A young man who could be described as a gentle giant has made his life an open book on social media. Many call his stories and videos cringe, but the more you listen, the more he grows on you. His journey, filled with deeply personal experiences, captivates audiences with its brutal honesty.
From his first date to his experiences as a virgin and his weight loss transformation, Army Private Sampson Kearns shares his life with an openness that earns both sympathy and respect. As a true Southerner, his storytelling has a natural charm that keeps people hooked, even if it means watching a three-part video just to get the full story.
One of his more infamous stories details his first date with a girl he met at church, which ended in disaster due to his inability to recognize that she was mentally handicapped before taking her out.
His journey to the Army National Guard began after being fired from his job as a custodian at North Rowan High School in Salisbury, NC, in September 2023. While he did not specify the exact reason for his termination, he claimed the work environment was toxic under new leadership. He had worked at the school for over four years and received numerous commendations, but his employment ended under a newly appointed principal.
Afterward, he briefly worked for the postal service but struggled with the long hours and physically demanding work. Though the pay was good, he admitted he was not suited for the job, often misplacing or misdelivering mail. His next attempt at employment, as a corrections officer, also did not work out.
Feeling a calling to serve his country, he found inspiration in a 2023 Army commercial that sought to rebrand the Army as a warfighting force. “The Army at the end of the day is here to fight and win the nation’s wars,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said at the time.
Standing at six feet seven inches and weighing 400 pounds, Kearns was well above the military’s enlistment weight standards. To qualify, he needed to lose weight and shave his beard. Determined, he built makeshift workout equipment in his backyard, including a barbell with propane tanks on either end and a homemade bench press constructed from lumber.
His beard, which he saw as a symbol of his Christian faith, was another sacrifice he had to make. While he never claimed to be Amish, he demonstrated a deep knowledge of their traditions and often spoke about their customs, particularly the significance of beards as a sign of maturity and commitment.
In early 2024, Kearns began documenting his enlistment process, from meeting his recruiter to going through the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). “Please pray for me because this is my best shot at a good life,” he said at the time. At MEPS, his body fat was measured at 32%, still above the required 26%. However, he was approved to attend the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course (FSPC), which he referred to as “Army fat camp,” giving him a chance to meet the necessary standards for basic training.
By May 2024, he finally passed the U.S. Army Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT), which matches recruits to military jobs based on physical abilities, allowing him to enlist as a combat engineer (12B). “I’ve been training and training, y’all, and I finally passed,” he announced.
He shipped out to Fort Jackson weighing 340 pounds. After graduating from “fat camp,” he had slimmed down to 295 pounds, with a 45-inch waist and a body fat percentage of 28%. By the time he completed basic training, he was down to 260 pounds and completed the Army’s two-mile run in 19 minutes.
@samkerns #zyn #armystrong #armystrong #nationalguard #NCNG #engineersleadtheway #gohardgoguard #basictraining #A35th #americansoldier🇺🇸 #fortleonardwood #fortjackson #fatcamp ♬ original sound – Sam Kerns
“Call me fat, call me Private Cheeseburger, but I’m killing it here in basic training,” he said in his first video after getting his phone back during Army Advanced Individual Training (AIT).
After graduating, he returned home to what he constantly reminded everyone in basic training and AIT was “the best city in the world, Salisbury, NC.”
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