What things do you remember about adapting to military life?

When I joined the Navy I was young and thought I new it all. I was a punk on the streets and thought I could make my own rules. When I joined the Navy, it gave me a huge reality check and also opened my eyes to the real world. I had some challenges in the beginning, but as I did more time I got accustomed to military life and was fortunate enough to move up in rank quick. The military saved my life by taking me out of my comfort zone and bringing me to the reality of life and the importance of serving this great nation.

The ability to remember and forget at the same time…a curated skill. HM=secret keeper

You have no choice , keep up or get left behind. Your not home anymore to have your mom do your laundry, cook for you. You learn to be self sufficient.

keep a straight face
keep certain emotions under control

The first thing I remember was the slamming of that door behind you when you went into your Bae and basic. Very scary and a very alone feeling. But what I drew from it is a feeling of belonging in actuality. I enjoyed being part of something bigger than myself

Adapt and overcome baby! Not just a valuable military mantra. A lot of militaristic mentalities and processes translate extremely well to life outside the service. It's a culture shock, is the best way I often described it, changing everything about your live and the way you go about your days. It's a beautifully chaotic symphony of throttled change. I often referred to the military as a parallel universe. Those outside of the lines have heard of it but don't understand the true nature of what transpires, and those who have lived through some realm of service have a difficult time articulating the nature of the lifestyle in all its unrest and glory. Discipline is a word I anticipated to and certainly gained a greater understanding for. Having a regimented routine is really healthy and I wish other civilian based jobs incorporated physical fitness into their work schedule. Fitness is an essential element of a work life balance which is all too often disregarded.

The way everyone talks and jokes around was really interesting to me to be honest. It took awhile but It took awhile to adapt to an environment that jokes a lot about serious topics, waking up early, and also drinking energy drinks for breakfast.

Being able to work with ANYONE. People who you may not be friends with, you find a way to put that aside and work with them as a team to get the job done. Don’t take things personally.

For me, it was the group showers during Basic Training.

I hate to disappoint anyone, but it seemed easy and natural to me. I suppose I cheated by joining the Naval Reserve in high school, and being a two-week wonder for boot camp, a more gentle introduction to the whole thing. Also, I had been a poor kid, and a lot of the substandard military living conditions were in many ways luxurious. Especially the food. More privileged sailors would gripe, but I actually liked it, the variety and the quantity. The best liver I ever had was at a Navy mess. And the submarine service chow was legendary. I developed an unfortunate overeating habit, that was hard to deal with. It was great to have nice clothes (the same as everyone else was a step up for me), and learn to take care of them. Discipline was a nuisance, but mostly tolerable. It was interesting, sometimes bewildering at first, being in the company of plenty of every kind of person, but that soon became enjoyable because there was so much to learn from them. The educational and professional opportunities were amazing! Later, tying to develop leadership skills was awkward. On the whole, it was mostly ok, but I still never came to love discipline. One of the hardest things to adapt to was a Connecticut winter for a warm California kid. But that wasn't military, just geography.