Why Am I Doing This?

     Last night I attended a pool function--DI night. In other words, all the poolees got worked over by three DIs, and some of us got IT'd. IT stands for Incentive Training. In other words, a DI hauls you off to the side, then starts screaming: "PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!" in your face. You have to respond with: "Pushups, aye, aye, sir!" and start cranking them out. What makes this fun is that by the time you reach the deck, he or she will have probably yelled: "Side straddle hops, side straddle hops!" and you have to get up, yell your acknowledgement, and start doing jumping jacks. Then the DI might get in your face, insult your manliness, call you a little girl, or anything else they can think up. While you are working, you have to keep track of what you're saying, and yell acknowledgement back to them at the top or your lungs. And God have mercy on your soul if you get what you're supposed to yell back wrong.

     All in all it was a good time. I got a brief taste of what I'll experience when I ship to boot camp later this year. I met the 'breaking point' and pushed past it... Even though there were a few times where I physically lacked the capacity to push myself up off the floor. And it made me look forward to boot camp even more. Even though I know it will be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life up to that point, I know it's a challenge that I can overcome, as long as quitting isn't an option, and the word can't isn't in my vocabulary.

     I know I can take it on because I have good reasons to. I'm doing this to serve my country. I'm doing this because I want to do something that matters. I'm doing this because I think there's still some good left in this world and that it's worth fighting for.