Military Basic Training-Why Are You Joining?

By SGT Volkin

Why are you joining the military? Have you asked yourself that question yet? Too many recruits just join the military becuase they saw a neat commercial or they need the college money. That, in my opinion, is the worst reason to join. You will have a difficult time at basic training with those excuses as motivation to graduate. With USMC training; being the most difficult of all the branches, you need more motivation than college money to surpass your drill sergeants; standards of what a soldier should be. Let’s take military fitness for example, more specifically, Army fitness. In military basic training you have to be able to run at least 4 miles without stopping. Do you think college money will help you push through that third mile? I will tell you from experience, the answer is most likely no.

In Army basic training your drill sergeants will be on you like white on rice for 10 weeks. After the second week, the college money won’t seem like much of a motivational factor. Army training is difficult and you have to want to be there, not be doing it for some other reason. You have to want the training, you have to want the structure and you have to want the discipline.

SGT Michael Volkin is the author of The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook: Tips, Tricks, and Tactics for Boot Camp Survival

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July 14th, 2010

About... SGT Volkin

This author published 38 posts in this site.
Sergeant Michael Volkin is a U.S. Army veteran and one of America's most successful military authors focusing on basic training. He served in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom as a Chemical Operations Specialist and received an Army Commendation Medal for his efforts and for the military fitness programs he designed to help his fellow soldiers. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Science from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas and also a Real Estate Brokers Degree. Note from the author: "I knew absolutely nothing about the military when I entered basic training. I had no immediate military family history and no prior desire to ever join the military. It was on the tragic morning of September 11, 2001 that I realized what I was taking for granted all these years. Freedom, as wonderful as it is, is an uphill struggle, and comes with an enormous responsibility. It wasn’t so much a decision, but a calling, that I joined the military - the Army Reserves. I departed for basic training without an ounce of military knowledge one month after September 11, 2001. However, I used this lack of knowledge to my advantage. I took notes on everything, with the ambition that no military recruit would have to go through boot camp like I did, with no knowledge of what was in store for me. I listened to hundreds of soldiers share their advice, tips, and tricks on surviving basic training. When I was deployed shortly after basic training to serve in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom, I had the time to organize the notes, add to them, and assemble the most practical basic training guide ever written. The Ultimate Basic Training Series is straightforward, easy to understand and applies to every branch of the military. Take advantage of the military fitness routine in these books. Many hours of research and trial and error went toward creating the program. I believe there is no other fitness program that can get you in shape for basic training faster." SGT Volkin is currently a real estate broker and marketing consultant.