October isn’t just pumpkin patches and cinnamon candles around here — it’s also the season of being violently yanked out of your cozy comfort zone by the sound of an early morning rucksack dump. That’s right. Drill season is back in full swing, and whether you’re the one packing the duffel or the one holding down the fort at home, it’s time to rise, caffeinate, and mentally prep for the wild ride that is another MUTA (Multiple Unit Training Assembly) 4 weekend. This is all part of the Guard life!

You know the drill (pun fully intended). One minute you’re sipping cider and living your crunchy-leaf fantasy, and the next you’re Googling make-shift boot blousers because somehow, everything military disappears between August and October. Where did the name tape go? Where’s my pen? Why does it smell like motor oil in this ruck?

It’s giving seasonal whiplash — one foot in fall girlie land, the other in the armory parking lot.

Here’s the thing: no matter how crusty and chaotic that first drill back feels, it’s also a weirdly beautiful reset. A reminder of the structure, the teamwork, and the purpose that somehow grounds us in the middle of our messy, multitasking military lives. Drill weekends might steal your sleep and sanity, but they also bring that built-in sense of community we honestly forget we need.

So, this October, let’s normalize:

• Setting three alarms and still waking up in a panic
• Sending the same “don’t forget your CAC” text every month
• Prepping snack bags like it’s a road trip to nowhere
• Grabbing 20 extra minutes of sleep before your Monday reality hits

Whether you’re suiting up or supporting from home, we see you. You’re the backbone of readiness — even when you’re running on leftover Halloween candy and gas station coffee.

So, slick back that bun, shake off the sleep, and throw on your “don’t talk to me before formation” face, because we’re back, baby — back in boots, back to business, and back to pretending we knew the drill schedule all along.

See you at formation, or you know…at Starbucks afterward.

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