All of the paperwork is finally in order, and I'm ready to sign the dotted line. One thing remains between me and enlistment and that's MEPS or the Military Entrance Processing Station. Regardless of which branch of service you're headed off to, this is where you're checked out physically to make sure you're fit for duty and you have a clear background. My recruiter drove me to a hotel in downtown Dallas where I was to spend the night. I was told as an officer candidate that I would have my own room, but within 5 minutes of me settling into my space, another guy joined me. He was naval applicant in his 30's and could have been Dwight Schrute's cousin. I have a feeling the attitude of "roll with it" is going to be a big part of my military career.
The morning started early. Wake-up calls came at 0330, about 100 applicants had breakfast, then we were loaded on to buses around 0500. MEPS was a short drive down the road and we were sorted into lines based on what we were there for. From there it was pretty much as advertised- biometric data capture, vision screening, blood and urine tests, medical history paperwork- and that's when the wrench was thrown in. The doctor was looking over the paperwork I submitted when he noticed I was on antibiotics for a sinus infection (thank you, Texas allergy season...) and apparently that was grounds for a temporary disqualification. Meaning- I'll be good to come back once I'm off the medicine. Hoorah. Fortunately, I'll get to start where I left off. Talking with the other applicants it became apparent that most people were there on their 2nd or 3rd attempt to pass through MEPS.
I came ready to enlist, so to be sent home with nothing to show for a long day was a bit discouraging, but it comes with the territory. Hopefully Take 2 goes as planned without any hiccups- I'm ready to get started.
For more on MEPS visit: http://www.mepcom.army.mil/enlistment.html
