Basic training goes beyond military service

“(Veterans Day) is a great reminder of how much people have given up, just so that we can do the things we do every day,” said Travis Scribner, who recently joined the Wyoming National Guard.
Scribner enlisted in the Guard during his junior year of high school in April 2021, a few months after his 17th birthday. He said the decision was based on the educational benefits the military provides, but it was also a chance to prove something to himself.
“If I can join the military and succeed, then there’s nothing harder than that,” Scribner said, admitting that although boot camp was tough, it is easier now than in past generations.  
His classmate Duncan Cox joined the U.S. Army National Guard around the same time. The recruiter asked Cox if he would join, and he replied, “why not?” Scribner said the recruiter “likes to say that Duncan and I were the easiest recruits with very little convincing.” 
Scribner began his basic training in Missouri during the heat of summer from June to August. From the heat and constant sweating to people who grated on Scribner’s nerves, topped with endless yelling from the drill sergeants, it was easy to get discouraged. 
“There was nothing we could do to make them happy,” Scribner said.
The hardest part of basic training was “maintaining a positive mental attitude.” But the many cons, he said, were offset by the many positive elements.
“There was a lot of things that if you let it get to you, it was compounding. … Making friends was probably one of the best decisions you can make at basic training,” Scribner said. “It’s easier to go through difficult things with other people than it is by yourself. … As much as I complain about basic training, I liked it because of all the different people I met.” 
Cox also enjoyed getting to know people during basic training, despite the difficulty of having to work with people he didn’t know, and he loved being outdoors during training exercises, despite the summer heat in Oklahoma. 
“It was quite the experience. I walked in there with the expectation that it was going to be the worst experience ever,” Cox said, but he was surprised to find his expectations were wrong. “It was exciting.”
The most rewarding moment for Cox was celebrating in the barracks with his other recruits after they had received patches and listened to their commander’s speech. 
Scribner said he felt “incredibly relieved” after graduating from Advanced Intensive Training and basic training because he conquered what felt like an impossible task, not to mention the physical benefits of the training. 
“It gives you an intense sense of accomplishment,” he said. “A lot of people would benefit from that intense feeling of accomplishment.
And that was a far greater incentive than the educational benefits. There were many lifelong lessons for Scribner too, that extend far beyond the military. 
“I have learned a great deal of discipline. … Without discipline, everything falls apart,” he said. “It goes much further than being in the military — all the lessons they taught us — it’s something every single day we try to implement.”
Cox said one thing he’s struggled with his whole life, as he is frequently reminded by his mother, is being on time.
“I’ll be late for my own funeral,” Cox said. “The military taught me punctuality.”
But more than that, Cox said, he has a better appreciation for what sacrifice and dedication mean. 
“Each person has their own reason (for joining the military), whether it’s to serve their country or preserve what they love and want to protect,” Cox said. “I believe that is something worth serving for.”
Boot camp taught Scribner what it means to be selfless, looking after other people, as the drill sergeants stressed the importance of duty. And that duty was to serve others, which is tied in with honor. 
He recalled a story his drill sergeant told them to emphasize what honor meant: being proud of your heritage, willing to make sacrifices and honoring those who have by doing the best to serve your country. 
Scribner said he believes that the sacrifice of soldiers to give us the freedoms we enjoy is easily taken for granted. 
“They think (Veterans Day) is going to the auditorium, sitting down and listening to the band play terrible military music,” Scribner said. “They’re missing the point. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to sit and be bored. … They miss the meaning of why Veterans Day should be such a big deal.” 
Cox said he was part of choir during middle and high school, and one of his favorite events was the Veterans Day program. However, he admitted he didn’t understand what it really meant until he joined the military. 
“It’s a day about sacrifice. We all, in our own little ways, have something we can fight for, and they fought for us,” Cox said, adding that he lives next door to a disabled veteran. 
Now that boot camp is over, Scribner attends drill training with his unit once a month in Powell. His military occupational specialty is generator mechanic, so he expects he will be servicing generators, truck engines and other “mechanically included jobs.” 
He will do this for four years while attending Casper College (starting in the fall of 2023). For the last two years of his contract, he has three options: full active duty, active guard reserve or ready reserve. Unsure of what he will do, Scribner is considering active guard reserve or ready reserve and possibly pursuing graphic design. 
Cox’s goal is to maintain his current job in the military, possibly enlisting as an officer after college, and see what happens from there during his eight-year contract.
“From what I’m able to see now, I definitely have higher odds of signing up for more,” Cox said. “It’s just been getting better and better.” 
Regardless of where the future takes them, both young men say they are grateful for the lessons learned from the military because “it’s very much something that benefits us inside and out” and will be with them for the rest of their lives, Scribner said.