HR Department From Hell

If you join a civilian company, you usually spend an hour or two with HR, then get to work. In the Army, it's very different. They actually assign you to a special "department" for a week while they get you in-processed. In Army lingo, I'm in the 120th Training Battalion, Charlie Company, 89th Platoon. In that time, you sleep, you set up direct deposit, get uniforms, learn the basics of marching, and...go to medical. The latter involves getting 5 vaccinations at once. They line you up head-to-toe and march you through a number of vaccination stations. The culmination is known as the "two-fisted stab" - a technician takes a syringe in each hand and deftly jabs both into your arm while chatting with an assistant. It looks intimidating when you see it happen to the guy in front of you-but actually it was almost painless. Apparently, practice makes perfect, and they sure do get a lot of practice.