my new "home"

i had the opportunity to meet my new reserve unit this week. my opportunity to visit began with a phone call i received from the unit administrator asking if i needed a new beret because they were ordering more. i explained i needed a new everything, as i had not yet been through basic training. she asked when i was shipping out, and having been asked this several times before, i felt like asking her if she had pens and paper in her supply order, because no one in the unit seems to write anything down. but i thought it best to spare them my rapier-like wit...at least for now.


after we got past the fact i would not be joining the unit until may 2010, i asked about a rumour i'd heard that i could actually train with the unit prior to me completing basic training. she said i could, and considering my unit is located on the largest marine base on the west coast, she suggested i come up at some point beforehand to make sure i knew where the unit is located, as 0700 on the day of training is not the time to ask for directions. of course, i have no way to get on the base, as i don't have a military I.D. card, and my good looks just aren't what they used to be. she tells me to bring my orders verifying i'm assigned to this unit, and my driver's license.


so i drive up to the main gate and a marine, who's chest fills my entire window, asks if he can help me. i timidly hand him my orders and driver's license, explaining i'm here to meet with my new army reserve unit. i feel a little like the school geek asking the captain of the football team for directions to the thespian meeting, and i begin looking for a place to turn around fully expecting him to tell me i must be high if i think i can get onto this marine base with a flimsy permission slip from the army. rather than saying anything, he steps back, and sighing while rolling his eyes, waves me in, probably secretly grateful a marine uniform won't be draped over my pipe-cleaner sized arms.

i drive in, completely giddy, and afraid to drive slowly for fear of drawing attention to myself as a "base virgin", i quickly make my way to a parking lot and gather my bearings. glancing back at my directions, i find my unit's building in no time. i was escorted to the administration office and was given more information in the 20 minutes i was there than in the last 6 months with my recruiter. i got all my paperwork to fill out, including my direct deposit form and w-4, because i get PAID for going to training, even though i have no idea what i will be doing considering i'm not trained to do anything. the upside is, because i do not have a uniform, i was told to wear business casual, which means i probably won't be crawling around heavy machinery. (key word: PROBABLY)

suffice it to say, i'm very excited about going to train with my new unit, even if i just get to sit around and watch.