Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington- A year ago, the future soldier Brodie Weinberg moved from Illinois to Washington to embark on a life change. His goal was to get in shape to fulfill his dream of joining the U.S. Army like his father, Sgt. Neill Weinberg, said Brodie.
Before the move, Brodie was overweight and out of shape; within a year, he lost more than 120lbs. this got him within the Army's height and weight standards for enlistment. Weinberg's supportive family fueled his tenacious spirit, allowing him to accomplish his goal.
On March 2, 2016, Brodie got to do the one thing he had been steadily working toward for more than a year. He enlisted into the U.S. Army, choosing military occupational specialty 91A: Abrams Tank System Maintainer and, with his father and stepmother Keshia Weinberg present to share the moment with him, he raised his right hand and swore in at the U.S. Army at the Seattle Military Entrance Processing Station.
The small room was rectangular-shaped with deep, cherry-colored wooden walls. On one end of the room were tall glass doors; on the other, a podium on a small stage. Behind the podium the flags of each service hung alongside the Washington State flag. Brodie and 15 other prospective soldiers walked through the glass doors and filed into the room, each finding a spot to stand on, on the royal blue carpet. The future soldiers stood tall with their hands interlocked behind their backs and legs spread apart, at 'parade rest.' The sandy-haired young man faced the brown podium and waited for the officer to enter the room.
When the officer entered, Brodie and the other future soldiers were called to attention. Immediately, he stood straight with his fists tightly balled at his sides and the heels of his steel-toed boots touching each other. Brodie stood straight-faced in the officer's presence but felt the excitement of the moment rush through him, he said.
"The whole time, it took everything I had not to just grin from ear to ear," Brodie said.
As the captain recited the oath of enlistment aloud, the soldiers repeated her. Brodie could barely contain himself as he repeated the words the officer said. "I just wanted to jump up and down," he said. "My inner child was freaking out."
Brodie has wanted to be a soldier since he knew how to talk, he said. Having his father watch him join the Army was a memorable moment for him. "It was great to have him there to see me accomplish my goal," Brodie said.
Brodie was proud of his accomplishment too, he said. One thing he is adamant about is that the change didn't happen overnight. His greatest challenges were his physical fitness and diet.
When Brodie first moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord with his family in February 2015, he weighed 280lbs. He had grown up eating unhealthy food and was used to eating processed food when he lived on his own in Illinois. "When I grew up with my mom, we did nothing but eat food from out of a box," Brodie said.
Although his entire family supported him joining the military, it was his father and stepmother Keshia who were his biggest supporters, Brodie said. Keshia convinced him to move in with her and his father in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle. She told him she would teach him how to prepare meals from scratch instead of food that came from a box and help him lose the weight necessary in order to join the Army.
From the moment Brodie arrived in Washington, Keshia began taking him to local farmers markets to help him learn how to prepare and eat food with less sodium and calories. Whenever she cooked, she cooked from scratch. Keshia and Neill both encouraged him to run and workout constantly and Neill showed him cardio and muscle-strengthening workouts. "He was running all the time," Keshia said.
Since last February, Brodie has regularly worked out on his own and with the Spanaway Future Soldiers, he has continued to make healthier food choices.
Brodie knew he had truly made progress with his weight loss when, in February, he 'passed tape'- a military test that measures body fat using a circumference-based method. Although he originally visited the Spanaway Recruiting Station to sign a document, Staff Sgt. Brandon Jones measured him. Just as he had completed that test, Sgt. 1st Class James Kalkstein, the center commander, asked him if he had passed and Brodie told him he had.
Wanting to be sure, Kalkstein asked Brodie to repeat the test and measured Brodie himself. After measuring him with a tape measure a second time, Kalkstein confirmed he had indeed passed. Having Kalkstein confirm he was fit for enlistment felt amazing, Brodie said.
"My heart started racing and I just got all excited and happy because it's an unbelievable feeling to finally see all your hard work has paid off," Brodie said.
He is excited to go to basic training; just the experience of losing weight and getting in shape has been worthwhile, he said. Brodie has already shipped to basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
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