What It Means To Be Born Again

The expression "born again" is used many times among Evangelical Christians. It does not appear in the Book of Acts, however. The Apostles did not preach to the multitudes that they must be born again.
Often when people say, "I have been born again," they mean they have been converted to the Christian religion. They have not actually been born again. Rather, in their mind they have accepted Christian theology.
When I first was introduced to the Gospel, I read in a book that when one is born again it is like entering a new world; so I expected some kind of experience.
I was in the Marine Corps at that time. I went to a nightly Bible study in a Quonset hut. The chaplain read, "If you will be My people, I will be your God."
At that point I felt God's love. I said (whether out loud or not, I can't remember), "Did God say that?" I was thinking to myself, it should be the other way around. We should say, "We will be your people if you will be our God." We should be doing the begging, not God, it seemed to me.
A naval officer, a doctor, I believe his name is Dr. Ralph Byron, stopped as I was leaving the Quonset hut after the service. He led me through the four steps of salvation. It did not seem necessary to me at the time, but I was obedient.
When I walked outside, everything looked different. The stars looked brighter. I do not say everyone who is born again will have a similar experience; I had been set up for this by the book I read. In any case, it was real enough. I believe I am correct in saying that I was born again when God touched me in the Quonset hut, when the chaplain was reading from the Bible.