MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) is a giant mumble jumble of activities that one has to go through to become a future soldier! They enlist every single branch into the military and everyone goes there before heading to basic combat training; there is about 200 people there everyday. I got to experience this myself on Monday and Tuesday!!!
On Monday morning at 8:48am I met my recruiter at his office. I had packed an overnight bag the night before and wish I would have packed less things considering I had to haul the thing around for two days!!! When I got there, there was more paperwork to fill out (the paperwork is never ending) and I had to take a drug test. My mom dropped me off and shortly after she left my recruiter left to try and work things out with school. The shuttle arrived about 10:30am and all of us heading to either enlist or ship to basic got aboard to head to Kansas City, Missouri. We made a couple stops along the way to pick-up lunch and pick-up a couple other people that were heading to enlist (one in Blue Springs, MO, and one in Warrensburg, MO). We (there were nine of us total) arrived at the station around 3:30pm. Upon arrival we got checked in and then got aboard another shuttle to head to the five star Sheraton hotel. When we got to the hotel (which has four floors reserved for just military personal) we went into a little room, got briefed about the rules, got our room key, and meal vouchers. We also got assigned roommates, I was lucky and got one of the girls that I rode up to Kansas City with. I'm sure I annoyed her several different times because I drilled her with questions; she too is going for a combat medic, was heading to basic, and her husband is already in the Army. She knew a lot of information and was really helpful! I called my mom and Brandon to let them know that I arrived safely and my roommate called her husband, kids, and other family members. At 5:00pm dinner was served and I was starving so my roommate and I headed to dinner. It was really yummy, but I think anything would have been good at that point, I ordered a salad, cheeseburger, fries, cake, and a Dr Pepper. We ate with two other girls that were there (one was heading to basic for the Air Force and the other was enlisting in the Army). After dinner we headed to our room, I took a shower because we had to wake-up at 4:30am, and laid in bed being lazy and watching TV!!! I fell asleep sometime before 8:00pm (pathetic I know) and because of it I woke-up at 3:00am. I had a really hard time falling back to sleep but eventually did just to get woken-up by the alarm clock at 4:15am; it freaked me out because the alarm was a bunch of Spanish people talking and I was disoriented. I laid in bed for about five minutes and then got up to get ready. Our wake-up call was at 4:30am but both my roommate and me were already up and going!! Check-out was at 4:50am. We headed to the lobby and I was amazed by how many people were actually there. We got briefed about breakfast and everything getting checked-out of the room. Breakfast was served at 5:00am, it was good but I wasn't really hungry since I wasn't even completely awake yet (it was still dark outside). We had eggs, cereal, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, hash browns, water, orange juice, and milk. I ate a little bit of everything knowing that I wouldn't get lunch for quite a while. It was probably close to 6:30am when we all got onto the huge buses (there were two and they were both completely full). The driver turned out the lights and it was still dark outside so it was very tempting to fall asleep, I wouldn't have had time anyway because the station was less than a mile from the hotel. Instead of falling asleep I called Sergeant and I could tell that I woke him up but he deserved it! When we got to the station we all got briefed on all the rules and everything that was going to occur that day. It was kind of funny because someone behind me said something and as soon as I turned the marine got on to me; it really didn't bother me I found it more funny than anything. After the briefing I reported to that Army station got my medical file and got in line for the physical. The physical lasted almost all day (well from 7:00am till 1:00pm), but luckily I was the first one to finish and get in line so I didn't have to wait behind the hundred or so people!! We all got into a room and got told the consequences of fraudulent enlistment, and I soon learned the military principle of "hurry up and wait." After waiting all the girls got into a room and we sat, filled out more paperwork, and waited. We each had to take a breathalyzer, then get our blood pressure and heart rate taken, then we each had an individual meeting with a doctor where he checked out our ears, nose, mouth, throat, and asked a few questions. After the meeting with the doctor we waited some more! Eventually we had our eye exam (which I barely passed the far vision) then a hearing test. From there we waited some more before having our drug test, pregnancy test, and blood test. The laboratory guy hit on me a little by saying that he enjoys starting his day off with a pretty lady that is doing something with her life and is easy to draw blood from!! That cheered me up a little from being with a bunch of girls all day! After the laboratory tests we all got into the girls room and got weighed and height measured (I was below my weight but she bumped me up so that it wouldn't disqualify me; I'm excited because it means that I get to pig out on food before basic starts). After that we had undie olympics (we girls had to get down in our undies and do a bunch of stretching and flexibility exercises, ie. the duck walk). After undie olympics we had another doctor appointment. This time he checked out heart, lungs, abdomen, and all the other important body parts. After that we were finally done!! The put all of us girls in one giant room and it was boring so while sitting and waiting for all the medical parts we talked and talked and laughed and talked a little more, we got in trouble four or five times because of it. They should of known the consequences of putting us all in the same room!!! It was time for lunch and by that time I was starving. Lunch was planet sub, sub sandwiches. I had no appetite even though I was hungry and wasn't able to eat anything (I was anxious about signing my contract). After lunch I reported back to the Army office. I began to panic at this time, I filled out some forms and disclosures and then he had to call the big dogs to get my job and get airborne. I was on the brink of tears at this time so I headed to the bathroom called Sergeant Carroll and my mom to calm me down. It succeeded but by that time my exhaustion and nerves caught up to me and I was super emotion the rest of the contract signing period! I went back to the office and he was still on hold waiting to hear anything, finally he got through and he my job 68whiskey/healthcare specialist/combat medic and somehow someway he was able to get me airborne (airborne is a huge honor and really hard to get so everyone was surprised and really proud that I was able to get it). After getting my job he went over the rules, talked more about fraudulent enlistment, and asked about my criminal background, he then went over my contract with me and got it saved in the system (you don't actually sign it until after being sworn in). I had to go get another physical for the airborne portion, so I headed back to the medical department and waited. I got an eye exam (had to depict colors from far away like I was above a runway), got my ears checked (while popped), and got asked some more questions. I passed so after that was over I headed to security clearance to get questioned some more about my past, get a beneficiary assigning and more information in case something were to happen to me and then I got fingerprinted. The fingerprinting machine was being stupid and didn't really want to work so it took a couple of times but eventually it went through! All through the process staff kept telling me how proud they were of me for getting combat medic and airborne (two honors that are extremely hard to get). After everything was said and down it was time to wait to get sworn in. Swear in was at 3:00pm (I was done with everything by 2:40pm). They asked us if we were sure we knew what we were getting into, asked if we were here by our own free will, and taught us how to stand at attention and at ease. I got laughed at by everyone in the room (there was nine of us) because I took a big breath and everyone heard me)!!! The guy that was swearing us in came in and started; it flew by so quickly and felt amazing!!! After being sworn in we went into a little room to sign our contract, we all talked and were all pretty in awe of everything!! I headed back to the Army office to turn in part of the paperwork, I got a future soldier id card, t-shirt, backpack, bumper stickers, magazine, and book for family. I called my Sergeant Carroll and my mom to tell them that everything was done. I got a congrats from Sergeant but my mom freaked out. I called back a little but later to check and make sure she was okay. Brandon called me after and I told him about everything. After all was said and done I sat and waited for the others that were heading back with me to finish!! It was around 4:30pm when everyone was done and I was one of the two that actually got sworn in (there was six of us heading back). The drive took forever (we went through Sedelia to drop people off) and we finally made it home around 8:15pm. Upon arriving at the office Sergeant Carroll told me congratulations and had to get copies of all my paperwork, he also told me to come on Thursday at 11:00am to have orientation into the Future Soldiers of America program. I was starving since all the nerves were gone and excitement was in the air so I ate and I pigged out on some Sonic!!! I went to bed early (around 9:00pm) and slept all night long and until 12:00pm the next day (waking-up at 4:00am is tiring but I better get used to it since I have to do it everyday at Basic). I'm still excited and can't wait to start the journey, I've been told by a lot of people that they are proud of me which makes me feel really good and I really don't feel like I've done anything to deserve proudness. Basic will be starting before I know it and I can't wait for the journey to begin, I will make sure and update everyone!!
On Monday morning at 8:48am I met my recruiter at his office. I had packed an overnight bag the night before and wish I would have packed less things considering I had to haul the thing around for two days!!! When I got there, there was more paperwork to fill out (the paperwork is never ending) and I had to take a drug test. My mom dropped me off and shortly after she left my recruiter left to try and work things out with school. The shuttle arrived about 10:30am and all of us heading to either enlist or ship to basic got aboard to head to Kansas City, Missouri. We made a couple stops along the way to pick-up lunch and pick-up a couple other people that were heading to enlist (one in Blue Springs, MO, and one in Warrensburg, MO). We (there were nine of us total) arrived at the station around 3:30pm. Upon arrival we got checked in and then got aboard another shuttle to head to the five star Sheraton hotel. When we got to the hotel (which has four floors reserved for just military personal) we went into a little room, got briefed about the rules, got our room key, and meal vouchers. We also got assigned roommates, I was lucky and got one of the girls that I rode up to Kansas City with. I'm sure I annoyed her several different times because I drilled her with questions; she too is going for a combat medic, was heading to basic, and her husband is already in the Army. She knew a lot of information and was really helpful! I called my mom and Brandon to let them know that I arrived safely and my roommate called her husband, kids, and other family members. At 5:00pm dinner was served and I was starving so my roommate and I headed to dinner. It was really yummy, but I think anything would have been good at that point, I ordered a salad, cheeseburger, fries, cake, and a Dr Pepper. We ate with two other girls that were there (one was heading to basic for the Air Force and the other was enlisting in the Army). After dinner we headed to our room, I took a shower because we had to wake-up at 4:30am, and laid in bed being lazy and watching TV!!! I fell asleep sometime before 8:00pm (pathetic I know) and because of it I woke-up at 3:00am. I had a really hard time falling back to sleep but eventually did just to get woken-up by the alarm clock at 4:15am; it freaked me out because the alarm was a bunch of Spanish people talking and I was disoriented. I laid in bed for about five minutes and then got up to get ready. Our wake-up call was at 4:30am but both my roommate and me were already up and going!! Check-out was at 4:50am. We headed to the lobby and I was amazed by how many people were actually there. We got briefed about breakfast and everything getting checked-out of the room. Breakfast was served at 5:00am, it was good but I wasn't really hungry since I wasn't even completely awake yet (it was still dark outside). We had eggs, cereal, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, hash browns, water, orange juice, and milk. I ate a little bit of everything knowing that I wouldn't get lunch for quite a while. It was probably close to 6:30am when we all got onto the huge buses (there were two and they were both completely full). The driver turned out the lights and it was still dark outside so it was very tempting to fall asleep, I wouldn't have had time anyway because the station was less than a mile from the hotel. Instead of falling asleep I called Sergeant and I could tell that I woke him up but he deserved it! When we got to the station we all got briefed on all the rules and everything that was going to occur that day. It was kind of funny because someone behind me said something and as soon as I turned the marine got on to me; it really didn't bother me I found it more funny than anything. After the briefing I reported to that Army station got my medical file and got in line for the physical. The physical lasted almost all day (well from 7:00am till 1:00pm), but luckily I was the first one to finish and get in line so I didn't have to wait behind the hundred or so people!! We all got into a room and got told the consequences of fraudulent enlistment, and I soon learned the military principle of "hurry up and wait." After waiting all the girls got into a room and we sat, filled out more paperwork, and waited. We each had to take a breathalyzer, then get our blood pressure and heart rate taken, then we each had an individual meeting with a doctor where he checked out our ears, nose, mouth, throat, and asked a few questions. After the meeting with the doctor we waited some more! Eventually we had our eye exam (which I barely passed the far vision) then a hearing test. From there we waited some more before having our drug test, pregnancy test, and blood test. The laboratory guy hit on me a little by saying that he enjoys starting his day off with a pretty lady that is doing something with her life and is easy to draw blood from!! That cheered me up a little from being with a bunch of girls all day! After the laboratory tests we all got into the girls room and got weighed and height measured (I was below my weight but she bumped me up so that it wouldn't disqualify me; I'm excited because it means that I get to pig out on food before basic starts). After that we had undie olympics (we girls had to get down in our undies and do a bunch of stretching and flexibility exercises, ie. the duck walk). After undie olympics we had another doctor appointment. This time he checked out heart, lungs, abdomen, and all the other important body parts. After that we were finally done!! The put all of us girls in one giant room and it was boring so while sitting and waiting for all the medical parts we talked and talked and laughed and talked a little more, we got in trouble four or five times because of it. They should of known the consequences of putting us all in the same room!!! It was time for lunch and by that time I was starving. Lunch was planet sub, sub sandwiches. I had no appetite even though I was hungry and wasn't able to eat anything (I was anxious about signing my contract). After lunch I reported back to the Army office. I began to panic at this time, I filled out some forms and disclosures and then he had to call the big dogs to get my job and get airborne. I was on the brink of tears at this time so I headed to the bathroom called Sergeant Carroll and my mom to calm me down. It succeeded but by that time my exhaustion and nerves caught up to me and I was super emotion the rest of the contract signing period! I went back to the office and he was still on hold waiting to hear anything, finally he got through and he my job 68whiskey/healthcare specialist/combat medic and somehow someway he was able to get me airborne (airborne is a huge honor and really hard to get so everyone was surprised and really proud that I was able to get it). After getting my job he went over the rules, talked more about fraudulent enlistment, and asked about my criminal background, he then went over my contract with me and got it saved in the system (you don't actually sign it until after being sworn in). I had to go get another physical for the airborne portion, so I headed back to the medical department and waited. I got an eye exam (had to depict colors from far away like I was above a runway), got my ears checked (while popped), and got asked some more questions. I passed so after that was over I headed to security clearance to get questioned some more about my past, get a beneficiary assigning and more information in case something were to happen to me and then I got fingerprinted. The fingerprinting machine was being stupid and didn't really want to work so it took a couple of times but eventually it went through! All through the process staff kept telling me how proud they were of me for getting combat medic and airborne (two honors that are extremely hard to get). After everything was said and down it was time to wait to get sworn in. Swear in was at 3:00pm (I was done with everything by 2:40pm). They asked us if we were sure we knew what we were getting into, asked if we were here by our own free will, and taught us how to stand at attention and at ease. I got laughed at by everyone in the room (there was nine of us) because I took a big breath and everyone heard me)!!! The guy that was swearing us in came in and started; it flew by so quickly and felt amazing!!! After being sworn in we went into a little room to sign our contract, we all talked and were all pretty in awe of everything!! I headed back to the Army office to turn in part of the paperwork, I got a future soldier id card, t-shirt, backpack, bumper stickers, magazine, and book for family. I called my Sergeant Carroll and my mom to tell them that everything was done. I got a congrats from Sergeant but my mom freaked out. I called back a little but later to check and make sure she was okay. Brandon called me after and I told him about everything. After all was said and done I sat and waited for the others that were heading back with me to finish!! It was around 4:30pm when everyone was done and I was one of the two that actually got sworn in (there was six of us heading back). The drive took forever (we went through Sedelia to drop people off) and we finally made it home around 8:15pm. Upon arriving at the office Sergeant Carroll told me congratulations and had to get copies of all my paperwork, he also told me to come on Thursday at 11:00am to have orientation into the Future Soldiers of America program. I was starving since all the nerves were gone and excitement was in the air so I ate and I pigged out on some Sonic!!! I went to bed early (around 9:00pm) and slept all night long and until 12:00pm the next day (waking-up at 4:00am is tiring but I better get used to it since I have to do it everyday at Basic). I'm still excited and can't wait to start the journey, I've been told by a lot of people that they are proud of me which makes me feel really good and I really don't feel like I've done anything to deserve proudness. Basic will be starting before I know it and I can't wait for the journey to begin, I will make sure and update everyone!!
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