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Air Force

Packing for BMT

7. MORE. DAYS.

I cannot even wait. I am so excited and the anticipation is killing me. I have already met around 40 people, all shipping on the same date as me- two of which are shipping from the same MEPS location! I can’t wait to meet my future brothers and sisters.

I just uploaded a YouTube video of what I’m bringing to BMT. Here is a complete list of all of the items:

  • Duffle Bag (Checked Bag for liquids over 3.4oz)*
  • Drawstring Bag (Carry On for important stuff)*
  • 6oz Shampoo
  • 6oz Conditioner
  • Leave in Hair Serum
  • 6oz Hair Gel
  • 6oz Face Wash
  • 2 Bars of Soap
  • Soap Dish/Container
  • Travel Size Sunscreen Lotion
  • Travel Size Hand Sanitizer
  • Bath Mitt (instead of loofah)
  • Nail Kit
  • Razor
  • Eyebrow Razors
  • Tweezers
  • Deodorant
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothbrush Cover
  • Toothpaste
  • Hair Brush
  • Hair Combs
  • Bobby Pins
  • Hair Elastics
  • Hair Donut
  • Makeup (For Graduation/Pics)
  • Facial Wipes
  • Feminine Wipes
  • Pads (Sanitary Napkins)
  • 6 Sports Bras
  • 2 Padded Bras- One Black, One Nude
  • 8 Pairs of Underwear
  • 2 Pairs of Socks
  • 2 Pairs of Spandex Shorts
  • 3 T Shirts
  • 2 Pairs of Pants
  • Blouse (for Graduation Weekend)
  • Closed Toe Shoes (for Graduation Weekend)
  • Small Photo Album
  • Watch
  • Notebook
  • Lint Roller
  • Shoe Insoles
  • Running Sneakers (with insoles)
  • Binder with Important Documents (Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Resume, Certifications, etc.)
  • Immunization Records
  • Other Important Documents such as Contract
  • Driver’s License
  • Debit Cards
  • $20 Cash
  • Cell Phone
  • Cell Phone Charger

*I am planning on checking a bag (see YouTube video for more info)

It seems like a ton of stuff BUT it doesn’t look it when packed. Also I’d rather be over prepared than under. Most of the items I am personally packing will be provided by the Air Force through the backpack initiative. My recruiter let me know this tip: Anything you don’t used from your backpack initiative can be returned to the exchange/mini-mall and the money will be put back onto your card. If you want to see the official Air Force BMT Packing List and for more information on Air Force provided items click here.

Air Force

19 Days Out

NINE. TEEN. DAYS. Eeeeeeeek!

I am so excited. I am so nervous. I suck at push-ups and running still.

But…. I got this.

I’ve never wanted something so badly in life and cannot wait to officially be an Airman and make my friends and family proud af.

I still have to sell my car, pack my bag and hopefully get my running and push ups down before I leave. I’ve put together a binder with my certifications, transcripts, etc. to bring with me to BMT. This is especially important for me because I am going open general and will need these things when I goto job counseling. I also made a list of jobs I’m interested in and assignment location preferences so I don’t feel pressured and go in to this as prepared as possible. The jobs I’m interested in are listed below:

  • 4NX01- Aerospace Medical Service
  • 3E9X1- Emergency Management
  • 4R031- Diagnostic Imaging
  • 4A031- Health Services Management
  • 1C331- Command Post

The first three are definitely my top three picks and in that order. If I get my first pick I will be over the mood ecstatic. If not, that’s still ok. The way I look at it I’m going to be a part of the world’s greatest Air Force. And that on its own is a huge accomplishment. Plus there are ways out of a job I don’t like such as the NECP- Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program. Ultimately it’s a nursing school scholarship that upon completion allows you to commission as a Nurse Officer.

As far as assignment location preferences I’ve jotted down the following:

  • Pope AFB, NC
  • Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC
  • Shaw AFB, SC
  • Charleston AFB, SC
  • Nellis AFB, NV
  • Patrick AFB, FL
  • Moody AFB, FL
  • Langley-Eustis, VA
  • Aaaaaand my only overseas one: Aviano, Italy.

I’ve heard so many things regarding the BMT Dream Sheet (The list of base preferences you make at BMT). I’ve heard it’s all crap and I’ve also heard of people getting their number one picks. So I’m just going to stay positive and hope I get one off of my list.

I’ve uploaded a new video on my YouTube channel- it’s super short and boring. But I will be doing two or three more videos covering the topics of the 15 days brief, my BMT packing list and the day I leave for BMT. I will also try to write a few blogs on these topics as well.

See you all soon!

Air Force

50 Days Left

Yup, you heard that right.

How am I feeling?

I’m anxious to leave, I’m excited, I’m a bit nervous. But mostly excited. I cannot wait to leave and start this journey. The anticipation is killing me.

What have I been up to?

  • Working very part time just to pay my bills each month. I just gave my notice for the part time job I’ve been working, as I’ve gotten a new position as assistant store manager at a Halloween store. Super convenient because I can walk there from my house and I also won’t need to put in a notice because the store closes the first week of November.
  • I’m also working on getting rid of a lot of my belongings and packing up my room. I just listed my car for sale so hoping someone scoops it up.
  • I finally got my braces off!!
  • Got 9 college credits for my EMT certification- I will make an entire post about this because I feel like more people should know about the program I did it through- which makes me eligible for E-2 when combined with the 18 college credits I already have.
  • I’m going Monday to meet with my recruiter and to sign my job contract.

What am I doing to prepare myself?

I’m focusing on mental preparation because I feel this is what I will need most. I am going to Barre class three times a week which is helping me build strength. I am starting a running program this week since I have SLACKED on running. I downloaded an app that is supposed to help you run 5k in 8 weeks by running 30 mins, 3 days per week. I only have around 7 weeks left but hey anything will help at this point.

Within these next 7 weeks, I will post once per week. Topics will include packing for BMT, Fitness and more! If you have any questions thus far about anything, don’t hesitate to email me or comment below.

Air Force

I Got a NEW Job and Ship Date

Alright….. so if you read my Quick Ship Update, you know that I’ve been waiting on a new ship date and job since I was taken out for October 2nd- and I finally have one.

I will be shipping to BMT November 20th under a guaranteed General Aptitude job area (aka open general). I definitely have mixed emotional about the whole open general thing BUT I’m just going to have faith that everything will work out the way it’s meant to be. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about recruits going in under open contracts and ending up with jobs that they hate. I’ve also heard a lot of reassuring stories about recruits ending up with medical jobs or jobs that they wanted. I’ve heard so many mixed things that I’m just going to have to go and find out myself. Fingers crossed this is how I will get the job I originally wanted- Aerospace Medical Service. I’ve also heard that going in with an open contract increases your odds at getting a medical job. Again, we’ll have to see. So I guess for the next few months I will be focusing on getting myself in shape the best I can to prepare myself for eight weeks down at Lackland. There’s also sooooo many other things I have to do- sell my car, pack up my room, pack for BMT; just to name a few šŸ˜‰

Air Force

My First DEP Call

Yesterday I had my first Delayed Entry Program (DEP) Call. DEP Calls are mandatory once a month meetings or “check-ins” with your recruiting office and fellow Deppers. Usually you’ll do a sport activity or something within the community.

We were supposed to do PT at a park, but due to the weather we ended up just hanging out at our recruiting office and had the opportunity to chat with Airmen who were home on RAP (Recruiter Assistance Program) and had just graduated their tech schools. Luckily one was female so I picked her brain about her experience at Basic Training. The Call was short because the original plan to do PT was changed but I must say after this call I feel motivated as ever. My recruiter checked my weight and I am 168 lbs. For those of you that don’t know me, I started my weight loss journey back when I had first met with my recruiter around March of this year. I was 190 lbs- the most I have EVER weighed. I just returned from Las Vegas on Tuesday morning so I was SHOCKED that I lost weight instead of gaining. My recruiter was pleased. My max weight for my height is 175 lbs and she told me that usually they want us to be 10 lbs under our max weight so I am getting there! Another very exciting part of this DEP Call was receiving my letter of acceptance and certificate of enrollment into the Community College of the Air Force. In short, the CCAF isĀ a federal program offered by the Air ForceĀ which grants two yearĀ Associate of Applied ScienceĀ degrees in association withĀ Air University. You can read more about the CCAF here.Ā  I can’t wait to one day say, “I have a degree”.

Air Force, Uncategorized

My MEPS Experience | Portland, ME

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 asĀ I predicted it to be.

I went up Thursday afternoon, stayed at a hotel up in Portland overnight with other recruits from all different branchesĀ and left Friday afternoon.Ā 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 atĀ the mainĀ 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 withĀ ten or so computers. There was a woman who led you to a computer and set you up to take your test.Ā 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.Ā Dinner was full of laughs-Ā 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 allĀ 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.
Air Force, Uncategorized

I’m Cleared to Goto MEPS!

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 šŸ˜

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

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