Today I swore in at MEPS. I was there all day (5am-4pm), and most of it was spent waiting. Got my body, height and weight checked (in my underwear, again). Waited for about 2 hours, ate lunch (a sub sandwich that was provided), waited 2 more hours, got my fingerprints done, and then said the oath and swore in. Today was a "Ship Out" day so there were LOTS of enlisted folks with bags headed out to basic. Not much of an exciting day. Next stop is the flight physical.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Select!
I was informed on September 10 2012 by my recruiter that I was the only Pilot Select in the 344th Recruiting Squadron. The news was supposed to come on Wednesday September 5th, but it got delayed. Yeah, that was a tough wait. Happiness, shock, excitement; all words I experienced in that moment I got the call. I really didn't hear much after she told me the news; It was hard to finish the day.
I can't believe my life has changed so quickly, at least it feels as though it's been quick. In reality I have been waiting on this decision for almost a year. It's hard to really think about how much me and my family's life will change in the next year and beyond.
I honestly thought I would be selected as a CSO. I thought I had a pretty good package but it's easy to second guess yourself when a majority of the graded measures are dependent on subjective factors (LORs, Resume, PS, etc...). I am more than humbled by the fact that I will be a pilot in the US Air Force. I remember visiting my father in Colorado Springs and how he would tell me that all the "Hot Shots" went "there", as he pointed to the Air Force Academy's Chapel. The feeling of seeing those cadets march, to see the pride and discipline; even at age 11 that had a big impact on me.
I didn't live my teenage and adult life focused on becoming an Air Force Officer, but it was always in the back of my mind. Having kids tends to make you stick to something and get it done for your family, but as my wife can attest to, I contemplated, more than once, going enlisted; it was just never the right decision for our family.
Now that I'm (almost) in, I am more than looking forward to the challenge of OTS, IFS, UPT, etc, etc... I'm ready to leave a legacy for my family and am honored to be given the opportunity to serve and protect not only them, but the entire nation.
I think I want to continue this blog as far as I can through my experiences of OTS, IFS, and UPT. I'm looking forward to this life changing opportunity.
I can't believe my life has changed so quickly, at least it feels as though it's been quick. In reality I have been waiting on this decision for almost a year. It's hard to really think about how much me and my family's life will change in the next year and beyond.
I honestly thought I would be selected as a CSO. I thought I had a pretty good package but it's easy to second guess yourself when a majority of the graded measures are dependent on subjective factors (LORs, Resume, PS, etc...). I am more than humbled by the fact that I will be a pilot in the US Air Force. I remember visiting my father in Colorado Springs and how he would tell me that all the "Hot Shots" went "there", as he pointed to the Air Force Academy's Chapel. The feeling of seeing those cadets march, to see the pride and discipline; even at age 11 that had a big impact on me.
I didn't live my teenage and adult life focused on becoming an Air Force Officer, but it was always in the back of my mind. Having kids tends to make you stick to something and get it done for your family, but as my wife can attest to, I contemplated, more than once, going enlisted; it was just never the right decision for our family.
Now that I'm (almost) in, I am more than looking forward to the challenge of OTS, IFS, UPT, etc, etc... I'm ready to leave a legacy for my family and am honored to be given the opportunity to serve and protect not only them, but the entire nation.
I think I want to continue this blog as far as I can through my experiences of OTS, IFS, and UPT. I'm looking forward to this life changing opportunity.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Application Soon to be Reviewed by OTS Board
My package has been gone for a few months now just sitting somewhere waiting to get reviewed by a few colonels. The OTS board will be meeting in about 12 days to decide our fates (August 13-17). By the time I find out if I was selected or not it will have been almost a year since I first talked to my recruiter. That's why this wait has been easy for me. There is nothing I can do to better my chances now anyway.
I got a summer job as a pizza delivery guy so that has made time really fly by for me. My next post will either be titled "Select!" or "Non-Select...". See you on the other side.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Interview Complete
I had my interview yesterday and it went well. I met with both a 1st Lt. and the Commander of the recruiting squadron. They were very adamant about me talking to my wife about what time away is going to be like in the Air Force. Since then I have been researching TDYs, Deployments, and PCSs. It is quite a lot to take in.
The best part of the interview was the questions I asked. This so-called interview was really a review of my application to give me tips on how to make it stand out. I made sure to do all the things I was supposed to (like dress to impress, shave, etc...) and I think it went very well.
Next stop is to finish tying up the loose ends of my package and submitting it to the board.
The best part of the interview was the questions I asked. This so-called interview was really a review of my application to give me tips on how to make it stand out. I made sure to do all the things I was supposed to (like dress to impress, shave, etc...) and I think it went very well.
Next stop is to finish tying up the loose ends of my package and submitting it to the board.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
MEPS Physical
I finished my MEPS physical on Wednesday 3-7-12. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, all of us were herded like cattle. Yes, it was very bureaucratic. However, they all have a stressful job to do funneling tons of 17 and 18 year olds through a series of many medical exercises and tests. Here is a brief rundown of what happened that day:
Check-In: I showed up in Dallas at 4:45. Before I got out of my car I drank SO much water because I knew that I would have to pee in a cup and I didn't want to be the poor soul that had to come back another day because I couldn't pee in a cup. The check-in was a bit different than when I took the AFOQT. There was a very nice Captain that greeted us and gave us all the instructions. I was one of the first ones to arrive because I drove myself from my house. He instructed us to stand in rows of 4 shoulder to shoulder and for all the "physical only" people to get up front. So I was about 5th in line. Then the first 8 were instructed to go up the elevator. When we got there we were told to go to our branch liaison (Air Force for me) and then to the cafeteria. Then we were given our medical files and told to go to the front desk. The guy at the desk was really pissed because apparently my file wasn't ready. I had no idea what was going on but he was angrily shuffling papers around and stapling stuff. After a few minutes he handed me my file and instructed me to get in line for medical.
Medical Stuff: There are plenty of sites that give the specifics on each department and test they do in medical so I'm just going to lay out a brief overview of what happened to me.
Hearing Test: I was ushered into the back part of the facility. I got in line to get my fingerprint scanned and medical file reviewed. Then I was told to go to the first room which was a small sound-proof booth with 10 stools. I was number 4. We wore some headphones and used a Jeopardy clicker to record our results. The only thing I have to say about this is that they should get clickers that don't make noise. I mean I felt like that was all I could hear most of the time. 10 guys clicking at a furious rate. The headphones were definitively not sound proof...I passed with a very minimal (5 dec.?) hearing loss in the extreme high and low ranges.
Side Note: After we were done all ten of us got a dot sticker. I have no idea why, but it ended up being the most awesome thing ever.
Briefing: We were told to wait in a chair for our eye exams, but ended up being told to cram into a room with a projector to be briefed. By this time I was starting to feel that water I had drunk earlier...So basically the guy just read off a bunch of laws verbatim about falsifying records. I thought this is going to go by so fast, but then he said "this will take about an hour"...nice.
"Are You Drunk?" and Private (butt) Exam: When we were finally finished with signing and bubbling in all those papers one of the proctors said "Congratulations to those of you with a dot. You've just won the lottery". I still have no idea why, but if you had a dot on that day you were always the next person to go in and get your stuff done no matter how many people were in line ahead of you. Pretty cool for me because I had a dot. Anyway, by this time my bladder was about to explode. I could barley get out of the chair. We were told to line up (dots first) and do a Breathalyzer test. After that I was the first person to get my private consultation and exam. The doctor was very nice and she asked me a bunch of different medical questions. After that she checked my ears (Valsalva maneuver), throat, teeth, and eyes. Next was the rectal exam and hernia exam. I had to go SO bad that I asked if I could go ahead and do the urinalysis. They said that I might as well wait if I can, so I said I would if I could make it. There was another military guy in there to make sure there was no funny business. Yeah it was awkward, but I think people make it out to be WAY worse than it really is. The docs know it is awkward and so the do a good job of getting it over with. THERE IS NO INSERTION, WEIRDOS!
Urinalysis: When we got in there the guy said "How you guys doing?" then the guy next to me said "Fine, how are you?" the other guy looks at him with a raised eyebrow and says "Really? I'm watching guys pee all day". So yeah you step on these squares in front of a urinal and pee in a cup in front of a dude. 3 of us did it at the same time so that was better than that poor soul that had to do it by himself.
Blood Work: Self explanatory. I was in and out with my dot.
Eye Exam: I forgot to wear my contacts because I never wear them anymore. My vision isn't bad so I wasn't concerned about this. However the damn Depth Perception (Circle Test) was horrible! I never did get how to see the circles that pop out. I guessed on all of the B section and ended up failing. I'm not worried thought because I saw my civilian eye doc right after I got out of MEPS and he gave me a much better DP test with special 3D glasses and I aced it. They said I have 20/20 vision when I know I don't...
Exercises: This was the final exercise. We had to get in our underwear and stand with a bunch of other dudes as we got examined by a doc, weighted, measured, and told to do lots of really silly exercises. One guy fainted (I think he locked his knees). We had to stop the process but the proctor was determined to finish as fast as possible so he told us all to do the rest of the exercises using only half the room. 5 minutes later I was dressed with medical file in hand. I was told "Mr. Smith you are fit for service in the US Air Force", and with that I was almost done. Just had to turn all my stuff into the medical counter and that was that. I was done by 10am. Their parting words were "You're a teacher? So then you know what we go through everyday.". Too true, too true.
Check-In: I showed up in Dallas at 4:45. Before I got out of my car I drank SO much water because I knew that I would have to pee in a cup and I didn't want to be the poor soul that had to come back another day because I couldn't pee in a cup. The check-in was a bit different than when I took the AFOQT. There was a very nice Captain that greeted us and gave us all the instructions. I was one of the first ones to arrive because I drove myself from my house. He instructed us to stand in rows of 4 shoulder to shoulder and for all the "physical only" people to get up front. So I was about 5th in line. Then the first 8 were instructed to go up the elevator. When we got there we were told to go to our branch liaison (Air Force for me) and then to the cafeteria. Then we were given our medical files and told to go to the front desk. The guy at the desk was really pissed because apparently my file wasn't ready. I had no idea what was going on but he was angrily shuffling papers around and stapling stuff. After a few minutes he handed me my file and instructed me to get in line for medical.
Medical Stuff: There are plenty of sites that give the specifics on each department and test they do in medical so I'm just going to lay out a brief overview of what happened to me.
Hearing Test: I was ushered into the back part of the facility. I got in line to get my fingerprint scanned and medical file reviewed. Then I was told to go to the first room which was a small sound-proof booth with 10 stools. I was number 4. We wore some headphones and used a Jeopardy clicker to record our results. The only thing I have to say about this is that they should get clickers that don't make noise. I mean I felt like that was all I could hear most of the time. 10 guys clicking at a furious rate. The headphones were definitively not sound proof...I passed with a very minimal (5 dec.?) hearing loss in the extreme high and low ranges.
Side Note: After we were done all ten of us got a dot sticker. I have no idea why, but it ended up being the most awesome thing ever.
Briefing: We were told to wait in a chair for our eye exams, but ended up being told to cram into a room with a projector to be briefed. By this time I was starting to feel that water I had drunk earlier...So basically the guy just read off a bunch of laws verbatim about falsifying records. I thought this is going to go by so fast, but then he said "this will take about an hour"...nice.
"Are You Drunk?" and Private (butt) Exam: When we were finally finished with signing and bubbling in all those papers one of the proctors said "Congratulations to those of you with a dot. You've just won the lottery". I still have no idea why, but if you had a dot on that day you were always the next person to go in and get your stuff done no matter how many people were in line ahead of you. Pretty cool for me because I had a dot. Anyway, by this time my bladder was about to explode. I could barley get out of the chair. We were told to line up (dots first) and do a Breathalyzer test. After that I was the first person to get my private consultation and exam. The doctor was very nice and she asked me a bunch of different medical questions. After that she checked my ears (Valsalva maneuver), throat, teeth, and eyes. Next was the rectal exam and hernia exam. I had to go SO bad that I asked if I could go ahead and do the urinalysis. They said that I might as well wait if I can, so I said I would if I could make it. There was another military guy in there to make sure there was no funny business. Yeah it was awkward, but I think people make it out to be WAY worse than it really is. The docs know it is awkward and so the do a good job of getting it over with. THERE IS NO INSERTION, WEIRDOS!
Urinalysis: When we got in there the guy said "How you guys doing?" then the guy next to me said "Fine, how are you?" the other guy looks at him with a raised eyebrow and says "Really? I'm watching guys pee all day". So yeah you step on these squares in front of a urinal and pee in a cup in front of a dude. 3 of us did it at the same time so that was better than that poor soul that had to do it by himself.
Blood Work: Self explanatory. I was in and out with my dot.
Eye Exam: I forgot to wear my contacts because I never wear them anymore. My vision isn't bad so I wasn't concerned about this. However the damn Depth Perception (Circle Test) was horrible! I never did get how to see the circles that pop out. I guessed on all of the B section and ended up failing. I'm not worried thought because I saw my civilian eye doc right after I got out of MEPS and he gave me a much better DP test with special 3D glasses and I aced it. They said I have 20/20 vision when I know I don't...
Exercises: This was the final exercise. We had to get in our underwear and stand with a bunch of other dudes as we got examined by a doc, weighted, measured, and told to do lots of really silly exercises. One guy fainted (I think he locked his knees). We had to stop the process but the proctor was determined to finish as fast as possible so he told us all to do the rest of the exercises using only half the room. 5 minutes later I was dressed with medical file in hand. I was told "Mr. Smith you are fit for service in the US Air Force", and with that I was almost done. Just had to turn all my stuff into the medical counter and that was that. I was done by 10am. Their parting words were "You're a teacher? So then you know what we go through everyday.". Too true, too true.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Scores and What's Left
I got all of my scores back and here they are:
AFOQT: 98 Pilot, 98 Navigator, 98 Academic Aptitude, 92 Verbal, 96 Quantitative (98/98/98/92/96)
PCSM:84
I am definitely disappointed in my PCSM score. I was hoping for a 90 or above. The TBAS kicked my butt. I will definitely retake if I don't get selected.
Waiting on my recruiter to confirm my MEPS date for Feb. 14th. I'll update when I know more.
AFOQT: 98 Pilot, 98 Navigator, 98 Academic Aptitude, 92 Verbal, 96 Quantitative (98/98/98/92/96)
PCSM:84
I am definitely disappointed in my PCSM score. I was hoping for a 90 or above. The TBAS kicked my butt. I will definitely retake if I don't get selected.
Waiting on my recruiter to confirm my MEPS date for Feb. 14th. I'll update when I know more.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Running
Today I ran my first "all out" mile and a half since November...It wasn't very good. You lose a lot after being away from running for a couple months. You can follow my running activities on Runkeeper.
When I was in high school my best sport was track. I grew up on a farm and so I grew up in a small school. Of course there are pros and cons to that, but one of the greatest things for me was that I was able to be in EVERYTHING! I played football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and track. I'm not athletically built (short and a little on the puny side), so I had a hard time being the star of any team sport. Track was different. I was able to make Varsity my sophomore year in the 400m, 800m, and 4X400m.
So I'm not bad at short/middle distances. Running a 1.5 mile is a bit of a long distance run for me. I'm trying to keep it at a good pace, though, so that I can be in the 8 minute club one day.
Today I ran a 1.5 mile in 10:53. My best was a 9:51 a few months ago. My 1st goal is to get back to under 10 minutes. My ultimate goal is to be under 9 minutes...Here's to wishful thinking.
When I was in high school my best sport was track. I grew up on a farm and so I grew up in a small school. Of course there are pros and cons to that, but one of the greatest things for me was that I was able to be in EVERYTHING! I played football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and track. I'm not athletically built (short and a little on the puny side), so I had a hard time being the star of any team sport. Track was different. I was able to make Varsity my sophomore year in the 400m, 800m, and 4X400m.
So I'm not bad at short/middle distances. Running a 1.5 mile is a bit of a long distance run for me. I'm trying to keep it at a good pace, though, so that I can be in the 8 minute club one day.
Today I ran a 1.5 mile in 10:53. My best was a 9:51 a few months ago. My 1st goal is to get back to under 10 minutes. My ultimate goal is to be under 9 minutes...Here's to wishful thinking.
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