My Army Career

I did it! I finally joined the Army! I have been contemplating it off and on for nearly 5 years! Last semester I felt a little lost. I knew that I wanted to major in Latin American Studies, but I only had a dim idea of what I wanted to do with it, and very little idea of how to get there. I was considering working for the CIA or perhaps at an embassy. I began looking online one day at different military websites. I began with the Air Force, as I have heard many people say that they are the most respectable and treat their men the best. I then moved on to the Army, where I found an excellent MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) as Civil Affairs. What I gathered from the website was that civil affairs does humanitarian and diplomatic missions--pretty much exactly what I wanted to do to begin with! I then continued on my quest by looking at the Navy and the Marines. I even dabbled lightly on the National Guard website, but I knew that what I really wanted was to become a Civil Affairs Officer. I conducted more research into civil affairs, army life, and what skills I would need and learn. I then determined that I would go into a recruit office. During late December 2009, I walked into the Provo recruiting office as it was about to close--and thus began my military career. Before I even entered the office I had a clear idea of how I wanted my military career to go: I would get the Civil Affairs MOS and then contract with ROTC at BYU. However, I did not understand how difficult and long the process of actually getting into the army is. I thought that I would walk right on in, sign my life away, and get my bonus the next week. Boy Howdy was I wrong!! It took about 2.5 months to enlist, and I did not receive a bonus, but I did get the MOS I wanted. I have made it explicitly clear to those around me, and to myself, that I am not going into the army for money. I proved that to myself when I chose to stick with 38B (Civil Affairs) even when I would get no bonus. I was offered a couple of other positions, in which I could have gotten up to 12k, but I determined that it was not worth it. If I do not love it, then I will not commit to it. I ship off to basic training May 25, 2010. I am nervous, but I know that it will make me a stronger person and help enhance my character, if I utilize it to the best of my ability and give my 100%. Directly after basic training, I will head on up to North Carolina to go to AIT (Advanced Individual Training). I am hoping to be able to volunteer for a deployment before I contract with ROTC, because once I contract my MOS will go out the window and I will be 00R (a cadet). Civil Affairs is kind of special, because you cannot become an officer in it until you have received captain rank. That means that after I graduate from ROTC I will have to get a different MOS and then try to switch over to Civil Affairs once I reach the rank of captain. I would like to get real experience as Civil Affairs before then. Furthermore, I anticipate that it will be much more likely that they will let me switch over to Civil Affairs if I already have deployed experience in it. However, if I am going to deploy, it must be before April 2011, because I need to contract with ROTC soon, if I am going to at all, which I am. It will all work out the way that it is supposed to.