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10:46 P.M.
24th July, 2002
Auburn, Indiana
 
So I met with an Army recruiter today, and it went well enough for me to not even bother talking to any other branch. I know that the Army is the right choice for me. And I know that the Infantry is the right choice too. The recruiter was surprised that I was so certain of what job I wanted to do; he said that usually people in high school still have no idea what it is they actually want to do. But he was an Infantryman, so I think he understood why I wanted to be an 11 Bravo, the MOS code they use for the Infantry. I have to wait until I turn seventeen before I can officially go to the MEPS station and sign up, but my birthday is during the weekend, so I’ll have to wait until the 30th of this month.

I did complete most of my paper work, and mom and dad were both there to sign off on me. So now I’m just waiting for everything to get processed. It’s a good feeling to know that I’m finally going to have a purpose and goal to look forward too. I think that it’s going to make this last semester of school go by a lot easier. I know that when I’m finished with school, I can completely focus on preparing for basic training and whatever else the Army will have to throw at me.

The recruiter said that since I wouldn’t actually be considered a graduate until June I would have to wait before I could leave for the Army, even though I’ll actually finish school in January. That is not really a big deal, since I can just keep working at my grocery store job while I try and get in to better shape. I’m not in bad shape; I’m just not all that strong. I’ve played baseball my whole life, so I’m athletic, but I also only weigh about 160 pounds and I’m six feet tall. Needless to say, I have trouble doing pushups. Hopefully, if I work at it, I’ll be able to get better at them before I leave.
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After I sign up, I’ll be considered a part of the Army, but I’ll just be a member of the Delayed Entry Program, or DEP. We meet once a week and learn as much basic Army stuff as we can, and practice doing drill and ceremony. That actually sounds like it will be fun and it will give me something to do during the week besides just working and going to school. I want to make the most of it and learn as much as I can in order to be as ready as I can be when I get to basic training. My dad has mentioned how it is best if your Drill Sergeants don’t even know your name, and the best way to do that is to not get in trouble and to know what you’re doing; sounds like that is what I’ll be shooting for then.

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