English 111 Paper one

English 111

1 February 2011

During the summer of 2001 I decided that I needed a change in my life for the better. Having a young daughter at the age of two I knew that I wanted to make the future more bright and the financial issue but no worries. The very first time I enter the single brick two story building which held the united arm forces office located off Carey Street located in the heart of downtown Baltimore city. I knew the start of my future was beginning as I entered I notice the crisp navy uniforms and the manner of the recruiters as they approach with their hand shake. This first visit was the one that I knew that I was to enter the navy and this will be the change that I was looking for in my life. The recruiters were straight forward about everything from the process of getting in, the ASVAB test that is required and what score I will need to get a good position of picking out a career once I'm in the navy and the detail of the jobs.

Later they also informed me on the requirements of the 9 week boot and the daily activities that I will be engaging in and what the boot camp personnel expects of recruits. After meeting with the recruiters I knew that this was the right move for my life and I entered the navy for 4years. Before I was shipped out to boot camp I have to go through a weekend of testing and filling out paperwork, the week before the ASVAB test I studied for about month of nothing but math and basic concept understanding. The test score that was required to get the master at arms was not that easy to reach but I made it and was enrolled in a special program that the navy had came out with and that it locks my "A" school that I would be attending after I serve 6months on a ship. After the weekend testing and signing the contract I was schedule to leave the following week for boot camp and as the days were getting short I was becoming more and more impatience and the zeal to get everything over with.

The day of my flight arrived and I was getting ready to be off to Chicago for my 9 week boot camp. On the ride to the airport with my recruiter I just started to look out the window and think about all the things I have been though in my life and now I'm headed to a place that will change my life for the better. On the flight looking over the clouds and being up in the air really puts you in a hypnotize feeling under a spell. Once we arrived at the Chicago O'Hare airport me and about thirty other recruits walking from the terminal looking at the dark gray sky from the snowing weather I knew I was in for a long nine cold weeks. Once we arrive in the main area it was a different environment with vendors, people looking for their family, security officers offering help and tourist just looking at the different shops and straight ahead was a big white sign that read Navy holding center.

This place was where you got to smoke your last cigarette if you smoke and to contact family after this point all communications with family and friends is gone for the first 5 weeks of training. A tall man standing about 6"2 with a muscle built body shirt guided all the recruits inside the building and instructed that all contents in your pockets and coats must be put in a box. I was fourth in the line and from the look of the box they had a little over a hundred lighters, cigarette, pens, pencils anything that most normal people will carry on them was in the box. Once everybody was settling in and they had everybody attention we were later informed that the bus will be here in ten minutes and that we will need to get ready to board the bus. Sitting the old plastic seat like the ones from the old bus seating for ten minutes the bus finally arrived and we all started boarding. On the bus it held 75 recruits all from different parts of the country heading to one place for 9 weeks of training. Once the bus started to leave the PA system on the bus came on and an older guy retired from the navy gave a 15 min speech and showed some footage of the base and little motivation speech for us.

After about twenty minutes we arrive at steel black gate with a big navy emblem on the front and older guy last words was given and we were instructed to get off and line in a single file line. During this time of year the Chicago area is cold day and night this night was no different for us. We were all told to begin to march to another location on the base once we entered and no talking was allowed at all, this