Resume

I worked almost four years in a deli at a local general store. I currently am attending community college full time. Visit http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=288222120&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile for more. 

Playing Army

I’m not sure what other people’s favorite childhood games were, but in my family it was “playing army”. It was more common with my two older brothers than myself, but I joined them once in a while. S, my brother closest to my age, played the most often. He played it by himself most of the time, when my oldest brother, T, was too old for it. He would dress himself up in old army and camo clothes, boots, a fake gun, and his face covered with black smears. He would head off for hours, fighting the enemy in the Vermont woods behind our house.
My oldest brother played with him, as a soldier on the same side, until he got old enough to be interested in the real thing. One day when he was a kid, my mom and him had just got home and she was bringing groceries into the house. She came back out to the car and saw him using the seat belt to lower himself to the ground. My mom asked him what he was doing, and in his cute little 2-year-old voice he said, “I’m repelling”. Both of my brothers aspired to be soldiers at a very young age. They learned all they could about the army.
As for myself, I was only briefly interested in dressing in camo and pretending to help my brother kill off the enemies around my house. People like to think that gender shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to being interested in the army, but I think it was for me. If I had been a boy I think the three of us would have all been fascinated by the army, but since I wasn’t, I was more interested in taking my brother’s G.I. Joe’s to be my Barbie’s husbands.
I think that it’s awesome how interested my brothers always have been in the army, just because of my dad being in the Guard.
When we would go to Family Day at the armory, many of the men there would make my brothers do push-ups and other army drills to see what they could do. I think they mostly did that to them when they were young to get them interested and boost their confidence.
My oldest brother joined the Guard when he was 19, after he had gone to college for a semester. My other brother wanted to join when he was 17, but at that age you need both parents’ permission. He couldn’t get my mom to sign, so he joined as soon as he turned 18. My mom wasn’t a fan of their fascination in the army once it became real. Mother’s worry.

Midterm Proposal

My plan for my online presence is to keep the same topic and persona. The only thing I want to change is focusing more on the National Guard, and the families, because those are what I know most about. I had a hard time writing about the military because it is a broader subject that I don’t know as much about. I can write about what I know about the Guard, as well as learning as I go by researching. I also think writing about other families’ stories would be a good thing for me to do on this blog. I only know my story, which is not nearly as interesting as others, so it would be interesting to learn about them.

Devil’s Advocate Rebuttal – Military Discounts

I am surprised at anyone that doesn’t think soldiers deserve military discounts.

Some people think that military men and women shouldn’t get discounts at businesses while there are other people in occupations that are just as deserving.

Our soldiers sacrifice their lives for everyone in this country. Firefighters sacrifice their lives too, but they still get to go home to their families. Soldiers can be gone for months or years, and their families won’t know when or if they’ll come back. Even though it’s not much, a ten percent discount is a good constant thanks to military personnel for what they do.

Sure nurses and teachers deserve thanks and recognition too, but they aren’t sacrificing their lives like our soldiers. There are many businesses though that do recognize nurses, firefighters, and teachers by offering discounts.

I’m sure that any soldier that has lost a limb, a family that has lost a soldier, or even a family with a deployed soldier, would give you their military discounts everyday of their lives to have back what they had.

Also, military discounts are a business’ choice. If it was a government requirement, I would see why some people wouldn’t be in favor. Some businesses offer day passes to their parks or skiway for military personnel, while some stores or restaurants just offer a small discount on their purchase. But I think that there is no need for others to be offended by this, it is just a personal businesses choice in how they thank America’s soldiers.

Devil’s Advocate – People Who Are Against Military Discounts

I personally, am all for military benefits and discounts. This is me writing from the point of view of someone who is against them.

I’m sure you are aware that many stores, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses offer a military discount, which is usually about ten percent off. I am wondering why soldiers should get a discount when they chose to serve, just like teachers, firefighters and nurses choose to do what they do? It’s a soldier’s job to serve and be ready for action. It is unfair for them to get a discount at all these businesses, when firefighters are sacrificing their lives too. Nurses are saving lives, and teachers are shaping the lives and futures of our children. People in these serving fields have a right for a discount too, because they are taking risks just as much as military personnel are.

Military discounts are offered at many small and large businesses. A lot of chains have them, as well as local stores near you. They are also offered at waterparks, amusement parks, gyms, services, and many more.

It can be offensive to anyone who is sacrificing things in life to follow their passion and help people. There are many other occupations that deserve discounts because of what they do. I don’t think every business needs to offer everyone discounts, but if they are going to offer a military one, they should have to offer a discount for all of the other serving occupations.

These discounts can also hurt people’s feelings when they see that a store offers a military discount, because they may have wanted to enlist but couldn’t for some reason. Some can’t enlist when they have a medical issue, or don’t qualify for a number of other reasons. It could be hurtful for them to be reminded of this whenever they go to pay for something.

Also, I think it’s rude to show appreciation for soldiers just because they could or were willing to serve. Only certain people are right for the military, not everyone has the personality to serve.

I don’t believe that is wrong for businesses to offer military discounts, I just think that they should look at offering discounts to others if they are offering them to one.

Enlisting in the Military

Are you considering joining the military? Before you think of joining, you will need to take some things into consideration. The first thing you should do is decide if you want to join the military and why. Is it just to have some extra income? Remember that it is a lifestyle choice too. It isn’t like a civilian job, it is very serious. There are lots of tests and requirements that you must meet at any given time, such as failing a urinalysis (a drug test), which can cause you to be discharged and even go to jail. If you show up late, there can be big consequences. Are you doing it for the college benefits? Or do genuinely want to serve your country? Are you willing to follow all the rules? You won’t always have freedom to do what you want. Consider all the factors, such as, are you ready to be away from home? Are you willing to make the commitment? This is not like a job that you can just quit at any time, since you are under a contract. Another factor is meeting the standards such as having your high school diploma, meeting a weight and height standard, age, citizenship, and more. Before meeting with a recruiter, you should take into consideration all of the different factors, and that it might not be as easy as you think.

If you have decided that you really would like to be in the military, the next step is to decide what branch. A good idea is to meet with a recruiter from each branch, and talk to people you know who have served in certain branches, to get a good idea of what is right for you. Deciding on a branch of the military is different for everyone. It might depend on their personality, strengths, weaknesses, or what they want to get out of serving in the military. For some it is easy because they have a family member in a branch, and they want to follow in their footsteps.

Once you decide on your branch, find a recruiter. There is probably one in your hometown, or closeby. Schedule a meeting with him or her. The recruiter will have a pre-screening with you. They will ask you questions about your medical and criminal history, marital status, age, and more. Don’t try to hide your medical or criminal background because they will find out eventually, and it just makes the process longer. Discuss with them what you would like to do in the army, what you want to get out of it, and why you want to join. Don’t let them rush you into a big decision. Make sure to do all your research, and ask plenty of questions before fully committing. Your recruiter will guide you through the enlistment process.

Next is taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). The ASVAB tests your mental aptitude. It determines if you can join the military branch you want, and what kinds of jobs you can do. This is really important in the process. You need to pass the military’s standards of this test to be able to continue. A retake is only allowed if the test is expired, which takes two years.

The next step is going to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) with your recruiter. This is a screening process, that can take up to two days.There is a station in every big city. Make sure to bring your social security card and birth certificate with you. Get a lot of sleep the night before, and bring a magazine or something to do, since it is a long day. If you haven’t taken your ASVAB yet, you will take it there. This is mostly a medical exam, and a screening process to see if you are qualified for the branch of the military you want. It also helps with picking your MOS, if you are able to do it.

After you have gone through MEPS, you will choose your MOS (Military Occupation Specialties). This is basically your job. Your recruiter will give you a list of options you are qualified for. There are over eight hundred jobs in the military to choose from, but less once you break it down into branches. You will choose this at MEPS.

The final official step to enlistment process is to swear in. You will return to MEPS for the “Oath of Enlistment Ceremony.”

After you have completed this process, and are officially in the military, you should prepare yourself for bootcamp. It will be a reality check, being told what to do, you have no time for yourself, you’ll be exhausted. Mentally, you cannot prepare yourself. You should workout like crazy before you leave so you can at least be a little physically prepared.

This is the process to enlisting in the military. It is not hard with the help of a recruiter, but make sure to deliberate on whether or not you want to join, before you have a recruiter or anyone else pushing you into it.