My Army National Guard Experience

While I was entering the military I had so many questions. What is the Process? What questions do I ask? What do I wear? Just the simple Who, What, Where, When, How, Why? I figured I'd write about my experience and help others through theirs! Don't be afriad to ask me questions! I will try to answer to the best of my ability!

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Read over this before you leave. For it will help you when you're at basic already being familiar with some things...

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What I took to my first RSP/Drill

What I wore to RSP/Drill:

- A t-shirt - Running shorts - Tennis shoes - Had a water bottle with me

(You can wear sweats and a sweatshirt if it’s cold. You do go outside.)

What did I pack for RSP/Drill:

- Pants - Belt - A nice shirt - Two pairs of socks - Two pairs of underwear * - A notebook - A pen

*I took a thong and was fine ** I wore my PT tennis shoes the whole day (you do a lot of walking/moving)

What they told me to pack but I did not use:

- Towel - Shampoo - Conditioner - Soap - Shower sandals

(I mean if you’re not of those people who stink real bad after a work out then you should be fine)

** I had all of this in a neutral colored school backpack. ** After your first RSP/Drill usually they assign you a uniform that way you all look the same. When it’s your first RSP/Drill, they will know and be more lenient about what you’re wearing and how well you know everything. ** I had my hair up in a low pony tail with hair pulled off of my face with clips for the PT. Afterwards I had it in a army regulated bun.

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Army Values

Loyalty

Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other Soldiers. 

Duty

Fulfill your obligations. 

Respect 

Rely upon the golden rule. Treat others the way you wish to be treated.

Selfless Service

Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.

Honor

Live up to all the Army values. 

Integrity

Do what is right, legally and morally.

Personal Courage 

Our ability to face fear, danger, or adversity; both physical and moral courage.

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General Orders

1. I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.

2. I will obey my special orders and perform all duties in a military manner.

3. I will report violations of my special orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in my instructions to the commander of the relief.

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Warrior Ethos

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat. 

I will never quit. 

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

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Soldiers Creed

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. 

I will always place the mission first. 

I will never accept defeat. 

I will never quit. 

I will never leave a fallen comrade. 

I am discipline, physical and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my Warrior tasks and drills.

I  always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself. 

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. 

I am an American Soldier.

[jocearngstrong]

Be Prepared...

Make sure to have these three things memorized 

Soldiers Creed 

Warrior Ethos 

General Orders

Army Values

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This is my MOS that I'm contracted for. 68W, Combat Medic.

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I swore into the Army National Guard on April 6th, 2017 as a combat medic (68W)

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What Did I Take To MEPS?

Birth certificate

Social Security Card

HS Diploma*

College Transcript* 

Form of ID (Driver’s License or Passaport)

Paperwork from Recruiter

A Change of Clothes (Something formal but not flashy, wanted to have a cute picture for when I swore in! No sandals, wear comfortable shoes)

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Hairbrush

Phone Charger

Book to Read While Waiting 

Undergarments (Black, tan, or white underwear -no thongs- & black, tan, or white bra) 

Glasses 

I truly didn’t take much, because you didn’t need much. I just took my school backpack and put all this in there. I didn’t take shampoo or anything like that because I knew the hotel would provide them.

*If you have them

**also I did not wear make up

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MEPS

I was freaking out about taking the ASVAB, I wouldn't consider myself smart.... The MOS I had reserved reserved for me needed a high score. I really wanted 68W, I really tried to study for a least a week since this whole process was being done so quickly. I took practice tests online and glanced over “ASVAB for Dummies”.

MEPS DAY 1:

I took a shuttle from Christiansburg, VA to somewhere in West Virginia. There were about 8 people in the van. We get to MEPs and go through security where they check bags and go through metal detectors, to make sure we don't have anything dangerous on us. Afterwards we signed in by proving our identity (Birth certificate, social card, ext.), taking our finger prints, and a picture of us to have on the system. They print us out a name tag that has "ASVAB Test" then "U.S. Army" then our name. We take the test, took about two hours and get our result immediately. I even had to take a personality test.... don't really know what that was for (Technically just to make sure we are mentally stable enough to be in the military, I think). I passed with total score of a 64! Then for my MOS I needed “an ASVAB score of General Technical (GT) 107 and Skilled Technical (ST) 101″ (Jointhemilitary.org). I received a 106 GT and a 108 ST (because I was one point away for GT, I was able to receive a wavier for that one point). This meant that I got 68W through ASVAB! Just needed to pass the Medical Examanation next!

After I got out of the ASVAB test, I had to wait in the waiting room for 1+ hours for the shuttle to take us back to the hotel... Turns out we were waiting for everyone to finish their tests, that’s why I had to wait for so long. When we get back to the hotel they walked us all the way to a certain room called the “Freedom Room”. There they gave us our room keys and told us rules that we had to follow while we were staying at this hotel. No guy and girl alone, be respectful, be in your room by 10 pm, and so on. They offered two rooms where you could watch tv, play games, and there was a gym you could use. Afterwards, they gave us a meal ticket so we can go get food. All 8 of us staying at the hotel went to go get food together. It was a long day, we were starving. My roommate and I went straight to our room, showered, returned to the Freedom Room to for a brief meeting, then went back to our room to watch TV. We stayed up till around 2 am, getting to know each other and watching Family Guy. We couldn’t fall asleep.

MEPS DAY 2:

They gave us a wake up call at 5am. My roommate and I got up, changed, and went to go get breakfast. There were people there fasting and trying to eat a lot so they could make their weight class. (It was funny) We went back to our rooms and got our things, got on the shuttle, and made our way to MEPS.

Same routine as Day 1, we went through security and check in. Once checked in they sent us to our Branch Office; Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine, and National Guard. They just went through our folders and then sent us into a separate room located in the Medical Center. 

In the room, a guy came in and explained how MEPS would start to go. We went through a slide show stating what would happen if we were to lie and so on. Then a women (I believe a nurse) gave us a bubble sheet to fill out. This bubble sheet had all the same questions as the application for the military. After filling out the sheet, we got alcohol tested. All of us came out clean. I mean that would be dumb if we weren’t. They tested us just to make sure we were sober while doing anything. 

I was taken into the blood testing. They just drew a tube of blood to make sure I don’t have HIV. Then I was sent to an Eye Exam. Passed. Afterwards my roommate and I went to the bathroom with the nurse. We got supervised to pee into a container. I didn’t get to wash my hands until after I handed it in. They put strips into the pee containers to take a drug test and pregnancy test. Once that was done, I got sent to a Hear Testing. Beep, Beep. I felt like I failed it (I didn’t). Then I had a private meeting with the Doctor where he asks me about my previous medical history. (I heard some people got interrogated, I didn’t). Afterward, we went to a room for girls only. My roommate and I had to take our clothes off (We still got to wear our bras and underwear) and do exercises in front of the doctor. Then we got sent to another tiny room and the doctor made sure that we had our private parts and were healthy. Don’t worry there was another nurse supervising. Then I was done with my Medical Exam! :)

PHEW. I didn’t receive the blood or pee test immediately. 

Once I passed my medical exam I went to go eat. We got a ham and cheese sub, chips, and soda. Then we got sent to our branch office. We start to talk about my personal information to make sure everything is in the system. Once all that is done we speak about what jobs are available. Although my job was reserved for me, so it didn’t take to long. Then it was contact signing. Made sure I read everything before signing! Then it was time to swear in! Trust me, this did not only take an hour. It took me about 3 hours to get through this meeting! Maybe more! Especially since I had a few problems with paperwork. 

Then it was time to swear in! I had to wait for the other three people who were swearing in to finish. We got taken into another room and went through how the ceremony would go. Then we swore in! Some of the other people passed the medical exams but did not get to swear in because they weren’t ready to or just wasn’t sure what job they wanted. 

IT WAS A LONG DAY! I didn’t get home until 6pm.

[jocearngstrong]

Recruitment Experience

I had been contemplating on joining the military for years. I have always wanted to join, but my family never wanted to let me. I would request for Army and Marine brochures to come to my house and tell my mom “See they want me!”. She never fell for it though. I went to speak to marine recruiters, and I mean I wanted to sign, especially since they were pushing me to and be like this needs to be done quick! I ended up going to college instead, Virginia Tech. (Which is also a military school, but I was not part of the core). I was studying BioChem, which was a struggle and I did not do the best I could have, although that’s a different story... One day I received an email from a few different recruiters that their main point in the email was “Need help paying for school?”. I found this interesting because I have always been independent growing up, so I was like “Woah! I could help my parents pay for my college and be in the military!” (I already thew this could be done though) I decided I’d go speak to them. I had previously spoken to the Army Reserves and Marines back when, so the one I spoke to was Army National Guard. I never really knew much about them. When I walked in and spoke to them it was like I was already in my military home. They were so helpful and knew what they were doing. My favorite thing was they were NOT pushy to get things done. They knew that joining would be an important impact in my life that it had to take lots of time think about. I kind of went impulse though and said “Sign me up!” (Not exactly, but you get the point). 

I took two weeks to speak to my family about and others that had military background just to assure myself I wanted to do this. My mom was the most against it since I was her baby girl and she was just scared and wanted to take care of me. Everyone else was for it. I told my momma I loved her and I was sorry but this is what I have always wanted to do. She’s been working so hard for me in everything and I just wanted work to take care of myself so she did not have to anymore. 

A week later I got all my paperwork in filled out the application and constantly googling which MOS would best benefit me. I really liked 68W since I am trying to go into medical field. LUCKILY, there was ONE more spot left, so my recruiter was able to reserve it for me! We finished filling out paperwork and set up a date for MEPs!