Eating and Basic Training Essay Example for Free

Eating and Basic Training Essay Sweet Tooth Last year in basic training my battle buddy Brown and I always stole nutri-grain bars and oreos from chow (is what army defines as a time to eat) for uses of eating them and selling them to others. It all started when I was at a breaking point and I felt like needed something sweet in order to live or I wouldn’t make it to see the next day. So I decided to slide a few packs of oreos and nutri-grain bars in my pocket to save for later cravings Basic training was a very good learning experience and I’m glad I decided to put my life on the line and serve this beautiful country. In Basic training sweets was off limits. My training period lasted almost eight months. Can you imagine not eating anything sweet for eight months? I know I couldn’t have. Eating chow, whether it was in the dfac or field chow sweets were always in the mist somewhere. The chow hall served great food and I loved eating there because the food was always hot and it made my stomach feel like it was in heaven. In reality I really didn’t have a choice but to like chow hall food, because of course, I was in basic training. I was forced to like the food. In the chow hall (dfac) nutri-grain bars was served every single day unless they ran out and were forced to serve fig newtons. Field chow was another technique on how food was distributed to us in basic training. Eating field chow was my least favorite. I hated it. The food served is cold and just plain out disgusting. The best aspect of field chow was receiving oreos. On some days I would trade my whole meal just for a pack of four pack oreos. My battle buddy Brown and I wasn’t even friends until we both discovered we were both stealing the sweets from the dfac and field chow. Eventually we decided to work together as a team in order to get the sweets we wanted. We became do good at obtaining the sweets; we chose to keep stealing them. Later on, others started to see my battle and I activity and in order not to get caught we had to find a way to satisfy the needs of others so if we didn’t eat some of oreos and nutri-grain bars we decided to sell them. You can never go wrong by trying to make money. Have you heard of the saying â€Å"more money more problems? † In my situation dealing with the sweets, that is a very true statement. Once my battle Brown and I got to use to taking what we want and making a profit that’s when the problems started to arise. We felt the means of as we were getting watched. My battle and I decided to lay low. Just an average day at the gun range it was getting close to winding down time. Field chow was already served and after we leave the range, it was back to the barracks. Always at the end of the day at a gun range we all go through a process called shake down (which a drill sergeants pants you down and make sure no ammunition is in our pockets or on us). Let’s not forget I had nutri-grain bars and oreos in my pockets from previous chows. Drill Sergeant slowly approaches me. â€Å"Private ima need for you to empty out all your pockets. † Nervously standing there almost about to pee in my pants I didn’t know what to do. I quickly replied in a trembling voice, â€Å"Yes Drill Sergeant. † As I went about emptying my pockets all you see are oreos and nutri-grain bars flowing from my pocket onto the ground. I was so embarrassed. I knew I was in big trouble. Having those items on me was considered contraband. Having contraband in basic training is a serious offence and could cause you to get kicked out basic training. I told the drill sergeants everything and the reason why I had the contraband on me. It was my problem and whatever the consequences were I was ready to take forth the responsibility for my actions. â€Å"Private you already know what to do, FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE! † the drill sergeant yelled with no hesitation. Being in the front leaning rest position is the worst possible position to be in. It is a position where you are in the process of about to begin pushups. In that same positions for long periods of time suck. And I had to embrace the suck because I chose to have contraband. Honestly sure does get you a long way. In my situation it got me very far. If I would have lied to my drill sergeants by saying I didn’t know where the contraband came from or didn’t have anything to do with it, I wouldn’t even be in the military today. While I was in basic I really didn’t care about anything and stretching the truth was my specialty. Once I got transformed from a citizen to a solider I looked at life more differently. I left the past in the past and focused on my future and living by the army values. Integrity is one of the military values and I live up to it every day of my life. In Basic training I learned how to improve myself not only physically but mentally also. I practice honestly every day. That stealing incident at basic training made me make changes in my life especially when it comes to being honest. I made a vow to myself that I will never lie nor steal what does not belong to me again. Until this day I am a changed person and I’m proud to say basic training helped me and if I had to do it all over again, I will. I love my country and I will continue to serve it and live up to my army values.