"Left, your left, your left right left," A drill sergeant was yelling commands for his marching platoon. Soldiers holding the M-16 rifles diagonally by their chests with absolutely no facial expressions whatsoever. They marched their way to the chow hall proudly, and lined up at the entrance. Each taking his cap off yelled out their motto when entering the facility. The above is a general description of what the army's 10 week basic training would be like. We often think the Army is strict with rules and obeying commands is a must in the military. It is true to a certain extent. One may easily concludes that the Army, since with all its rules and regulations, must be a safe and fair organization. That is not entirely true. Unfair and bizarre things happen in the Army just like in the civilian world, and sometimes even to a greater extent. However, if being a soldier is what you really want, then below are some useful facts for you when consulting the recruiter.
If you, with nothing else better to do with your life, decide to join the world's best funded army, here are the things you need to prepare for before you go to your local recruiters. First and the most importance of all is that you must NOT trust everything that the recruiter is saying to you. Every recruiter receives some sort of bonus for every young man or woman they recruited. So, what is the logic here? They, most of them, will try their best to conceal the dark side of joining the army, and show you the bright side of it only. They will say things like: if you get injured, the army will pay for everything; the army will be responsible for your healthcare along with your family's; you will receive a bonus and many other good stuff they want you to hear. They will not tell you that the government is pretty cheap about compensating the injured veterans, and often your claims are denied if you are not "seriously" injured. Or you, under law, can not sue the military for malpractice if you have undergone a surgery. However, the problem does not end here.
Secondly, when you are in pain or hurt in any invincible way, go to sick call regardless of what other soldiers or the drill instructors say. During training, either basic combat training (BCT) or advanced individual training (AIT), the drill instructors will try to graduate you as fast as possible. They will discourage you to go to sick call, not knowing how severely you are injured. When you go to sick call, be sure to ask for a profile from the doctor. A profile is a slip that prevents you from doing certain types of physical activities even when an order is given from a superior. When a drill instructor, who does not like you a lot, makes you do push-ups for no particular reason and you have the profile that indicates "no push-ups", you have every right to refuse that order. Most drill instructors will be mean to you in this case, but as long as you have the profile and with a respectful attitude, you do not have to obey that certain command. Remember, most of them will not care if you worsen your injuries.
Thirdly, do not try to be the best or the worst. Do not, and never, gain attention to yourself. Especially during training (ignore this once you proceed to regular army units), the drill instructors who are lazy by and large, will appoint squad leaders. Try to avoid to be appointed because the least thing you want is have more responsibility during training. Do not try to outshine others. And if you have a foreign face, pretend you do not know English well. This will save you from a lot of troubles. Nonetheless, if you enlist as a combatant, your nightmare, not the training, but is the deployment.
Lastly, be proud when you finish your training because many young American people nowadays can not endure this type of hardship. Remember this though; this country is unaware of what you are doing for them, and if you think you would be treated with more respect just because you have served this country, you might want to interview some of the homeless veterans.
One more thing: ask your female friend to keep an eye on your wife if you are to be deployed.