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I am a U.S. Army Cavalry Scout. My current rank is Private First Class.

My first responsibility is to perform all of my duties in a military manner. I have to be physically fit and follow all orders. As a cavalry scout, I find enemy locations, observe the enemy while remaining undetected, perform security for military operations, check points on roads, survey routes of travel, and find high value targets. My job is to protect U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians, and eliminate enemy threats.

Everything I do is related to the Army’s values. There are seven of them. You can remember them by using some of the first letters in the word LeaDRSHIP: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal courage. Every task that I do in the Army is related to those values. There's also a Soldier's Creed, which can be found at http://www.army.mil/SoldiersCreed I'm a soldier 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and I have to live every part of my life by those Army values.

I really don't get to make any decisions other than what I get to eat. The platoon sergeant or section sergeant is in charge of what I do every single day. At night and on weekends, I'm off-duty and can participate in civilian activities. After work hours, it's my time.

One private in our unit was not showing up for physical training and orders. Some of the unit members tracked him down during our free time, and reported his location to the sergeant so the unit could account for his whereabouts.

At basic training, we work on land navigation. One day, we were dropped off somewhere in a field with a map, protractor and compass and told to find a way home. I led my group all the way back using my map-reading skills. We were the first group back. That was rewarding, because I did well at a task.

The very bottom rank is a PV1, a private in basic training. The next level is a PV2, and then there is my ranking, a Private First Class, or PFC. These ranks determine paygrade. I'm an enlisted member of the service, not an officer. A sergeant major of the army is the highest enlisted rank you can have.

It's all pretty relaxed unless someone's in trouble. Then the atmosphere is tense, because you don't know if the sergeant will be in a bad mood and take things out on the rest of us. As long as you're doing what you're told and you're in the correct uniform, things are usually laid back.

We are issued different uniforms for different jobs. For physical training, we always have to wear running shoes and white socks. If it's cold outside, we wear windbreaker clothing with long sleeves, a beanie cap, gloves and reflective belt. If it's warm outside, we wear shorts, short-sleeved shirts and a reflective belt. Our normal duty uniform is the Advanced Combat Uniform. That's our camouflage gear. We wear boots with this uniform, and we usually wear a beret as well. In cold weather, we wear jackets, hats and gloves with the uniform, too. The army requires us to be clean-shaven. Our hair can be no longer than three inches, and it can't cover our ears. We are allowed a small mustache if it's neatly trimmed. We are also issued dress uniforms (Class As) for graduations, promotions, trial hearings, and similar occasions that require more formal attire.

Each day is different. Every night I'm in the barracks, but during duty hours I'm either at a briefing in a classroom, in range training, or at the command offices listening to the officer in charge.

The reason I joined the Army was because I felt like I needed a change, a different direction in life. School wasn't going well for me. I was attending a university and I wasn't happy with my classes. The military had always been interesting to me; I grew up watching a lot of war movies with my dad. I felt being in the Army was something I could be good at and enjoy. I suppose my dad and television really influenced my decision.

My job as a cavalry scout is. Most of the other jobs are not. The basic training was just like the movies - getting yelled at, and doing crazy activities for the amusement of the drill sergeant. It's almost comical how that part is just like the movies. The movie Forrest Gump comes to mind. Gump was a successful soldier because he did exactly what he was told to do in a timely manner.

If I stay in the Army and I do a good job, I'll be up for promotions. I have to have proficiency in everything I do to get promoted. Promotions mean higher pay and more responsibilities. I could gain even more responsibility and an even higher salary by going to officer candidate school. I could also just choose to complete my four-year enlistment and then return to civilian life. For now, I'm required to provide four years of active-duty service, and in that time, I hope to "rank up" as much as I can.

A minimum of six months is required per rank, and soldiers can stay at a particular rank for up to two years. Getting a promotion depends on how well you do your job. There's always a possibility of getting demoted as well.

Somehow you find out about the Army: from the newspaper, TV or a flier. The next step is to contact a recruiter. The recruiter talks to you, and answers questions about the Army regarding jobs, benefits, and drawbacks. After they check your background and medical history, and you take the pre-ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test, you choose a Military Occupational Specialty. You go to a Military Entrance Processing Station, complete a physical, sign a contract and sign paperwork for things like life insurance, the Montgomery G.I. Bill, etc. You are then assigned a training station and you are sent for training.

The Army does a complete background check and acquires your medical history. You have to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This test shows your general intelligence level and what your strengths are. The higher you score, the more jobs are open for you to choose from.

The test has typical standardized test questions like basic math, science, and reading and comprehension. You can take the ASVAB on the U.S. Army website.

I woke up at 6:15 a.m. and reported for first formation at 6:50 a.m. At 7:00 a.m., we had accountability and began physical training. Physical training lasts an hour and improves our strength and endurance. From 8:00 until 9:30 a.m., I had time for breakfast, showering, shaving and changing into our daily uniform. At 9:30 a.m., we have first call for work. Yesterday, we had briefings about public affairs and a soldier's relationship with the media. That briefing lasted nearly an hour, and then we had a briefing about operation security. We were told not to share too much information about what we are doing and where we are going, specifically on websites with blogs like Myspace or Facebook. This provides security for your unit so the enemy can't use any information against us. We had our lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We usually either eat at the D-Fac or go somewhere else to buy food. After lunch, we met again for briefings until 3:00 p.m. These briefings were about detaining personnel and how to treat high value targets, criminals of war, or any other criminals we may apprehend overseas. We talked about the Geneva Convention, which specifies how to treat prisoners of war or hostages. After our last briefing of the day, we reported back to the rear detachment command center where we cleaned the building until meeting the commander of the unit. He told us to stay safe and out of trouble over the weekend, and gave us the time we had to report for work next week. Then we got smoked for a little while.

Accountability is making sure that every soldier is where he is supposed to be. This follows you throughout the Army—everyone must know where you are at all times, especially when you are deployed. If you aren't where you're supposed to be, something's probably wrong.

My unit runs five to six miles on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for cardiovascular endurance. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we increase our abdominal and upper body strength by doing push-ups, sit-ups, and crunches. The officer in charge finds other ways for us to exercise as well. Yesterday, we carried logs; sometimes we carry people. There are many exercises that we do.

The D-Fac is our name for the dining facility. There are a few of them throughout the base and they are open during our normal eating hours. The facilities serve food like burgers, hot dogs, hot ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken, pork, beef, noodles, etc. They have all sorts of juices, Gatorade, soda, and milk. Our unit issues us a meal card to pay for food from the D-Fac, or a soldier can choose to pay cash for food there. It's a lot like eating at a college dorm cafeteria, only the food's a little better and there's a lot more variety.

Getting smoked is usually some kind of physical reprimand for the junior ranked soldiers. It refers to anything physically demanding that will wear down the person being reprimanded, and always has to be ordered by an officer. Repeating certain exercises over and over until the soldiers are exhausted is often a way of getting smoked.

Yes. After physical training, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. we have a morning break. Lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Every day includes physical training. We change the type of exercises we do, but we never stop exercising. There are different briefings every day, as well as different types of training: weapons qualifications and proficiency, land navigation, combat life-saving, individual tactical movements. Each day usually brings something new.

It depends on your rank, but a Private First Class gets a base pay of $1,534 a month. There are additional forms of compensation you can receive, like allotments for housing or bonuses for deployment.

The Army provides health insurance, hazard pay (when a soldier is in combat), extra pay for special skills such as fluency in a foreign language, and enlistment bonuses. You can sign up for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and receive funding for college education. You pay $100 a month for a year and the Army will provide up to $40,000 for college. There's also a fund provided while you're enlisted; the Army will pay about $4,500 per semester of coursework while you serve your active duty.

It depends. When I'm deployed, I'll travel by plane to my station overseas. I did all my training in one place, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then I went to my duty station in Fort Drum, New York. I'll travel anywhere I'm needed during my four-year enlistment.

It's a big strain on my family life, because I'm stationed far away from them. I have to keep in touch by phone or through email. I don't get to see my family or significant other very often anymore. My social life has changed, too. I hang out with the same people all day. We have opportunities to participate in social activities, but it's always with the same people.

Yes. I'm a U.S. Army soldier 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever I do, I have to make sure I'm a good representative of the Army.

During basic training, I worked from 4:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., and for one hour during my sleep cycle. I didn't choose how I spent any of my time. We worked six days a week, and on Sundays, even though no training was scheduled, we still had to follow orders. Now it's like a regular job. I get up, go to work, have a break, go to work for a few more hours, have lunch break, work a few more hours, and go home. I also have weekends off.

100 percent stability. I will never get fired unless I earn a dishonorable discharge for committing crimes against the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

I took leave after training for 18 days. I get 30 days paid vacation a year, but I have to request time off, and the Army can always reject that request.

When the requested days off conflict with training or deployment, or if you haven't earned the time by working the required number of days.

I'll be able to retire after 20 years in the Army. To receive full benefits and pension, I would have to stay in the Army for 24 years.

The most satisfying aspect of my work thus far has been receiving an award at the end of one Station Unit Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Another satisfying moment for me happened when I ran into a veteran at the General George S. Patton Museum and talked to him about his time at Fort Knox. The most frustrating aspect of my training was going a couple of weeks without talking to my family. I also disliked being reprimanded for other peoples' mistakes.

My time with my family and loved ones.

My Military Occupational Specialty (cavalry scout) is growing, because of the type of war that we are currently fighting. This war does not involve lining up face-to-face with the enemy and going one line against the other. We are seeking enemies in urban environments.

The military just raised the base pay 3.5 percent. As far as deployments go, as long as the U.S. is occupying nations overseas, we'll continue to get deployed every year.

We use advanced weapons, advanced communications devices, and advanced navigation devices.

It doesn't necessarily make it easier, but safer and more effective. The increased efficiency makes our job less dangerous.

The Army is pretty much found throughout the whole world. Wherever there's a U.S. military installation, you can have a job.

It doesn't. There's always going to be an Army. I'm always going to have a job, no matter what.

Before joining the Army, it would have been nice to be in better physical shape and be emotionally prepared for having little communication with family members. During training, it would be nice to have someone to remind you that life will get easier after training—that you'll have more time for yourself, more time to talk to your family, and more time to be an individual.

One who is willing to sacrifice a lot; one who is physically and mentally strong. A good soldier is willing to follow orders. Most of this job is about sacrifice, giving up a lot so someone else doesn't have to.

People who aren't able to deal with separation from family, people who get homesick easily, and people who are unable to cope with a great deal of stress should not join the military. You always have to be on your toes in this profession, and someone who's not prepared to do anything at a moment's notice will not fare well. Lazy people do not do well in the Army. If you're a quitter, you won't make it here.

My desire to improve and my ability to follow precise orders. Physical and mental strength are also helpful to possess.

There isn't really any previous training that you'll need to have to join the Army. Being physically fit will help you the most during basic training. The Army teaches you anything you need to know during basic and advanced training.

If you have a college degree, you can become an officer, and you will automatically have authority over some other soldiers. GPA doesn't matter. College courses give you promotion points, so the more education you have, the higher your ranking can be.

Being the most knowledgeable person about your job. Doing as you're told, when you're told.

I have monthly counseling sessions with an officer in charge. He'll tell me things that I may need to improve on and outline schedules for the next month. You can definitely get a general feel about how your supervisor views you just by how he treats you and the type of duties you're assigned.

No one tells you how much it hurts to be away from family and loved ones. Yes, you get letters and phone calls every once in a while, but you miss seeing people's faces. Married soldiers can have families with them and it's not as hard, but a single soldier's life can get lonely. It's difficult to always do what you're told. There are good surprises to being a soldier, too. I never knew I would receive so much respect from the general public. When I'm in uniform in public places, I always have people congratulating me and thanking me for the service I'm doing.

Do what you're told. Do the best you can. Give 100 percent. Don't procrastinate. Be willing to adapt. My drill sergeant told me all of these things. Every single bit of advice has been an important factor in succeeding in my career.

http://www.goarmy.com

Nothing from college applied to anything I've done so far in the Army. Basic math and reading comprehension from high school are useful for some tasks. The rest of the necessary skills - communication skills and leadership skills - are learned from living life. It's the attitude you have as a person.