What things do you remember about adapting to military life?

The concept of "free time" will be gone for most of the year. As a soldier you will always have a purpose, mission, or place to be. The Army teaches you the basics and then trains you to do more. There is almost always work to be done but you're never alone. The concept of teamwork is a basic that they drill into you. Ultimately the biggest adaption is the reality that you are now 2nd in your life and your service to your country is 1st.

They provide the needed discipline for a young person.

The discipline I learned

The comeraderi is what I remember

Adapting to military life was not that difficult, I think part of it was I joined at the age of 36, having worked entry-level to mid management jobs kinda helped also. The hardest part was being away from my wife and kids for the first time, but it made us all better.

Eat it now taste it later

To me, the military instilled in me how to become a servant of your peers, your command, the military as a whole but not only that to become a servant of the country that you serve. I now understand that by applying that same application to Yahweh/Jesus, my family, friends, love ones and co workers. The military (Navy) changed me from being selfish to self-less.

The military gave my life a complete turnaround. I became more organized, always on time at everything I commit to. The Persian gulf war experience gave me a total perception of life itself. Love it. Would do it again if ever reborn….

Trash cans getting thrown down the stairs in the middle of the morning. I had fun in basic believe it or not. Only one time I really got pissed. Had some old Drill Sergeant take the company on a run in a wooded area after mess hall. He looked like Hitler's older skinny brother. Had a bum knee, one good eye and supposed to be a banana peel away from the grave. This guy ran forever, way past any other drills did. At the end I was keeping on his pace PURELY on anger. There were times I wanted to choke this clown out I mean I could picture it. We go down this real long pebble like stretch about a football field length or longer. He turns and stops and the old "at ease". At this point I'm not even hiding the expression on my face. "PVT Moore" "Yeah (notice the "yeah" not "Yes" because I'm waiting or a fight) Drill Sergeant?". "Where's your company?". I turn around and it's been only me and him forever. It took like 8 to 10 minutes or so before the first people came around the bend to start the length of the pebble road. I learned anger is a helluva motivator!

Waking up super early to do pt and eat breakfast was a big adjustment for me and I learned to embrace the suck on a daily basis in the motor pool.