I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Zero week was and will be the WORST week of BMT in the history of BMT. There- I said it.

A lot of people say they don’t remember much of Zero week- I made sure to write down what I could while it was happening so that I could go ahead and blog about it later. Don’t ask me how I got away with this because I am not entirely sure (LOL). Here’s the gist of it:

MEPS/Getting to Lackland

So I will start with waking up the morning of November 19th, 2018. I woke up feeling a giant mix of emotions: nervous, excited, scared, happy- you name it, I was feeling it. I had my bags packed and was to drive up to the MEPS hotel. I had my mother drive me up and she ended up getting a room and staying. My brother, his girlfriend, my mother and I went out to dinner for what would be the last time for a short while. I kept it low-key that night and remember feeling like I couldn’t eat much because I didn’t want to be over at my weigh in the next morning. My roommate at the hotel was a girl heading to Navy boot camp so we shared the nervousness. I asked her what her job was and she told me she was going to be a Corpsman and that she would be going to Tech School at Fort Sam Houston. I told her that’s where I was hopefully going, as I was Open General hoping for Aerospace Medical Service (Which I in fact did get the job I wanted and am now at Fort Sam, with my Navy friend! Funny how that worked out). The next morning I was up early as heck. It was like any of my other times going to MEPS, we ate breakfast downstairs and then hopped on the bus. When we got to the MEPS building we went through the same routine. They did a final physical exam just to make sure nothing had changed and I signed my official contract and some more paperwork. My mother came to watch me officially swear in and say goodbye. We cried together and it was definitely a tough moment for me. She left shortly after and I waited with the other shippers for our bus to the airport. I had to fly solo despite having a few guys shipping to Lackland with me, so that sucked. I met some more Air Force peeps when I got to my layover which was nice. When I arrived to San Antonio, I didn’t really feel nervous. I felt ready to get this sh*t over with. I ended up getting off of the plane and heading straight to the food court- which was pretty much closed. There were HUNDREDS of trainees just waiting around. I ended up finding five or six of my friends from the Group Me I was in before I shipped out. For those of you who don’t know what Group Me is, it’s basically a chat group app. I was in a BMT Shippers group on Facebook and it was the thing to do- to make a Group Me and get to know other people shipping out the same date as you. So my Group Me ended up with around 50 people and we had chatted for a few months before shipping out. Almost 10 of them ended up being in my flight which was awesome. I ended up seeing a handful of them throughout my BMT journey and even more from the group here at Tech School. Anyways, I snagged two of my Group Me pals and we checked in with the Sgt that was taking everyone’s names and we had a seat on the benches. When the next bus came it was our time to board. The three of us were so nervous but so excited. The bus driver nicknamed “Coach”, I will never forget him. He gave the most inspirational, motivational speech I had ever heard in my 25 years of living and it was EXACTLY what all of us needed in that moment. We pulled up to the PRC (Pfingston Reception Center) which is basically a giant auditorium. Surprisingly there was not much yelling, just a lot of “HURRY UP LETS GO”. We all piled into the auditorium and it was pretty much dead silent, and awkward. Every couple hours or so, they would have a list of names up on the projector and that was your flight. We got to the PRC around 10pm (I think) and we didn’t get our flight until probably around 2 or 3am. After we had our flight together, they brought us to a room where they issued us our backpacks (Backpack Initiative- has some toiletries, and other necessary items) and our Apecs jackets. After that, we were told to sit in a line in the hall. It felt like we sat there for an hour. Then, the moment we all were waiting for: Our MTI walked in to pick us up. He was every trainee’s nightmare honestly. This was where all the yelling came in. He yelled and screamed at us until 5am, which was when we finally go to goto sleep. Before we went to sleep, we went to our dormitory- we got lucky and lived in Disneyland. We went to our wall lockers, figured out our beds, took our showers (which wasn’t as awkward as I imagined but was SOOOO cold) and finally went to sleep. A lot of us were hoping they’d have mercy on us and let us sleep, but boy were we wrong. They woke us up at what would become our new wake up time: 5:45am. Yup, 45 minutes of sleep.

The First Week: Zero Week

The first day of BMT was the LONGEST day of my life, no exaggeration. We started our day with chow. The MTIs were scary as hell. Here I was thinking Texas would be warm, It was cold as hell. Pro Tip: Grab two waters or get your ass chewed. We had our first uniform issue within the first two days which was nice because we looked ridiculous with these huge Apecs jackets and civilian clothes. It screamed “I am new”. There was LOTS of marching. We also got a BX run and our pay cards were issued. Dinner we got protein bars which was a nice treat. The rest of the week was appointments and briefings. We had our first inspection, got to call home and read our script with our address. After that we locked up our civilian luggage and turned in our cellphones. The second day was when we had urinalysis, blood draws, immunizations and what not. I believe the third day we went back for the peanut butter shots- I’m allergic to penicillin so they gave me azithromycin to take twice every Saturday. We also met our other MTI who was also a male day two. By day three, the chow hall was a less scary place which made it easier to eat- probably also because it was Thanksgiving. We had a second BX run zero week which I heard was not typically the case but hey we were happy to be away from the dorms any chance we got at that point. The biggest lesson I learned that week was DO NOT write letters. They will find them and they will tear you apart. I specifically wrote in my notes “Saturday got yelled at for having a letter written in my notebook”- I am laughing hysterically at this now LOL. Oh you also are assigned your flight “jobs” (basically chores). I got picked to be the 4th Element Leader, FANTASTIC.

Well that’s all I really have for Zero Week. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below or email me! I look forward to writing more the next coming weeks about the rest of my BMT experience.

I finally went to MEPS… and I made it! As of yesterday I was officially sworn into the Delayed Entry Program (DEP). I have to admit- my MEPS experience was NOT nearly as scary as I predicted it to be.

I went up Thursday afternoon, stayed at a hotel up in Portland overnight with other recruits from all different branches and left Friday afternoon. Here’s the run down:

Thursday

10:00AM-12:00PM: I left my house to head up to my recruiter’s office which is about an hour away from me. Upon arriving at my recruiter’s office, I met another recruit who would be taking the shuttle up to Portland with me. We chatted with our recruiter (just so happened to have the same recruiter) and hung out until our shuttle driver arrived.

12:00PM-2:00PM: At around 2PM, we arrived to the MEPS building. We went up an elevator and when we got out, we had to go through a security check to make sure we weren’t carrying any weapons, etc.- very similar to going through airport TSA. Once we passed security we signed in at the main desk were given a nametag and instructed to goto a room down the hallway where we were briefed on the testing and had to read some paperwork. We ended up in a small room with ten or so computers. There was a woman who led you to a computer and set you up to take your test. I was only taking the PiCAT verification test this day, others were taking the ASVAB. I was extremely relieved upon completing the verification test and finding out that I passed it and was able to keep my test score. I highly suggest you ask your recruiter about the PiCAT especially if you are not a good test taker and have test anxiety- it made everything so much less stressful. There is a small chance that even if you pass the PiCAT verification test it will roll over into the full ASVAB for research purposes- luckily that did not happen for me. After I completed the verification test, I had to take two other short tests that the Air Force requires- a Cyber Test and a Personality Test. I was not prepared for these but I made it through. After I completed testing, the woman who was in the room instructed me to head back to the main desk for further instructions. I then was instructed to hang out in the lounge area. I was the first one finished with testing and regretted not taking a book or something with me to read because I was there for at least 3 hours. Luckily we were allowed to have our phones in there. Eventually one by one everyone started filling up the lounge area upon completing their testing. Around 6PM, the hotel shuttle came to pick us up to bring us to the hotel.

6:00PM-10:00PM: Once we made it to the hotel, we had no idea where we were going. I was the only female out of about 14 people. I ended up taking a leadership role and led our group to the main desk. I asked the woman where we were supposed to go and she instructed us to head to a specified suite on the first floor. We went in and were greeted by another woman who was our liaison at the hotel. We checked in with her and were briefed on how our hotel stay would go- what time to be up in the morning, what time we had to be in our rooms by, how to conduct ourselves, etc. At around 7:00PM, after dropping off our bags to our rooms, we went downstairs to the hotel dining room for dinner with our free meal tickets. Dinner was full of laughs- I had the chance to interact with all of the other recruits and we all got along really well. The food was also good and my hotel room was nice, I was thoroughly impressed. Luckily because I was the only female I had a whole room to myself. After dinner we had to go back to the suite we checked in at for a second briefing on what to expect at MEPS. There were video games and televisions in the suite for all of us to use. We had to be in our rooms by 10PM for lights out. Get some sleep because you will be up super early and it is a LONG day.

Friday

4:00AM-5:30AM: We all had an automated wake up call for 4:15AM. Breakfast was served at 5:00AM and the hotel shuttle departed for MEPS at 5:30AM. If you are close to your max weight like I am- eat a light breakfast. I had Special K cereal with skim milk and an apple. Also try to stick with water and drink lots of it- this will come in handy when you have to give your urine sample. Juices and caffeinated drinks can raise your blood sugar levels and heart rate so I would avoid them at all costs. I personally drank water and had some Chamomile tea.

6:00AM-11:00AM: We arrived back at the MEPS building. The men who greeted us had us line up and empty out half the contents of our bags so they could search us. This is where packing light comes in handy! After searching all of our bags we walked up a lot of stairs back to the area we had been in the previous day for testing. We were instructed to put our bags in a cubby and line up by the main desk when we were all squared away. One of the men at MEPS gave us a quick tour of all of the rooms we would need to know for the day and then told us to head to our branch’s liaison’s office. At the liaison’s office we checked in and were given a folder. We then had to take that folder back to the main desk. After I checked back in with the main desk I was off to the Medical Room. I was instructed to have a seat and a woman came over to take my heart rate and blood pressure (I was SO nervous for this because my heart rate is always super high whenever I go to the doctors because I get nervous for whatever reason). Then I was sent into a room to test my vision. After vision testing was hearing testing- this took a little longer because the equipment wasn’t working properly so we had to do it twice. After the hearing test I was sent to a room across the hall where I filled out a Red Cross card with my family’s information on it in case of an emergency and we read some paperwork. Myself and two other people were pulled out of this room and back into the Medical room across the hall. We were briefed by a woman and filled out some more paperwork relevant to our medical history before we were to meet with the doctor. We also gave our urine samples and gave blood for blood testing. I met with the doctor and he asked me some questions about my medical history. I then went to a different room with my chaperone (a female assigned to accompany me because the doctor was male) and stripped down to my bra and underwear to weigh in and get my height. I waited for the doctor to come in so I could show him my duck walk skills (LOL) and a couple other basic movements/exercises. Afterwards the doctor checked out my whole entire body top to bottom even the lady parts- awkwardish but it was quick. When my physical exam was over they sent me back out to the main medical room and I was all set. A woman gathered all my paperwork and made sure my folder was completed and then sent me back out to the front desk. From there it was easy- I had to take a couple trips back and forth between the main desk and my Air Force liaison’s office to fill out additional paperwork (lottttts of paperwork). I also took a quick weight test that consisted of me first lifting 50lbs then 60lbs, I tried for 70lbs but my arms gave out unfortunately as I wasn’t prepared. As long as you can lift the 50lbs you’re golden, 70lbs just qualifies you for additional jobs. With the paperwork also came my DEP contract. Once we finished up all of the paperwork I was sent into the lounge to hangout and eat lunch they provided. I also had to fill out a survey. Shortly after I was called out of the lounge- it was time to swear in! Of the 14 people there, only three of us swore into the DEP. We went into the ceremony room and were briefed by a MEPS employee on everything we’d need to know as far as our movements and what to say. An officer eventually came in and swore us in. It was a moment of relief, excitement and happiness. After the small ceremony, it was back to the lounge to wait for the shuttle to go back to my recruiter’s office.

Overall, my experience was positive. Like everyone else, I was so incredibly nervous. Being nervous is completely normal! You are joining the military and about to change your life completely- if you aren’t at least a little nervous you should be concerned. After you’re at MEPS for the first couple hours you start to realize “okay, this isn’t so bad”. To anyone going to MEPS, I wish you the best of luck and you will do great! If I had to give any advice it would be the following:

1. Tell your recruiter everything about your medical history BEFORE you goto MEPS. They will make sure you have all the appropriate documents to ensure your success when you go to process. With that being said- do not add new things to your medical history at MEPS. Anything you tell the doctor at MEPS should have already been discussed with your recruiter BEFORE your trip to MEPS. Be as honest as possible with your recruiter, they are there to help you succeed.
2. Try to stay calm. You will be fine!
3. Be respectful to everyone you encounter at MEPS. Respect goes a LONG way. You get what you give.
4. Keep your ears and eyes open at all times. Listen to and follow directions. And definitely do not let anyone catch you trying to snooze- they will yell at you!
5. Lastly, be PREPARED. Have everything you need when you need it. Watch videos on YouTube of MEPS experiences. Know what you’re getting yourself into. The more prepared you go into it, the more successful you will be.

I was supposed to go to MEPS a couple weeks ago but due to illness my recruiter recommended we reschedule. I am now scheduled to go next Thursday July 12/13th. I have already since taken the ASVAB (in the form of the PiCAT- An un-proctored, un-timed version of the ASVAB which I found less stressful) and as long as I can pass a short verification test to prove I was truly the one who took it I can keep my score which was qualifying for the jobs I would like. I am hoping I do not have to reschedule this trip to MEPS again as I have been sick again *insert eye roll here*. Fingers crossed I am feeling better by Monday. The only good part about being sick is that I’ve gotten down to 170lbs finally so I’m hoping this is just God’s way of saying here’s a little help from me.

Learn more about the PiCAT here.

It’s been a long, stressful process submitting medical records and what not to the doctors up at MEPS but I finally got good news! I’m going to MEPS!

My recruiter called me yesterday to tell me and schedule a day. In a little less than two weeks I will be going up to Portland, ME to get my physical, take the ASVAB and hopefully swear in to the Delayed Entry Program. The past twenty four hours I’ve gone through what feels like a rollercoaster of emotions: relief, excitement, nervousness. My life is about to change forever and I am mostly excited about it but part of me is nervous. I’m mostly nervous about BMT and being away from everything and everyone that I’ve known for the past 24 years of my life. But I guess that is normal, this is going to be a HUGE change.

More Updates:

1) I now weigh in at 177 (only two pounds away from my max weight!)

2) I finally passed my NREMT exam and am a Nationally Registered EMT- third times a charm ?

3) Braces still aren’t off but fingers crossed for July!

I have never had an asthma attack and have only used inhaler whenever I’ve been sick with a respiratory illness (which I feel is normal for most people). Today I went and had my Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) done. My recruiter suggested I have one done so we can hopefully get me an Asthma waiver for the Air Force.

It’s been an interesting process but today was finally the day and my results came back normal. I’ve never had a PFT done and I stressed over this test for the past month. I can’t believe I psyched myself out over something so easy. My visit went like this: I checked in with the front desk, waited about fifteen minutes, was called into a tiny room, was asked a few preliminary questions, blew into a gadget five times and then… it was over. Piece of cake! I’m meeting with my primary care doctor who I’ve seen for a few years now on Wednesday to go over the results with her and hopefully get a letter for medical clearance to also submit to my recruiter. My next steps in this journey will be to:

1. Hit my goal weight (after my visit today I learned I am 5’7″ and not 5’6″ which means my max weight can be 175 vs 170, yay!)
2. Get my braces off- hopefully May!
3. Get my MEPS date.
4. Goto MEPS- At MEPS I will be taking the ASVAB and finding out what jobs I qualify for, getting a physical exam, and if everything goes right officially enlisting into the Air Force!
5. Get my boot camp date and hopefully leave around September.

I can’t believe this is really happening- and I’m sure this won’t be the first time I say this! I am so excited and so nervous for what this new chapter in my life has in store.

Yup- you read that right. Those close to me know that I have always talked about joining the military since high school. I was involved in an Army Junior ROTC-like program my senior year and wanted to join the National Guard after high school. Unfortunately, I was caught up in a relationship and life got in the way. Seven years later and here we are!

Why I chose the Air Force:

I want to go back to school
But like most of the population, I have zero dollars to do so. Joining the Military gives me the option to pursue a degree. What really caught my eye is that the Air Force is the only branch that from day one you are earning college credit starting with Basic Military Training (BMT).

I have a handful of friends in the Air Force
I have a good amount of friends in the Military in general. I made sure to ask around and get their opinions on different branches. All of my Military friends from branches other than the Air Force told me “Definitely go Air Force”. The friends that are currently in the Air Force told me the same.

My experience with the recruiter
When deciding which branch to join I ultimately narrowed my options down to either the Navy or the Air Force. I first met with a Navy recruiter based out of my local mall. He asked me why I wanted to join and basic questions about me. He also had me take a practice ASVAB to determine whether I would be eligible or not. He then gave my mother and I the opportunity to ask him questions. A few days later I had reached out to my friend Jake who is currently in the Air Force Reserves. He referred me to his recruiter and I contacted her to set up a day to meet. The office was much nicer, the recruiter was super nice, overall a much better experience than when I met with the Navy recruiter. It was also awesome that she was female.

So what are my next steps? I’m going to turn my application packet in on Friday. I have the diagnosis “Asthma” attached to my Medical Record I need to go have a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) done to prove that it isn’t an issue. I have never had an asthma attack, I was only prescribed an inhaler and used it on two occasions in which I had respiratory illness/infections. So once I have the “ok” from that test then I will hopefully be able to get a MEPS date and take my ASVAB! I’ve chatted with my recruiter and we’re going to aim for May of this year to get things processed- this also gives me time to get in shape and reach my goal weight of 170 lbs (15 lbs to lose).

I am super excited to begin this journey and document every step of the way! I hope that by sharing my journey I can help other females (males too!) along their Military journeys.