WARRNAMBOOL best mates Sean O'keeffe and Ryan Keogh are taking the first steps in their careers together, enlisting for the Australian Army.
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O'keeffe will head to Melbourne on July 21 for his enlistment and Keogh will follow on August 4.
The opportunity is a dream come true for 19-year-old O'keeffe.
"It's been a lifelong dream of mine, ever since primary school I've talked about joining the military," he said.
"I worked full-time in a desk job and realised it's not for me. I hope one day to be deployed overseas and to have the opportunity to travel on my holidays."
Keogh, 21, hopes to make a positive change with his career.
"I want to help people and the army is the best place to do that," he said. "There's something new everyday. I have never really wanted to be in a desk job. I want to be moving and physical and the Army gives me the opportunity to make friends with the same interests."
The friends attended Warrnambool College and were in the same year level after Keogh returned from a year on exchange in Finland in 2015.
The mates have been putting the hard yards in together training for the standard fitness test of 100 sit-ups, 45 push ups and a 2.4-kilometre run under 11 minutes.
They also had to study for a general knowledge test and sit medical and psychiatric examinations before being accepted.
After enlistment, the pair will head to Wagga Wagga for 80 days of basic training and then move to the School of Infantry in Singleton.
Basic training takes six months to complete and then recruits can recommend where they want to be stationed. The duo is both hoping to live in the sunnier climate of Townsville.
"We won't be in the same platoon but we'll be able to hang out on weekends and keep up our fitness," O'keeffe said.
"Having Sean there makes me a less nervous and more motivated," Keogh added.
O'keeffe will undertake two years in infantry before heading into an officer role for another two years while Keogh will be in the infantry for four years before deciding which next career path he wants to head down.
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