The Life of an Army Man
The U.S. Army's primary duty, in tandem with the other three branches of our military, is to protect the U.S. and to combat tyranny when necessary.
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Origins
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The official birthday of the U.S. Army is June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of riflemen to serve the colonies for one year. The first special forces unit of the Army was formed on June 11, 1952, with the activation of the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Basic Training
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Basic training wake-up time is 0430 every single day of the week, including Sundays, which is the only day set aside for personal time. Even then, a drill instructor can choose to make recruits use time on Sunday as he or she sees fits. Lights out happens at 2100 (9 p.m.).
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Christmas Exodus
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Since the Army suspends training operations during the winter holidays, all basic training recruits are allowed to return home for Christmas. Most choose to go home for the holidays. The large number of recruits leaving army bases at this time is called the Christmas exodus.
Living Accommodations
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After training, soldiers with a family have access to subsidized housing. Single soldiers live in four-person buildings. All soldiers pay for their meals, but the cost is cheap and the standards for Army food is high.
Life Outside the Army
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Once a soldier has completed basic training, and assuming there are no additional training operations in place, his days are spent performing duties associated with his Army career. Soldiers are free to do whatever they want to do on nights and weekends.
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