

Return of a sailor from a voyage at sea full of vast adventures

Wow, it has been over two years since I have last written in this blog. That's a long time. I guess it's time to write something eloquent and profound.

To all of those who decide to join the military, make sure that you join for the right reasons and make an informed decision.

When I joined, I was out of options for a job and I had the impending doom of student loans leering over me. I had graduated college and was looking for something where I could utilize my degree... my dream job or at least a stepping stone to it.  Illinois had no jobs, and I had been jobless for almost a year and a half. I had tried to get my teacher's certification, but was even running out of funds to continue with that venture. So, the military seemed like a good choice. Plenty of my other family members, including my dad, have served our country, and I thought I should follow in their footsteps because it's the noble thing to do.

I guess I should start my recap of the past two years by regaling with tales from boot camp.

The training in my DEP program was a little intense but nothing prepared me for the rigors of boot camp. Boot camp is all a mental game that they play on the willing recruits. You go into the processing center not knowing what to expect. Then comes the rigorous training where you not only gain physical, but also emotional strength and develop a boost of character. All of which molds you into a better version of yourself ready to present to the world. I had my daily trials and tribulations and there were many days that I wasn't sure that I would succeed in completing my recruit training to become a full-fledged sailor, but by the end of the couple of months spent at Great Lakes, I was ready to move onto the next step.

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