My day started at an early 6:30, when I was picked up from my house by my recruiter, Staff Sergeant Miranda. After a brief drive to Hicksville, we began to finish off the last of my paperwork. It was finally the day I was waiting for, the day that I would begin my process to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. After nearly five hours of committing almost every detail of my life to paper, the Staff Sergeant and I were back in the car, heading for Brooklyn. Our destination was the Military Entrance Processing Station, in Fort Hamilton, an Army base located just beneath the Verrazano Bridge. This would only be day one, however, of a two day process. The first day would consist of the ASVAB, or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The ASVAB is a test that evaluates if you are eligible for military service, as well as what jobs you may apply for.
As we pulled into the parking lot, Staff Sergeant left me with a few words of encouragement and a “good luck.” I was on my own from that point on. I entered the building, and found myself on a long line of other individuals who were making the same choice. The line slowly shuffled along until it was my turn. The Army Sergeant behind the desk asked me for my Driver’s License and my Social Security card, and entered the information into the computer. Almost immediately, I had a sticker name-tag that gave my name, my purpose for being there, and the branch that I had business with. Daniel DiBenedetto, ASVAB, Marine Corps.
I was sent downstairs, which was where each of the branch’s offices were located, as well as a cafeteria, and my destination: the testing room. I signed my name on a piece of paper, and took a seat. As I waited, there was an announcement over the building’s PA system. “If you have been instructed to take a seat and wait for your Oath of Enlistment, please report to the main desk.” The Oath is one of the most defining moments of enlisting in the military, and I knew that tomorrow it would be my turn to have that honor. The thought was quickly removed from my head as a woman called my name to take the test. I took a deep breath, and entered the room.
The room was filled with many computers, all with potential military applicants sitting in front of them. I was given two pieces of paper and two pencils before being led to a computer. The test is entirely multiple choices, and everyone is given three hours to finish it. The questions range from arithmetic to vocabulary to reading comprehension to mechanical and electrical knowledge. So, not wanting to waste any time, I started the test. An hour later, I finished the test, and was handed a piece of paper with my scores. I scored in the 97th percentile, impressing not only myself, but my peers around me. I wanted to take a moment and be proud of my accomplishment, but this as only the first half of my journey.
At around 8:00, I was taken to a hotel on Staten Island by bus. There were about thirty other people there, young and old, who were making the same decision that I was. We were given dinner, and free reign to the hotel’s facilities, such as the indoor pool and the gym. We had a curfew of 10:00, when we had to be in our rooms. I didn’t have a problem with that, since I was exhausted.
The alarm in the hotel room rang at 5:00 in the morning, instantly jolting me awake. I threw on my clothes, and went downstairs for breakfast. The group was treated to a fairly simple buffet before getting back on the bus, and returning to the Military Entrance Processing Station. We signed in at the front desk, given new nametags, and were ushered upstairs to the medical floor.
The waiting was by far the worst part of this process. I waited about an hour before I was called in to do my vision and hearing tests, which took about ten minutes respectively. Then there was another hour wait before we all moved down the hall to do a drug test, and have our blood drawn. At this point, the men and the women were separated into different rooms. The men and I were relocated to a fairly large room, and were instructed to strip down to our undergarments. A doctor led us in a series of exercises that displayed our flexibility and body structure, such as the infamous “duck walk,” where participants must squat down to the ground, and waddle across the room like a duck. After yet another hour wait, I was called in by a doctor for a full physical. At that point, I could put my clothes back on, and leave the room.
After eating a mediocre turkey and swiss sandwich provided to me by the cafeteria, a Marine who worked into the building led me to the Marine Corps office, and interviewed me about my intentions for joining. He began to put together a rough draft of the contract that would decide the next four years of my life, and sent me on my way to the main floor. A MEPS employee scanned my fingerprints, and I signed the contract. The employee told me to take a seat, and wait for an announcement over the intercom.
This was it, the moment the last two days were leading up to, the Oath of Enlistment. I watched television for thirty minutes before I was called back upstairs. There were twelve people beside me in the square, carpeted room. The flags of each branch of the military stood proudly behind a podium at the front of the room. A female Army officer entered the room, and gave us an inspiring speech about our journey. I reflected on the hard-work that led up to this as I raised my right hand, and took the Oath to protect my nation, and its Constitution. It took barely a minute, but at the end of it there was a rush of pride, and realization: I was officially a part of the United States military.