I think this video will demonstrate my natural gumption to bend the rules and risk major reproductions just to get the photo for historical purposes. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m always taking photos and or videos. Right out of high school I knew I didn’t want to go to college, but I also knew I wasn’t going to be a lazy bum, so I joined the US Army reserves. I had no clue what I was getting into. No one warned me or really educated me on what to expect. I had not seen any movie either. You would think the recruiter would have given me a heads up. I had never traveled alone and I was (and still am) an introvert, so upon my arrival at Fort Jackson, South Carolina – it was an ice cold bucked of reality. Yes I cried my first day and I called home, “What have done?” totally regretting my choice. At the same time I wasn’t a coward. After being humiliated and screamed at by some drill sergeant, I kept quiet, did what I was I told (when they were looking) and managed to contraband a disposable camera. I had it on me the entire two months in a plastic bag for when it rained or I was crawling in dirt. Because I had it on me, I never got caught during surprise inspections. I didn’t know if the camera got damaged by the end, but thank God it did not. My Army sisters acted like fools every time I took a photo and NO one ratted me out. Like any season in life, I remember the negative stuff mostly, but there were some memorable events full of laughs too.
My appointed buddy was Elsa Pagan. She was an older Puerto Rican police officer. She was like in her 30s and barely spoke English. We were together the entire training and I recall defending her from bitches talking smack and making fun of her because she couldn’t communicate English. By the end of boot camp, Elsa was honored the #1 soldier of the Warlords platoon.
Don’t I look like a killer? That is a real loaded M16. I was a certified sharp shooter. I got lucky to have never been called for war. My obligation ended right when the Iraq war began in 2003.
