My Time in Boot Camp

Boot camp at 25- surrounded by individuals of many ages. The majority of those individuals are 18-24, fresh out of school and fresh from their parents’ homes. Not a tough road necessarily, but definitely not an easy one.

I made the decision to enter the military at 25. Graduating college with a Bachelor’s Degree, I thought I had things figured out. I entered an industry where the money sits at the top, but little flows to the hard working individuals at the bottom. Quickly, I realized I needed to become more self-sufficient and able to stand on my own two feet. Being in a military household growing up, I knew the military could do that for me. Many of my friends laughed at my decision and said I was too hard-headed to succeed. Only a few friends from that era remain.

Firstly, while boot camp wasn’t easy, it also wasn’t hard. The saying “beating your head against a wall” has been used to describe many paths I’ve been on. The military is definitely a path where that applies. For eight weeks, I kept quiet and marched, completing the tasks set forth in front me, which was a means to an end. Some friendships developed that I still honor today (congrats on your achievements this year, Noland!). But others go the way of natural order. It was a shared experience in a pressurized environment, and my boot camp brethren will always hold a special place on my bookshelf and in my life.

Today…

Today, whenever I talk to to veterans, the stories always start with boot camp. From the U.S.S. Disney to the simulated fire range, boot camp stories are the testing ground. Once the boot camp stories have opened the doors, then the stories go all over the place, from deployment endeavors to leadership woes. Interestingly, it doesn’t matter what branch of service someone was in, as many of the stories echo each other, even though the jobs may have been different.

The important thing here: there is a community for military affiliated individuals, and that community is growing stronger every day.