My Musings

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Calling All Veterans!

I recently joined the United States Army and I leave for Basic Training on February 6, 2007...two weeks from today. I have in my contract the Airborne Ranger contract and will therefore me headed for Ft. Benning, Georgia for what is called "One Station Unit Training." At Ft. Benning, I will recieve my Basic Training, my Advanced Individual Training, my Airborne School, my Ranger Indoctrination Program, and eventually my Ranger School. I will be at Ft. Benning for a while.

Since I joined, I have enjoyed the advice and memories of many men who have served in the United States military. If you have ever served in the military, I would love for you to share with us the dates of your service time, any memories that you might like to share, and some of the advice that you might offer to a young man getting ready to go in. If you have not personally served in the military, but one of your friends or loved ones has, please tell me about when they served, in which branch of the military, and what they did.

I know that the lifestyle will be quite different from anything that I have been used to in the civilian world and I am therefore trying to prepare myself as much as is possible both physically and mentally. Physically, I am running about five miles a day, doing sets of sit-ups every day, and doing sets of pushups on the hour every other day. Mentally, I am reading as many books about the military as I can and trying to get as much information and advice from men who have already gone before me in this venture. If you can offer any help in this regard, please do. Thank you in advance.

Labels:

posted by Nicholas Z. Cardot at 12:01 AM

9 Comments:

  • I served from June 1991 to Feb 1996. I also did the OSUT at Ft. Benning and then Airborne School. Was sent straight to FT Bragg, NC. Stationed with the Charlie Company 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Had the privilage of meeting a lot of interesting Men. I was not saved when I first joined the Army but received Christ through God allowing things to fall into place. When I became a Born Again Believer I was treated a lot different. A lot of ridicule. Most of it was ment to be funny from the people that said things, but it could be very difficult. Thankfully God pulled me through.

    You will find out a lot about yourself through the training. You will find out how much you can put up with. How much junk can you take.

    Trust in God's strength, not your own.

    Gary S.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At 6:49 AM  

  • Thank you, sir. I appreciate all the advice that you have given me.

    By Blogger Nicholas Z. Cardot, At 8:38 AM  

  • My brother-in-law is in the 82nd Airborne Division and is presently serving in Iraq as a Major in the US Army. He is stationed at Ft. Bragg presently. He was in Ft. Benning for several years as well.

    By Blogger Sis. Julie, At 5:31 PM  

  • Oh yeah....please pray for him. His name is Chris. He is unsaved and knows he is. We are praying that God will put someone before him that will share the Word of God with him once more and that God would give him another opportunity to accept Him into his heart and life.

    By Blogger Sis. Julie, At 5:33 PM  

  • Sis. Julie,

    Thank you for sharing about your brother. I will be happy to pray for him and for his relationship, or lack thereof, with Christ. We do serve a miracle working, prayer answering God!

    By Blogger Nicholas Z. Cardot, At 5:55 PM  

  • I forgot to tell you when Aaron was first in they all thought he was gay. He didn't go out with them drinking or to the strip clubs. It was hard for the other young soldiers to understand this. They were all relieved when we started dating! :) There's plenty of ridicule to go around for a saved person in the militart, like Gary said, but plenty of opportunities to honor Christ also.

    By Blogger Katy, At 10:50 AM  

  • One thing I remember is that there is also plenty of temptation. IIRC they keep you under lock and key during basic. Once you get a little freedom from that its a little intoxicating-- gird up! And watch yourself.

    The good thing is that you're a Christian going in and its going to show. That'll provide some opportunities for sharing the gospel right there.

    Josh
    "...the word of God is not bound."
    --2 Timothy 2:9

    By Blogger C.T. Lillies, At 11:28 AM  

  • I served in the USMCR from 1980 until 1986. My grandfather was in the USMC on Okinawa and my Father was in the Air Wing USMC 1955-1959. My great grandfather fought in France during WWI. Long history and if I had joined any other branch I would have been disowned. I already served another master, having surrendered my life to full time service at the age 10. I surrendered to missions in 1984 in Bible school. I would have loved to have been a career Marine but God's call prevented that.

    Brace yourself for what will come physically but the spiritual attacks will be hardest and yet it can be so simple.
    As soon as you report, the fact that you do not swear will be evident. Make it clear that you are a Christian who lives by the Word. Most swear to appear tough. They will challenge you on how firm your beliefs are. They will question your purity. Do not strike back in any way. Absorb all challenges and let your testimony speak louder than your words. Your platoon mates will then watch you like vultures waiting for the sure to come death of your faith. Use their watchfulness to hold you accountable. It will earn you respect that you cannot imagine. As an unmarried 18 year old, my drill instructor pulled me aside to ask marital advise. If you stand firm from the beginning they will honor you and respect you. They will still mock you, slur your name and whatever else they can think of. But when the chips are down they will come to you for answers to your inner strength as thirsting men in the desert. My nick name was preacher, and I hardly ever preached, I just answered their questions.
    Stand firm, quit you like men, be strong.
    That served me in the Marine Corps as well as in the jungle. Just in case you don't realize it, Jungle Mom is the love of my life. Always stay faithful to your wife in thought and deed, lest the name of Christ be shamed.
    God Bless you and Protect you.

    By Blogger Yekwana Man, At 10:04 PM  

  • Thank you for that testimony and advice. I hope that I can live up to the testimony that you speak of in your post. Thank you very much.

    By Blogger Nicholas Z. Cardot, At 11:46 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]



<< Home