Once again I sat on that silent bus looking around and seeing faces I wasn't familiar with. Holding blank stares, we looked at one another and as the doors of the bus opened we all looked forward. A marine walked onto the bus and told us to grab our things and step of the bus, one by one we did as we were told. We stepped off the bus into the rainy weather and once the last person was off the bus the group was split into different lines based off our selected branches. we waited quietly until the doors of the building opened up and as waited I stood tall as the freezing rain drove down my face. The doors opened  and  one by one we walked through the door and up the stairs, we were asked to line up in two columns freezing and shaking we lined up into the two columns and began to clear our pockets and removing all pieces of metal or jewelry. And for this being my second time at meps i knew what to do at this point i was feeling motivated and ready for anything.  

After going through security I proceeded into the next room where I sat my bag down, and put my belt and watch back on before officially checking in for my second time at meps . I was familiar with the process but still nervous as it felt like my stomach was doing summersaults but I pushed through it. I scanned my thumb print before receiving my meps processing file and being instructed to go down the hall toward the office that had the words marine corps symbol on it. After waiting what seemed like forever the door cracked open and I heard the words, “next applicate”, I took a deep breath before entering the room. I handed him my file and he noticed that this was my second time at the processing station as I had been previously disqualified for my weight 2 weeks prior. I now returned more motivated than ever, watching with excitement while he stamped my papers and told me to go to the medical processing across the building. I walked out only to see a horribly long line due to the fact a lot of people were shipping out that day.                                     

This made them top priority to make sure they caught their flight in time which pushed the rest of us candidates to the back. I passed the time by having conversation with the people around me as well as my recruiter who had arrived a little later in the day but my biggest problem finally hit me. Due to the fact I had been previously disqualified for my weight last time I decided on a plan to help put on weight. The night before I drank an excessive amount of water to help put on some water weight to make sure I was above my qualifying weight. I thought if I kept my mind off it I’d be fine even without using the bathroom all morning. I was wrong. I was so close to the medical door but i had been holding my pee for over and hour and half and i started to feel a really bad pain in my side but I rough through it. But finally it was my turn I stood up straight and walked into the medical center and as I walked in I walked up to the front desk and handed the man that called me in my folder he welcomed me back and told me to head to height and weight. After telling me where to go the man behind the desk handed me my folder back and called for the next person  I started walking down the hall more scared and nervous than ever I walked into the height and weight room where there was already people waiting. A few moments later the doctor walked in and told us to strip down to are boxers for the height and weight so those who were there for height and weight and I  was second in line I was so scared that I wasn’t at the weight I needed to be but  it was finally my turn the nurse in there took my height then asked me to step on the scale.
I didn’t look down, the nurse then asked me how old I was and told me my weight 135, I was 5 pounds over what I needed to be and I was so happy I got dressed and grab by file from the doctor and walked into the last room I sat down with another doctor and he took my file and looked at it then looked at me and said I passed. I grabbed my file and shook his hand and went back up to the front desk handed the man my file he made some copies of it then stamped my papers and then handed them to me and told me to go to my branches office which I did and I walked and sat down with the same marine i spoke to earlier he took my papers and told me to go eat some lunch and to listen for my name over the loudspeaker. So I walked into the cafeteria to a big surprise my mom, dad, brother, recruiters, and my grandparents were all waiting for me. After seeing my family and eating some lunch my recruiter pulled me aside and told me the hard part of the day wasn’t over yet that when they call me back into the office I was gonna be screened which a list of question and the marine that screens me is gonna try and trick me and get me to admit so stuff that could me disqualified so he told me just say  no about everything. I waited for hours i wasn’t aloud to have my phone so i didn’t know what time it was but it seemed like i heard a million names over the loudspeaker expect mine. In the main lobby of the meps building there are these big windows and i could tell that the sun was going down but yet my name had not be called over the loudspeaker so about another thirty minutes go by. Finally i hear my name called and i grab my papers and i proceed to walk back to the office and i walk in shake the marine who asked me to sit down hand and then he grabbed my papers from me and looked through them and he asked how my day was going i responded with “good sir how was yours”
“Mine was pretty good but lets being”
“Sounds good sir”
“So have you ever done any kind of illegal drugs”
“No sir”
“Were you told to lie about anything in this screening by your recruiter”
“No sir”
“Have you ever been arrested and held in prison for commiting a crime”
“No sir”
“Have you ever gotten a parking, speeding, or curfew ticket within the ln the last 12 months”
“No sir”
“Ok now you have one last chance to come true with anything cause we will do a federal background check and medical background check”
“No sir i have answered everything with complete honesty”
Finally after the screening i was brought into a room where they took my handprint and fingerprints i was then brought back into the room and was told to go to hurry to go swear in cause they were about to start and i didnt run but i rushed down the hall and knocked on the door i was supposed to be in a women answered the door and said welcome and told me to take a seat. I took a seat and she started explaining how the ceremony was gonna go after that she walked us into the ceremony room and showed us which hand we were gonna raise are right hand and how we would stand at attention. We practice it a few times so we were ready she the said she would go grab the officer and we shall begin. At this point my heart was racing i could heart my hands shaking and my heart beating uncontrollably and before we started i took a look behind me and behind the glass window i could see my whole family there smiling and cheering along with my recruiters then the officer walked in and she yelled out
“Attention huhh”
She then looked at us and told us to look forward at the American flag and to raise are right hand and to state our  names in orders as were were in line i  was the first person in the second row and she started
“I state your name, do solemnly swear”
     “I Marcus Daniel G., do solemnly swear”
“That i will support and defend”
“That i will support and defend”
“The constitution of the United States against all enemies”
“Foreign and domestic; that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
“Foreign and domestic; that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
“And that i will obey the orders of the president of the United states of America and the orders of the officer appointed above me”
“And that i will obey the orders of the president of the United States of America and the orders of the officer appointed above me”

The last drop of sweat dropped from my face, the officer looked at all 12 of us in the room and saw the looks on our faces and she congratulated us on taking our next step into our journeys one by one she shook are hands and then left the room. We all proceeded to scatter out of formation. I saw my recruiter reach out for a handshake I grabbed his hand and he congratulated me as well. Finally after what felt like forever i walked up to the row of military flags and stood tall at parade rest as my recruiter took my picture. After taking a few more photos together and we were ready to leave, grabbing my bag I walked through the security checkpoint meeting my recruiter at the bottom of the stairs. We got to the car, tired and relieved i sat down and we started are long car ride home. As we left the meps parking lot I looked down the street and i knew i was about to take my final step into my journey