59-Year-Old Survives Boot Camp After Reenlisting in Army

While many 59-year-olds are starting to think about easing into retirement, Staff Sgt. Monte Gould decided to enlist in the military for the third time. What he didn't realize was that he would be asked to go through boot camp again.

"Nobody ever goes through basic training and thinks to themselves, Oh, I want to repeat that,” Gould said. “I figured my Marine Corps boot camp that I went through in 1978 was sufficient."

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Gould had already served 18 years in the military. He first joined the Marine Corps in 1978; he stayed for three years. Then, in response to Operation Desert Storm, he enlisted with the Army National Guard in 1992, as an infantryman and sniper, for 10 years. In 2002 he became an Army Reserve civil affairs specialist.

Despite already having an expansive career in the military, Gould felt he had more to give, which contributed to his motivation for reenlisting in the Army in 2020.

"I also wanted to serve my nation in this time of conflict, because I felt like my contribution to my nation was not sufficient for me at this point,” he explained. “I felt as if I needed to do more, and I felt compelled to be more for my nation."

But first, he asked his wife, Lisa, and sons for their support.

"I busted out laughing — it was funny,” Lisa said. “But not in a mean type of way. But you know what? If you could do it, anybody could do it. You don't have to give up. When you get older, you keep going"

Gould's youngest son, Army Spc. Jarrod Gould, 35, also expressed support for his father. This would be essential, as the two were assigned to the same unit, the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, out of Las Vegas.

"The ability to serve [with] my son — which very few people get an opportunity to do — that was a biggie,” he said.

Training for basic training

Although he maintains an active, healthy life, Gould said he needed to lose weight and increase his cardiovascular fitness to compete with people much younger than he at boot camp.

His training included completing rucksack marches over distances as long as 22 miles while carrying 45 pounds of rocks. He also lifted weights and did pull-ups, sit-ups and abdominal exercises.

Other challenges arose in the form of administrative hurdles. Gould said he was asked to submit reams of paperwork, get a background check, speak with several recruiters and undergo multiple physical exams.

"They're pretty strict on a guy that's 59 years old,” he said. “It's no joke; they're going to check everything, and they're going to check it twice, and they're going to ensure that you can physically do this before you're allowed in."