Nick Warren endured a long summer before his Senior year at FHS. Warren enlisted in the Army National Guard last Spring and completed the 10 week Basic Combat Training on August 24. To enlist, one must be at least 18 years old or 17 years old with parental permission. Guard soldiers can be deployed by state governors to respond to state-level emergencies, such as natural disasters. In addition, soldiers can be deployed into active combat overseas or domestically. Since Warren is finishing his Senior year, he can not be deployed until he graduates.
The benefits provided by the National Guard helped Warren decide to enlist. “The Army likes to pay for college [and] they have a lot of really good programs for cheap healthcare and life insurance,” said Warren.
Enlisting in the National Guard is less of a commitment when compared to enlisting in the Army. Guard Soldiers are not deployed frequently and are only required to attend drill training one weekend a month. Warren did not need to prepare much for enlisting either, only needing to maintain his physical fitness by doing push-ups, pull-ups, and running in order to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test.
Throughout Basic, the phases are based on a crawl, walk, run mentality. “The Army [bases] its training off crawl, walk, run mentality where the first couple weeks is a lot of physical exercise and getting yelled at and learning how to do the basics. Then we moved on to performing on the basics we learned and being expected to just do it on our own. Then finally we were expected to be able to do everything on our own.” said Warren.
One of Warren’s most memorable moments was repelling down a 40 foot tower. He also enjoyed learning marksmanship and handling various weapons. Warren encourages others to enlist in the National Guard as well. Warren recommends it “if you are worried about not being able to pay for college or want to better yourself.”
The discipline and leadership gained throughout Basic is valuable to other aspects of life, such as in school or a career. In addition, the National Guard allows soldiers to continue to live their normal lives while also assisting with a possible career in the military. “If you are thinking about building a career in the military, it’s a great place to start,” said Warren.
