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Originally Posted by JALU3
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Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
Most of what you need to consider has been said, so I'll just calm your mind on one thing: Don't worry about whether you're in shape or not. Boot camp will take care of that.
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However, being in shape helps. But I knew people who were in excellent physical shape, but couldn't take the mental pressure and molding that happens in BCT. |
I'll agree with that. The biggest downside of boot camp, as you've already heard, is the awareness that there is no escape and, as just mentioned, the pressure. Just remember that the goal of boot camp isn't to make you into a man, but to make you into a machine. The individuality returns when you get into a specialty school, but those first few weeks are specifically designed to make everyone as equal as possible. You wear the same clothes, and "you WILL fold them this way" (there is no "or else", you just do it). You march in step, both on the drill field and off, you do what you're told when you're told. That's the down side.
The up side is both positive and negative. The positive is that you will be sent to interesting places and, if you use your brain at all, be given interesting things to do. The negative is that while individual thinking can be needed, it's not usually encouraged. The military will guarantee that you always have a job, pay, food and shelter, so you very rarely have to worry about anything. They will also guarantee that you have a lot less freedom of thought, speech, action and movement than you're used to. It's a big tradeoff, and it's not for everybody. Myself, I miss my time at sea and wish I had stayed in on that account. On the other hand, while I miss the ocean, I don't miss the navy itself one single bit.