For health reasons, he wasn't able to start his military training until 1931. Agarici didn't adapt easily to the military lifestyle: his military appearance looked a bit unkempt, he learned only what he considered interesting, and he openly voiced his disagreement to his superiors. Traian Stătescu, a colleague of his, described Agarici in his memoirs as "a well-mannered guy, whose upbringing could not be compared to any of ours, and for which he was laughed at; he had had a governess and spoke French perfectly. Horia Agarici minded his own business [..] and he didn't react to mockery and the pranks performed by his colleagues. He was covered in all kinds of insults, one worse than the other. He was impassive. He didn't react and that annoyed the troublemakers terribly".