Kindle finishes basic training as Honor Grad

When Malta’s Kori Kindle enlisted in the Montana Army National Guard in the summer of 2015, she knew she would excel in at least one of the aspects of basic training.

“I knew I would max everything,” she said of the physical aspects of training. “I trained a lot before I went there. I enlisted in June of 2015 and that’s when I realized what I would have to do to pass the PT (physical training) test so I trained until I left, which was in February.”

That hard work paid off and following the completion of basic training, Kindle was named as Honor Grad in her platoon. To Achieve Honor Grad, Kindle had to demonstrate leadership, military professionalism and superior capabilities to every other solider in her platoon. Along the way to being named Honor Grad, Kindle also scored a perfect 300 in her physical fitness test. Kindle said prior to shipping off to basic training, she trained for nearly seven months following a self-designed fitness routine which mainly focused on push-ups, sit-ups and the two mile run. When it came time to complete the tests at basic, Kindle did 60 push-ups in 120 seconds, 85 sit-ups in that same time span and ran her 2-mile in 13:13, more than two minutes faster than needed for a perfect score. Kindle said in her company, there were nearly 200 members. Inside that company there are three platoons and in her platoon, there were 65 members which she competed against for the Honor Grad award.

“It was intense,” she admitted.

During a portion of the tests called a “board” Kindle and her platoon mates were told to put on their 15-pound bulletproof vests, helmets and to grab their M4 rifle. From there, Kindle had to give an interview covering different types of Army knowledge, and then split into groups of two in order to disassemble and reassemble an M4, the same process with a M249 and then put a radio together. Kindle said that she and the fellow she was competing against were tied as far as time when completing the three tasks.

“The tie breaker was to disassemble, reassemble and do a functions check on the M4,” Kindle said. “I couldn’t get my firing pin to stay and he won, even though I was beating him. It sucked, but I was rooting for him too.”

Kindle graduated from Malta High School in 2012 and then went on to Montana State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in December of 2015. In that same year, Kindle enlisted in the National Guard and started basic training in the winter. Following basic training, Kindle trained as a 31B Military Police, and will be attached to the 484th Military Police Company Detachment 1 (Combat Support) in Glasgow, Mont.

“I had never really thought of being a police officer before,” she said, “but I thought of it more as the combat aspect and doing what MPs do overseas and that’s what I want to be a part of.”

While a student at MHS, Kindle ran on both the track and cross-country teams for the M-Ettes, was on the golf team and played on the basketball team all four years of her high school career and was a member of the 2010 Class B State Champs.

Kindle is the daughter of Tony and Debbie Kindle of Malta. She didn’t tell her parents – or anyone else, for that matter – about enlisting in the National Guard until the very last minute.

“They were pretty surprised when I told them I was joining the National Guard,” she said. “I told them the day before I left to do my in-processing stuff.”

Kindle kept her National Guard enlistment a secret for a couple of months because she was both nervous about the commitment and didn’t want to be talked out of it.

“They still tried to talk me out of it, of course,” Kindle laughed. “But they are much better now and understand why I wanted to do it and where I am coming from.”

Kindle said she never thought about joining the military when she was younger and it wasn’t until ISIS started terrorizing the free world that she decided that she wanted to enlist. She said she talked with her friend Nathan Carlson, who had also joined the military, and got his advice on how to proceed in her quest.

Kindle said she enjoys most aspects of the military thus far in her career – though she admitted her frame of reference is slight at this point. She had next to nothing to complain about so far, though she said she wouldn’t have minded a larger breakfast menu during basic training.

“It was the same thing every day for five months,” Kindle said. “Towards the end I couldn’t even eat the powdered eggs and there was no coffee. That was torture.”

Kindle is working this summer at Marian Hills Golf Course as a grounds keeper, but added that thus far, her military training hasn’t played much of a part of keeping the fairways green.

Kindle’s BA from MSU is in elementary education, and since graduating, she has received several teaching offers from schools across Montana, but for the time being, she is focused on her military career.

“I just really love the Army lifestyle,” she said. “I just want to make a difference in the military. Whatever they need me to do, I just want to show them what I am made of and excel …No teaching this year, maybe next year.”