I've decided to start a blog to remind me of my thoughts as a civilian when I became an Army Officer. I will describe the process of becoming an OCS candidate and I hope to continue this blog after I join. I plan on being as honest as possible in this blog, so don't bash me for saying my personal thoughts. Below are the contents regarding my decision to join the Army in the summer of 2009.
The year 2009 was an unforgettable year for the 2009 college graduates. Due to the financial crisis, the United States was faced with a recession that dwarfed the previous recessions since the 1930's. The graduates of 2009 were faced with one of the highest unemployment rates for over a decade with nearly 80% of the people returning home from college unemployed. As I write this blog (Feb 2010), the unemployment rate is still bad (10%), but this figure excludes those that have menial jobs and those that have part-time jobs. I was among the students that got their job offers canceled due to the downsizing of companies in the US. What was worse, many experts believed that the recession was going to last for years, perhaps past 2012. This recession was probably the driving force behind the reason that I chose to join the Army as a college graduate.
Don't get me wrong. I have always had a strong sense of patriotism. While in high school, I wanted to join the Marines so that I could help defend the country against our assailants. I have always loved the military culture and respected veterans for serving our country. I would have ended up joining earlier as an enlisted if my parents were not so adamant about me graduating college first. While attending college, I began to change my dreams and goals since it seemed the war was coming to a close and I began to lose my motivation for join the military. Perhaps I should thank the recession for reaffirming my childhood dream.
While I was attending college, I did look into joining the military time to time, so I knew exactly where I had to start. I did a bit of research about the military, learned about the pros and cons, and destroyed any doubts I had about joining. Now, I had to decide which branch to get into.
Considering how I wanted to join full time, my options were the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines. I wanted to join as an officer and needed to be "outstanding" when it came to the fitness tests. I also knew that the marines needed to do 20 pull ups and run 3 miles in about 18 minutes to get a perfect on their fitness test. Although I felt that I was "above average" in fitness, this was too much. I certainly did not want to become an officer that trailed behind the enlisted. Although I felt that I was more than qualified to join the marines as an enlisted, I had no confidence in doing the 10 pull ups required to pass the fitness test required for Officer Candidate applicants.
Three reasons made me decide not to join the Navy. I nearly drowned twice during my life and therefore am uncomfortable near large bodies of water (especially since I barely know how to swim). I mean, I go to the beach or the pool time to time, but I don't want it to be part of my lifestyle. The second reason was because I did not like the idea of being in a cramped environment. The other reason was the... sensitive issue involving homosexuality. I am simply trying to be completely honest so don't bash me for writing the following. Now, I know that many people consider it to be a joke or simply a rumor when it comes to homosexuals in the Navy. However, there has been a historical relationship between homosexuality and sailors in the past. This was most likely because of the lack of females on the ships along with the length of time the men had to go without sex back in the conservative days where all the sailors were men. I'm not sure if there is a higher rate of homosexual activities among the Navy personnel today than in the other branches. However, I am a person that believes that most rumors partially originate from truths. Now, I don't mind working with homosexuals in a normal work environment. I certainly wouldn't treat a homosexual differently in ordinary circumstances. However, in the military, we're going to be taking showers naked together and it will effect my morale if someone was staring at my body with appreciation. There is a reason why males and females go to separate bathrooms and it would be similarly unsettling if I was butt naked with homosexuals.
I certainly had the GPA and physical requirements for the Air Force. I also knew that the Air Force was more comfortable and had a lower chance of death in action compared to the other branches. I suppose I was rather ambivalent when it came to choosing between the Army and the Air Force. However, the one thing that really bugged me was the belief that I'd come out as Homer Simpson after joining the Air Force. The fitness test in the Air Force is made so that the (frail and weak) math majors can pass. I wanted to become fit and strong in the military and I wasn't sure if the Air Force had the discipline and the workload to make me the person I wanted to become. In addition, the Air Force has a lot of pride in rejecting Officer Candidate School applicants. I wanted to be absolutely sure that I would be an officer in the US military and the uncertainty played a part in deterring me from applying.
With all that in mind, I went ahead and called my local Army recruiter. It was this phone call that was going to set everything in motion.
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