I enlisted into the military in September. Life has been about preparing for that ever since.
Now that I have sworn in, I have been given a date for when I will ship out to Basic Combat Training (BTC) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). I will ship out to Basic after graduation for 10 weeks and AIT for nine weeks after that.
To prepare and familiarize myself with military customs, I”m required to attend my assigned RSP Drill dates one weekend a month.
According to the official Army website, “The intent of the RSP is to reduce training pipeline losses by introducing newly enlisted ARNG Soldiers to the military environment, and to ease their adjustment to BCT and AIT.”
The Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) is a five-phase program that is only offered to National Guard recruits. This program puts each future soldier that attends at an advantage over others from different branches of the military at BCT and AIT. Phases range from learning the basics to pre-ship of indoctrination and review of what to expect at BTC.
October 25-26 was my first Drill weekend. I showed up to the base in my Physical Training (PT) clothes at 5:20 a.m., stood in formation and waited to weigh in. After I weighed in, I changed in to my Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and boarded a bus that took us to our training site.
After arriving at the site, we separated into our phases and stood in formation until we received further instruction. I was in the Red Phase, which meant that it was my first day at RSP. My first day consisted of seven hours in the classroom, chugging water from my canteen, eating Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), and going over footwork in the Arizona sun.
Day two began with a 4 a.m. morning call. We went to a nearby high school for the PT test. First we stretched in cadence, then split into groups. The PT test was a 1-1-1; one minute of push-ups, one minute of sit ups, and one mile.
Our day finished when we drove to a base and prepared to enter a gas chamber in order to test our facemasks and gain confidence in our equipment.
After the gas chamber, we boarded the bus and headed to Phoenix, where we were dismissed from drill.