Posted on Oct 12, 2021
What things do you remember about adapting to military life?
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RallySweeps
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 606
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Discipline. Discipline to get up on time. Discipline to learn. Discipline to exercise. Discipline in thought and behavior.
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Adapting to military life was a bit of a problem. Getting my first haircut was not all that bad, but having to pay for it was. It was the first haircut that I ever had to pay for. LOL Really though the hardest thing was to keep mouth shut and not get myself into trouble. Prior to that I was always able to speak my mind all though as in civilian life one had to speak carefully and respectfully and in the Army I had to relearn that skill. Sleeping with a bunch of guys was not a problem as I have 7 brothers. As a farm kid I had to have self discipline but not in the Army. Even working 7 days was not a problem. The hardest thing to get used to was putting up with all the stupid stuff.
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The things I remember about adjusting to military life is having to get up before the roosters lol, having your locker right and bed tight, MRE's geesh, OMG some of them cadence's SMH, and the push-ups and physical exertion OHHHH weeeeeeee! But all in all I am so thankful for the experience :)
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Life for me was obviously different after joining the Marines, but nothing came into focus as much as it did on September 11th, 2001. I was in 29 Palms CA and the base was suddenly on defcon4 and it took me 2 hours to get on base just to go to "work" that morning. People I knew from "back home" were suddenly looking to me for answers about what our country was planning to do and if I was deploying and a million other questions. It was at that time that I got to realize the nation's love for and dependence on our military and specifically the USMC as the front line of defense for our freedom and way of life.
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I went from being a VERY heavy sleeper so a very light sleeper. Hyper-vigilance was also new for me. It still hasn't gone away.
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A lot was easy for me because I was from a small town and was ready for new experiences. The hardest thing for me to adapt to was dropping my shyness and learning how to be louder, confident, and more assertive. I'm a soft spoken individual which was brutal as a Marine.
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Boot camp was easy. I was raised on a farm with a strict disciplinarian father. I may not have liked it, but it wasn't hard. In boot camp they said, "You've all been in band so you all know how to march." Well, I hadn't been in band so I had to fake it until I learned how. I was one of the youngest at age 17.
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AN Charles Hendricks
Family made the Oklahoma land run from Indiana; however, born in OK, but I was raised in the middle of South Central Alaska, at the base of the Wrangle mtn range, about 20 miles from the town of Glennallen where there was a mission, school, mission hospital, and a road camp. I did not really see TV until I was 18. It was great beyond description. Thanks for asking.
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AN Charles Hendricks
How about you? How was southern Indiana? Had I not grown up quite so rural I would have made a better non-com quicker (E-4 and back down due to stupidity), but country common sense help just as much I think.
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Sgt Arthur Farmer
My father was so strict, I learned to get it right the first time every time, or else. I learned to obey rules. I never left Indiana until I was 17 so I didn't know what the rest of the country or world was like. Growing up on a farm, as you know, you have to be self sufficient and learn to think for yourself. The military was easy by comparison. How did you deal when the nights last all day for half the year? That would take some mental toughness.
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My first act in the military never left me.After an eleven hour day at the induction center, and a 3 hour bus ride in the pouring rain,I bailed off the bus with my shirttail out.After having part of my shirttail cut off this very nice man gave me my first "command".Give me "10"and stand at attention until I come get you.
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