I raised my right army and swore, "I, ______ __________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will obey the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the uniform code of military justice. So help me God." My body tensed as they took my fingerprints to finalize my enlistment with the U.S Army. I was to ship in a couple days that would change my life forever. Little did I know it was going to be a very rigorous six months full of challenges I'd never thought I would have to face. It was going to be a summer full of sweat, tears, determination and personal courage. .
My first initial transition from civilian to soldier was walking up on a bus after traveling several thousand miles to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood. A drill sergeant appeared from the door of the bus and "bulldozed" his way onto the vehicle. He barked to the new recruits, "Nobody freakin look at me! Put your heads down!" I quickly glanced at my watch, as I put my head down, and noticed it was almost midnight. A few curious recruits were courageous enough to sneak a glance up quickly at what sounded about six drill sergeants that stood on the bus all of a sudden. "You think this is a freaking game civilians? None of you are going to make it here! None of you have what it takes to last a week!" "Was he right," I thought. "What have I gotten myself into, "I asked myself. My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when a female drill sergeant ordered us off the bus and into formation outside. "Hurry the hell up, privates! We're about to see the weak from the super weak!" Cold drops of rain splashed on my cheeks and nose as I ran off the bus and made my way to formation, which at a quick glance looked well over 200 recruits. I noticed our formation was specifically placed over a huge muddy puddle, which stirred my thoughts out of control again.