Going through MEPS in the Air Force - Episode 34

Are you considering joining the military? Do you wonder what the process is like? My guest this week is at Basic Military Training right now and will be graduating very soon. But before she left for training she told me about her path to military life. It certainly wasn't easy for her to get to where she is today. My guest today in Mariah Hammond. Mariah is a military spouse. I had the opportunity to interview Mariah for my book, Women of the Military, when she was looking into joining the military. And I am excited to follow up with her as her journey to military life has not been easy. I wanted to talk about how much time it takes to join the military and some of the challenges people face while working to join the military. Can the words of a song have an impact on your life? Growing up Mariah remembers listening to Toby Keith sing about the Red White and Blue and it made her want to join the military. There were other factors that led her on the path she is on today, but she can always remember how it started with a song. She met her now husband in high school. They were really good friends and when she told him about looking into the military he decided to look into his own military career and joined the Air Force. Time went by and eventually they got married and she moved to Lackland AFB where the Air Force does Basic Military Training (BMT) and she was inspired again to join the military. When she went to meet with the recruiter, she ended up having a kidney stone. This immediately disqualified her from taking the military physical for a year. She took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and waited for time to pass so she could go to the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) for her military medical physical. At MEPS another medical issue came up that required a waiver. It felt as if joining the military wouldn’t happen. And after a year of waiting to swear into the delayed entry program she felt like her dream of serving was falling apart. Months passed and finally her waiver was approved and she swore into the delayed entry program. Even though it took almost two years from when she first met with a recruiter to the point where she actually joined the Air Force, she said it was worth it. Hopefully I can do a follow up interview with Mariah next season to get caught up on what boot camp and tech school were like and what has happened since this interview took place. Mentioned in this episode: Women of the Military Book Are you considering joining the military? Check out my free guide: A Girls Guide to Military Life to help you prepare for the military.