Update, update, UPDATE!!

Hello, my loves. As promised, here are the updates to my new military endeavors. Oorah! (Mom, you know what I'm talking about). I guess I'll tell you about my day first.

Every second Saturday of the month, there is what's called a Poolee Function. All the poolees (and sometimes guests) show up to get killed by the recruiters. Sometimes Drill Instructors are present. Sometimes all we do is pt (physical training). Today was only my second Poolee Function. We had to do what's called a CFT, the Combat Fitness Training course. What is a CFT you ask? In a nutshell, heck....complete with burning flames!! It starts out with a half mile SPRINT that must be done in less than 4 minutes and change, then it involves lifting a 30 pound ammunition can over your head as many times as you can in 2 minutes, and then it ends in what's called the MANEUVER UNDER FIRE, which is an obstacle course that must be completed in less than 5 minutes for females...oh boy.....let me tell you... Here's what it looks like..compliments of youtube:

Yeah, so once our legs were tired from the sprint, and our arms were dead from the ammo can lifts, there was only so much left that we could give. How did I do? Ugh...I'm not too proud of my results:

Requirements:
1/2 mile/880 yard sprint: 4:34
Ammo can lifts: 20
Maneuver under fire: 4:57

My Results:
1/2 mile sprint: 3:30
Ammo can lifts: 45
Maneuver Under Fire: I finished the course! Time: undisclosed

Granted it was my first CFT and there wasn't much time to prepare (we were told of it 2 days before), I feel that I did pretty well!

During the Maneuver Under Fire, I was supposed to drag and carry a female poolee. It was way too strenuous, but I was able to carry a male poolee. I'm not really sure why that was. Anyway, it was fun. And I didn't throw up! My Gunnery Sgt said he would laugh at us if we threw up.

Just like every Wednesday's pt session, we played some Ultimate Football. My Sgt was almost done with his speech on teamwork...and one poolee was being disrespectful. My Sgt got mad and quarterdecked us all. That means we were killed on the grass with more pt while that one poolee watched us. It was our fault that we didn't police him about his actions. When one person in the platoon messes up, the entire platoon messes up. That's how you build teamwork and accountability. What a day! Needless to say, there will be no more Ultimate Football games during our pt sessions. Sgt literally dared us to show up Wednesday. I want this! There is no way I'm quitting now!

Two Wednesdays ago there was a new poolee that didn't want to pay attention to directions from the Sgt during the football game. Sgt chewed him out and ripped up his contract. No lie! These recruiters take their jobs very seriously. The Corps is downsizing now, which means the Fleet is getting smaller. We will all be in the Fleet with the recruiters one day, so we need to really show that we are responsible enough to be their replacements. Every session is a learning experience, and I've never been more sure that I'm joining the greatest fighting force in the world. Oorah!

NOW WITH THE PICTURES!!

My poolee shirt!! This is what I wear to pt sessions and Poolee Functions

My contract. Enlisting as rank E-2, Private First Class, which is the highest I can enlist with my degree.

Here's my ship date on the contract, April 9, 2012. More than likely, it will be sooner.

Here's my certificate for enlisting in the Marine Corps! June 14, 2011

The core values of the Corps: Honor, Courage, Commitment!

My poolee water bottle!!

And my poolee key chain!

That's all I've got for you this time, kids! Until next time! I know I still need before and after shots from the weight loss. Come ahn, I'm working on it!!

Food for Thought:

"When your body is tired and your mind is going, you still have that thing ticking in your chest...Your heart will keep beating and you will keep on going." -Sgt. Faulkner

"Remember those who care and forget those who don't...never sell yourself short for ones that aren't even worth the short parts of your life...you deserve the world...own it..." --Sgt. Faulkner

What a difference a year makes!

Do you remembah? The 21st night of Septembah, love was changing the minds of pretenders, while chasing the clouds awaaaayyyyyy!!

A little Earth Wind and Fire to get it going. So last time I blogged, I was all about starting my journey for the Navy. I talked to recruiters, remained somewhat active at the gym, and attempted to eat better. That was in September. Today is my birthday, June 23, 2011 and I am a world away from those humble days in September. What have I been up to? *chuckle* I enlisted in the...

June 14, 2011
So what happened?
It's really a long story. I lost the weight for the Navy, but my recruiter didn't really tell me anything about what the next steps were. I didn't know when I was going to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) to get processed or what jobs I would be offered or anything. Needless to say, I have a friend that was going to the Army Reserve. He was really the one that motivated me to get off my butt and take matters into my own hands.

A Little Help From My Friends
So my friend told his recruiter about my situation, and I started talking to him about joining the Army. With a college degree, I would come in as an E-4 paygrade as a Specialist.

Not too bad. But i got a phone call from a Marine recruiter the same day I talked to the Army recruiter. Apparently the Navy had given my information to the Marine recruiters across the hall from them/ Sgt Faulkner called me and said he wanted to speak about possibly joining the Marines. Not only did I talk to the enlisted recruiters, I was also advised to talk to the officer recruiters because of my degree.

Officer vs. Enlisted
Major Nash, Sgt Faulkner's Commanding Officer, spoke to me about becoming an officer of the USMC. She pointed out that not only are women 10% of the Corps, but black women are an even smaller percentage of that number. The environment in the officer station was so much different than the enlisted office. No one was playing around or telling jokes or playing music. I kindly declined their offer, but that doesn't mean that I'm never going to be an officer. Sgt Faulkner told me about a program where I can apply for officer school after getting to an E-3 rank. My ASVAB score was an 86, so I'm more than qualified. Prior enlisted officers get paid more than regular officers for the first three pay grades anyway, and there's also more respect. I'll be a grunt!

So what's next?
I work out with my recruiters everyday at least twice a day. I've been doing this for the past 2 months now. I've dropped 27 pounds in a month!! I'll be sure to post some pictures up here in a few days. Now I'm down to 139 pounds. We have to run an Initial Strength Test before we can go to boot camp. I can tell that I'm getting better and more endurance. Here's what's expected of me:

Flexed arm hang (11 seconds)
Crunches  (44 in 2 minutes)

 1.5 mile run (15 minutes)








Right now I hang for 40 seconds, 60 crunches, and 1.5 miles in 13:30. Not bad!

SO WHEN ARE YOU LEAVING???!!!
That's the money question. I leave 20120409...April 9, 2012, unless a space arises sooner. Until then, I am in the Delayed Entry Program, loving every minute of it. I'll keep you posted on my progress! For real this time!

Food for Thought:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7

2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Mini Intro

Who is Ashlie Nicole?

So I've decided (per the inspiration of my mother) that I am going to join the United States Navy. I just recently graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC on May 8th of this year with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in English. What can you do with a degree in English? Most people immediately think of teaching. Me? I want to be a Nurse Practitioner. (Say what?) Yeah. My concentration was in Integrated Science, so my education truly was well-rounded. At least I'll know how to communicate effectively. I also feel that admitting that I graduated with a degree in English automatically requires me to be able to write a particular way. There's too much pressure. So this blog is pretty much going to be written similar to my own everyday speech. (But Ashlie, you're supposed to write the way you speak anyway!) Right.

I didn't always want to be a nurse. I scoured the gamut of types of physicians, cardiologists, oncologists, even microbiologists. It wasn't until I started reading more on  patient-doctor relationships and talking to neighbors and friends about their own patient-docotor relationships that I stumbled upon Nurse Practitioners. So what there's a pay difference--it's not about the money. It's never been about the money. I just want to be able to make a good living--by good I mean not in debted to anyone and able to pay my bills on time. But I still need to ensure that I can pay back loans for Guilford College and ensure that I can afford a nursing degree either at Winston Salem State University or University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. My health insurance is gone, so I need to get that too. The Navy can help me achieve my goal, and I can make a career out of it, solidifying a pension after 20 years of service. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm going active duty?

Goals

I haven't seen much on youtube or anywhere else on the internet about black women in the Navy or black women embarking on becoming a sailor. There are so many questions unanswered, and I've been told not to fully trust everything the recruiters say...So I want to record everything I do in preparation for the ASVAB and for Basic Training in Great Lakes, IL. It's a road to travel, but I'd like to take you along on the journey. Maybe my story too can inspire someone else who may be having thoughts about joining the Navy, or any military branch. Currently I'm overweight for the Navy requirements. I just joined Planet Fitness and I've hooked up with a personal trainer's fitness bootcamp, so I plan to lose at least 10 pounds, hopefully more so that I'll be in better shape for Basic Training. I also plan to start a new healthier lifestyle, which involves eating better and staying active. I've also read on numerous websites that learning the ranks and insignias of all the branches of the Armed Forces is an excellent idea (makes for easier studying at Basic Training). I also have to cut my hair to about neck length before going in. I'd rather get it done before going in (that's what many women online suggest). This is about it for now. I plan to keep up with the blog pretty regularly, not exactly sure how regularly yet. I'll post photos of my progress (what I ate, what exercises I did, how many times I banged my head into the wall, etc.) just to get a closer glimpse into my world, and so you can see how determined and focused I am about taking this on. EYES ON THE PRIZE, BABY!

Some food for thought:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
 
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3