Simple advice for a new military recruit

Young people join the military for a number of reasons. It is a childhood dream for some and an impulsive decision for others. As one prepares for boot camp, there’s no shortage of advice from a legion of veterans to a few armchair generals. Advice can be quite conflicting too. One will tell you to never volunteer for anything, while another will tell you to volunteer for everything. An individual must assess the environment, analyze their own goals, and chart their own way forward. Quite a bit of trial and error will occur along the way. Although a number of physical hardships will accompany military service the greater challenges will be in the mental and emotional battlefield.

The degree to which something sucks will vary but this maxim holds true. In boot camp or recruit training every single day you will do something that sucks. It may be standing at attention under the glaring southern sun while bugs swarm your eyes, or low crawling through a puddle of water after you break the ice with your elbows. You could find yourself scrubbing a dozen filthy toilets right after breakfast while thinking, “I signed up to be an Intelligence Analyst.” The reason t-shirts, morale patches, and bumper stickers abound with the phrase “Embrace the Suck” is because every branch of the military and every occupational field has some aspect to it that just plain sucks. The sooner you accept, anticipate, and embrace this undeniable truth, the better off you will be.

This can be a maddening occurrence if you aren’t prepared for it. Most people want to do things that are effective and efficient, but the task should at least make sense. You can handle a difficult task that sucks if it at least makes sense. There will be times when you do something that makes absolutely no sense and in fact, it is just plain stupid. You may be assigned a time-wasting task such as mopping the sidewalk in the rain. Other times you will be required to do something your chain of command thinks is important, like wearing a reflective belt mid-day while exercising in an open field far from any vehicle. Some people will try to rationalize and justify why they are being ordered to do something that is obviously stupid. When a reasonable explanation is discovered, a great measure of buy-in is gained, however, when there is no good reason, it can drive you crazy. You will be much better off executing orders quickly without overthinking things.

There’s an old adage that one of the methods employed in boot camp is to tear you down and build you back up. There’s some truth to that. Before the military, most folks are individualists and told they are special. When you get to boot camp and get your head shaved you are told you are just like everyone else, a nobody. As part of the process, you will be spoken to harshly and instructed how to do the simplest of things, such as how to get dressed or how to shower. The best advice is to take things at face value, execute quickly, and do it to standard. Don’t allow yourself to think, “I know how to…”  Even if you know how to do a given thing, you need to learn how to do it the Army/Navy/Marine Corps way.

Not only will you be treated like an idiot, but they will also talk down to you in a most condescending tone. It’s all part of the process. You will always be junior to someone in the military and there will always be someone who talks to you that way. Some of these people are jerks who flaunt their authority, but in boot camp, it is necessary to instill the proper respect for authority. Don’t take it personal. You will serve under leaders all throughout your service who are condescending, but they will be eclipsed by the good leaders you encounter. Don’t be discouraged; take it all in stride.

Many a new recruit regretted their decision to enlist while doing push-ups or having a screaming sergeant in their face. One may be tempted to jump the fence, fake an injury or just plain quit. Don’t do it. The irrational, emotional and impulsive temptation will pass. Should you give into it, you will find not only is getting out of it more difficult than you imagined, but the lingering consequences will shadow you for many years. You will regret giving up. You may never grow to enjoy the boot camp experience, but you will be proud of the achievement once you complete it. Bottom line: the quickest way out of boot camp is to graduate.

Boot camp has many challenges, with particular nuances for each of the military branches. A few things they all share include structure, rules, and the requirement to adapt. A new recruit will be able to adapt and thrive in boot camp by accepting the advice laid out above. Some of these mental perspectives will serve you long after boot camp and may endure throughout your entire enlistment.