http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/sports/17409-cheerleader-in-an-army-of-one.htmlby rick olivares
"You went to college?”
“What are you… smart and stuff? What makes you special? Couldn’t find a job, huh? Or are you some rebel kid runnin’ away from mom and dad?”
The Drill Sergeant was right in Philip Alexander Rex Velez’s face and spouting words so fast in an Alabama drawl that he didn’t have the time to worry about getting a saliva shower much less be amused.
It was the inprocessing of the brave new world of Uncle Sam’s Army of One that is no place for the phony tough or crazy brave but for men and women with the cojones to be thrust in a world so dangerous that Ian Fleming could never have even thought of more vicious and brazen villains for Agent 007.
Three Drill Sergeants hovered about the platoon of “dirtbags” or new recruits who were lined up on two sides. Each DS held up every “maggot’s” application form in order to know them better.
When one of them went up to Velez, he noted for the whole platoon to hear that the Fil-American was a college graduate who went to school at Ateneo de Manila where he took up Legal Management and was a part of the university’s Blue Babble Battalion. With voice that sounded like it had rusting nails for breakfast, the DS asked in the most colorful language known to man, what exactly was the Blue Babble Battalion. For the benefit and pleasure of everyone, he ordered Velez, then at 22 years of age, to prove he was a cheerleader.
And Velez, complete with motions and gestures launched into Ateneo’s cheering staple of “Blue Eagle the King.”
Still unconvinced, the DS ordered Velez to lift another female recruit who was also a cheerleader in school.
Velez, who went to high school at La Salle Zobel where he was also with the Pep Squad, knew how to lift a cheerleader and he easily aced the move.
The DS smirked, commended Velez but noted that he was still an “idiot,” and moved on to harass the next “scumbag.”
Who would have thought that Velez would find himself in this position when a couple of years ago, he was in college where he hung out, partied, chugged beer, and engaged in things that people his age do. He was all set for another four years of law school in Ateneo’s Rockwell campus in Makati City, but while on extended vacation in the United States, he took a job as he was running out of money.
Velez worked for an IT company in Morristown, New Jersey, in a cubicle jungle of post-its, buffet paperwork, rolling chairs, leftover slices of pizza, and an excessively micromanaging boss with poor people skills. He was good at his work but bored and frustrated, he quit.
While cooling his heels at home, the phone rang one day and it was a recruiter for the US Army. Apparently, they had gotten hold of his resume that had been floating online, and the recruiter told him that he had “the skills that can do good.” That line struck a chord with Velez who mulled it over.
With the American Army at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, his parents were concerned about their son’s thinking of entering the military. But Philip wasn’t the type to jump into things impulsively. He did his research and asked countless people for advice before signing his enlistment papers. Thought the new recruit: “I honestly got scared. I thought about going to war prior to joining up but after all my training and with work experience under my belt, I understand that if my job calls me to the defense of others I will always answer.”
Before he could test that theory, he had to survive boot camp.
It was one of those school bus types that ferried him along with 250 others to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. As soon as they arrived, a female DS, who looked as if she could kick the butt of every one on the bus went up and sternly ordered: “You have 30 seconds to get off my bus five of which are gone!” They were out of there like a bat out of hell.
Nervous at jumping into the unknown, Velez thought that it could only be for the best. And it has. He found that life in the army is not as stringent as one may think. “To most civilians, seeing us get up at around 0500, work out daily at 0600, working job details (hopefully) from 0900-1700, and then doing our additional duties after hours would seem like a pretty hectic day,” he described. “Add to the fact that over and above this some of us have families, extra-curricular activities, even a 2nd job, yet we are all able to manage pretty well. Personally, I’m very grateful that the “get-it-done” mindset that the Army has helped me develop has now become a habit.”
It has been 17 months since Velez enlisted and he has surprisingly been happy with his new career. “I guess the biggest discernible change in my life is the fact that I am very happy with what I’m doing here in the Army. I know what it was like to be unemployed, to be employed but dissatisfied with your job, and employed while appreciating everyday that I get to wake up and do what I do. It’s made me a more positive and confident person and it’s nice to know that my contributions to the service help other people’s lives, even for a little bit. A little bit is better than zero. I’m just one person out of a handful of men and women who do what they do for the sake of others. That’s why it’s called ‘military service.’ I guess this is what they meant by ‘magis’ in Ateneo (the word is taken from the Jesuit philosophy of ‘doing more for Christ and for others’). Doing it daily really is fulfilling.”
Even Velez’ friends back home here in the Philippines are surprised at his transformation. Cheerleaders are supposed to have this upbeat attitude because they lead their respective galleries to give their lungs during athletic competition but his newfound focus and drive has been nothing short of amazing.
“Curiously, the one misconception about basic combat training is that it’s extremely physical. It’s actually more of a dreadful mental and social game that lasts 9 weeks long; being physically fit is a bonus. The reason I say this is because all it really takes to survive are these rules: 1) Listen well and do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING the Drill Sergeant says. Regardless. Trust me on this. That’s why it’s the number one rule; 2) Try to get along with your fellow trainees; and 3) Stay focused and stay motivated.”
“Those three rules served as my mantra throughout the whole ordeal from start to finish. Number three is my personal favorite that I still use even today.”
Note: Due to the sensitive nature of Corporal Philip Alexander Rex Velez’ job, we cannot mention his duties and responsibilities.
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