MEPS Experience
I went through MEPS on November 2007, in Brooklyn, NY to join the active duty Navy. I’m writing this for all the recruits who are thinking of joining the military. Here is my personal experience going through MEPS. This is going to be pretty long so grab a drink. First afternoon you will take your ASVAB test and the next day you do your medical, meet with the job counselor, and take your first oath. Bring a change of clothes and a set of workout clothes, might also want to bring a book. I wouldn’t recommend ipods or handheld game devices or anything expensive. You need to lock up your bag in a locker for most of the day, and there’s a risk of it getting stolen or damaged. Read the rest of this entry »
A quest for more intellectual pursuits
A goal of mine starting a few months back was to study a new language. I began studying Japanese on my own with the aid of a language learning site and a textbook. I did that for a couple of months, but lost interest after a while, it’s boring doing it alone. =( I decided to start it up again after publishing this blog and give occasional updates on progress and stuffs. Read the rest of this entry »
Grats on fat
I am going to put my social commentary on hold for a bit and get back on track with preparing for the navy.
Navy boot camp is relatively easy compared to the marines or army. I heard the numbers are something like 29-60 pushups and situps in two minutes each and a 1.5 mile run in 12 minutes. I could do that in my sleep. Still, I am doing a daily workout routine to keep in shape for boot camp. For the rest of you fatties, if you have trouble with that, get hot and start working on it.
I run 3-5 days a week for about 2-3 miles, it takes about 40 minutes for the warm-up, run, and then cool-down. Before I run, I drink a bottle of water, do a quick set of 50 pushups and 30 situps to warm up, then do some stretches. I got some workout routine off the internet that worked pretty well for me, but I got kinda lazy and stopped following it. This should be good for those of you that are looking to get back into shape but if you are going in for spec ops or something, you probably need a harder workout.
This is a low rep workout I personally am using, which maximizes your core muscle groups and works out your upper body and legs along with it. I also do this sometimes before I go running, it is a good warmup.
1 set consists of:
10x Pushups
10x Situps
10x Reverse situps (works out your lower back)
10x tricep pushups (also called diamond pushups)
20x left/right crunches
10x Wide-arm pushups
Do 2 sets at first and work your way up to 5 sets. Lower reps to work out all groups. You can also subsitute pushups for squats and work out your legs. When you get all the way up to 5 sets you will have done 150 pushups, 150 situps/crunches, 50 reverse situps. It is harder than it sounds, but if you stick with it, it’s a great way to increase your endurance and you are sure to knock out your PFA.
Route 1 is about 2 miles, and sometimes I run like 3 miles on Route 2.
Prepare for glory!!!
A word of advice for all you potential recruits out there. Don’t go in for the glory. Make sure you are going in for the right reasons. Consider your alternatives and benefits. Counterstrike fgts and snipers-are-so-kewl wannabes need not apply. For the rest of you click here for enlightenment.
If you are looking at the military, be prepared to spend a LONG time researching, and more importantly, THINKING, about your choices. This is the type of thing where emotional decisions can really mess you up, the last thing you want to do is go straight to a recruiter to find out information. Do your own research online and by asking friends or family who are in the military. Recruiters have a job to do, and that is to recruit you. They will tell you what you want to hear, regardless if it is really what is best for you. It is best to think of a recruiter as a tool, they are not your friends. You are just a statistic on their recruiting belt, a simple conquest. Metaphorical conquests okay. If they actually try to have sex with you call the cops, you probably get a cash reward for reporting that type of stuff. I wasn’t so lucky, my recruiter just wanted to recruit me.
The military is first and foremost a job, maybe a career job, and will shape your potential future. Educate yourself on the recruiting process and job choices, keeping in mind that even if the job you want looks good, you may not qualify for it depending on your ASVAB scores or a medical disqualifier. The recruitment process begins with you, make sure it is what you really want to do for the next few years of your life, and that is not a yes/no question. Personally, I took a year to make my decision, and initially I opted against it and went to college instead. Take your time.
If you are coming straight out of high school it is still a good choice if you have no aspirations for college, but these days I find that hard to believe kids don’t want to go to college. It is your life, you need to want to change it before you can make it happen. Still, I’m not telling you its going to be rainbows and unicorns, even if you want it, you might not be cut out for military life. It happens. Again, it’s not the type of thing you can act tough and assume it’ll work out eventually, you sign that contract, you are bound to the military for the length of your enlistment. Think about it long and hard, take your time, don’t make a hasty decision because you are scared of the future or something. The military won’t solve that problem for you, that’s all on you.
For my next trick, I’m going pull my personal recruitment story out of this hat. Look foward to it.
No place for heroes
January 28, 2008 at 1:18 AM (Military, Navy, Rants, Social Commentary) (Navy, War)
The military has become a job that Americans don’t want to do. People in general have a terribly misguided opinion of the grunt work required for a profession like this. I suppose it is really a extension of fear people have of the Iraq war, after all, soldiers are dying every week. But should fear make you ignorant of the facts?
War has always been sensationalized, but the people who work in and close to the war machine, they are simply people doing their jobs. For many people it is more than a job, a sense of duty and patriotism affects their lives, the kind of stuff that gets kids killed over there. It’s sad really. Nationalism has become a bit of a dirty word around these parts and understandably so, but I doubt the Republicans are sending off their sons to fight in Iraq. So who is more patriotic?
Recently, the people I’ve told honestly think that I am going to die in the war. Normally it wouldn’t bother me, but fear and ignorance lead up to something that does make me sadface.
Society has no place for heroes. Only the dead ones get that title. So what does that make me? Am I destined to be chopped liver?
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