Hold on! Who said it’s all about murder?

The military isn’t the way you see it on tv, and here’s my experience.

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Nicole Witkowicz, Contributor

The military isn’t the way you see it on tv, and here’s my experience.

Nicole Witkowicz sitting outside of Fort Dix Entrance.

The military was always the last resort for me, honestly like a plan “z” if that even exists. What I saw on tv was crazy! The yelling, spitting, and the kind of pressure that came with the Army was just something that always scared me. Don’t even get me started with going to war, and all the deaths many soldiers witness. That is just so scary, and why would anyone want to do that?

Well, those were all the thoughts that came into my head since I was a kid, but let me tell you, I was very wrong. As I grew older I learned that you must try everything, or at least give it a chance, right? I mean honestly, who wants to go through life being in the same place and doing the same thing all the time? It would drive me crazy!  Anyway, I guess I should get to the story of how I became a Mortuary Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Army. 

So one day out of the blue, as I was home, I got a text asking me if I was interested in joining the Army. Of course, in the beginning, I was very hesitant because of what I had seen on tv in the past, so I left the text on a “maybe”. They ended up giving me a call, and explained the process of enlistment to me. 

The first thing they made me do was to take a test (ASVAB)! I thought to myself, “Fine, I will take it for fun and see how well I might do.” They sent out a recruiter, a working member of the Army who helps enlist the newbies, who drove me to their office where I took my first test (ASVAB). 

What I didn’t know is how well I actually did! I ended up getting a shocking score of 88 out of 99. Why was this shocking? Well, it is because the average score is around the 50s and 60s. So, they ended up showing me all of the jobs I could apply for, and the process. 

Did you know there are so many different jobs in the Army? You can work in an office, work in mechanics with machines and trucks, or even work in carpentry. The amount of what you can do is amazing, and the higher you score, the more job options you earn! Of course, being the nerd I am, I got a medical job, which is something I never thought I could achieve because, man, medicine is hard!

                                          

Anyway, you have multiple options you can choose from and you can decide how far you would like to be from your job. I mean, they won’t drag you out over a certain millage, and you can stay home! You would serve one weekend a month on a fully made 1-year flexible schedule. Well, what do I mean and where’s this information coming from? 

In the military, you have two areas, the reserves, and active duty. In the reserves, you stay in your state or somewhere close and only work one weekend a month. In active duty, you can work in different states or countries where the army needs you, but this does not mean you have to go out and fight into war. In reserves, you can be in college, work, and serve at the same time! A completely normal life with just a little Army in it. 

The other difference between active duty and reserves though is the fact that you must serve six years, while in active duty you can choose to serve just four. For someone young, this is a great opportunity, and there are also many cash benefits, but everything is applied depending on what you do and how. 

Afterward, I was told that at a later date I would be taken farther out a week or so from now to see if I am fully eligible to join. And of course, knowing me, I said, “Heck ya!  Let’s do it!”  Two weeks later, another recruiter from the Army was sent to my house to pick me up, and drove me two hours to the main base in NJ, named Fort Dix, where I would be doing all my other testing and paperwork. See, after you take your first test (ASVAB) at the recruiting office, you must take the verification test at Fort Dix, to assure the military that you took the test at the recruiting station and no one else took it for you. 

Let’s not forget the personality test to… um… make sure you aren’t crazy? Ahem, anyhow, due to the amount of time the testing takes, unfortunately there comes a lot of waiting. This means you must stay the night to do the actual physical in the morning. Where do you stay? Well, on the bright side, the Army accommodates a double-bed hotel room for you and a roommate. Not just that, but they serve you breakfast and dinner too! 

In the physical, they check your eyesight, draw blood, and test your hearing, health, and mobility. All of this is necessary for you to qualify and, the great part is, you will be spending many hours of the day there! You have until 3 pm to complete everything and enlist by oath. 

How the dreary part ends

Towards the end, you will watch a video explaining what will happen when completing your enlistment, and the rules and regulations you must accept. Finally, a civilian who works at the building will show you how to “Stationary Drill”, which involves three immobile positions of respect which you will switch in between when someone is speaking. The two you must learn quickly are “attention” and “at ease” before the completion of your oath. Afterward, you will repeat the oath with a commissioned officer and then you have joined the army just like me!