What things do you remember about adapting to military life?

The difficult part was of course being thrown into an entire new way of life. Confusion may be the biggest part of signing up. The unknown causes sleepless nights at the beginning. Adapting to the military way of life is a real opener. But of course almost all of us get through it.

The hardest thing was doing p.t. The Army made me lose weight and get in shape before sending me to basic training.

The lifestyle of order and structure and respect of authority or chain of command translated in the civilian world with any job and giving them my best…excellence in all we do.

Adapting to military life is not just a lifestyle, but a movement. Over time you’re used to independence and doing things your own way. The saying is dress right dress, a saying that my battle buddies and chain of command used meaning everyone needs to be exactly alike. Everyone wears their hair, their uniform, and their person to army regulation standards. The hardest part was dealing with someone that could not get it right, and therefore discipline the entire platoon.

lack of privacy

I felt alot of pride serving my country. The hardest part was exercising in the morning before the sun came up but it always made the day better and go smoother.

Getting sleep in basic training with 2 bays full of snoring people was challenging. By the end of basic, I was so sleep deprived I was almost running into walls.

Hardest part for me was the newness of everything.
I was just a dumb 18 year old kid from Wisconsin who knew nothing about the real world.
Starting over in a new place with no friends, no real money, no transportation of my own, no clue in general. That made me scared more than anything else. Luckily everyone I met had started basically the same way. The culture of taking in new sailors and showing them the ropes was a life changing experience for me.

I was 17 and living out of state for the first time. I used to think about having to pull the trigger in battle. I was both anxious and excited to be on my own.

While in Basic Training you exercise all day, every day. Best thing I have EVER done.