By Shannon Nesseralla, student reporter
Eight months ago I left to begin my journey that only 1% of the U.S. population decides to do.
In July of 2019, I enlisted into the Oklahoma Army National Guard. In January, I left to attend basic combat training. Before leaving, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy 10 weeks.
The days consisted of long hours with physically demanding tasks and constantly being pushed to our mental limit. The “break you down to build you back up” process was no joke. I didn’t go a day without my drill sergeants yelling at my platoon for something. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times we got yelled at for lack of motivation.
One of the most challenging training exercises we did was our very last task, the last thing we had to complete before officially being recognized as soldiers instead of trainees. This training exercise is known as The Forge. It was our third and final ruck march. Ruck marches are simply walking from one point to the next, but what makes it challenging is all the weight being carried on your back and the path consisting of lots of hills, sand and uneven surfaces.
The Forge was four nights and five days of pure exhaustion. The first night we stepped off at 9 p.m. and walked for 12 miles with 35 pounds on our backs. At around 2 a.m. we finally arrived where we were staying for the night. After arriving, we still had to stay up and set up our sleeping system to prepare for the night’s sleep on the ground.
The following day consisted of some smaller training that led up to the big event that was happening that night. That night everyone completed the Nick At Nite exercise. This exercise was a low crawl in the sand for the length of a football field with our weapon, weighted vest and helmet on as the drill sergeants shot live rounds above us. The last thing for that night was another 4 mile ruck to a different sleeping location. This was one of the most miserable training days during all of basic.
The Forge consisted of two more days with countless other exercises and eight more miles of rucking. The final night we walked to a field and we had to sleep on the ground with nothing but a wool hat and one extra shirt to try and stay warm in the cold, March night. At 6 a.m. the following morning, we participated in the Soldier Ceremony where we dawned our berets and could officially call ourselves soldiers.
Even though basic training had some of the worst days I’ve ever went through, the end result was worth it all. I would definitely encourage anyone thinking about joining to go for it.