Surviving ARMY BCT

HAHA. Dude you will be fine. Blend in, simplest explanation is do what you are told, and nothing more.

PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your gonna hate the weather here. Most DIs arent bad guys, I grew quite fond of mine.

Oh, didnt they tell ya? IF YOU AINT CAV YOU AINT SH*@!!!!:D

J/K bro...... give em hell!
 
tonym said:
Congrats bro. I served in the USAF, so our basic was probably alot easier, I mean we didn't even have drill instructors, we had training instructors. The hardest part for me was folding my tee shirts. Sorry if I can't be of more help.
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Dude all I have to say is Pararescue!!! Airforce gets a name for not bein that tuff, but man PJs are what seals and green berets aspire to be!:cool:
 
...god the one thing that stands out.

Never put your hands in your pockets.

Was at the airport in El Paso getting ready to go home on leave, a bunch of us were standing around hurrying up and waiting. We were given instructions to not let our travel authorizations leave our hand...so of course some dumbass in our group puts his is in his duffel and jams his hands in his pocket...

Out of nowhere a half dozen NCOs appear out of nowhere...checking documents.

About three of them get into the fellow who put his away and began a chewing. One of the things...never stand around with your hands in your pockets
 
Or walk on the grass. No pockets, no grass. And do nothing more than you are told. Learn the ranks before you jet so you can address people correctly. Never call an enlisted man sir. Only call the officers that. Call enlisted men by their rank.
 
Just listen to your Drill Sergeants, They are really normal people that act like d-heads because thats what it takes to turn u from a regular joe to a soldier. My best advise is to get there in good physical shape, act like the only thing u know or want to know, is what they have teach u. if u do that u will be fine!
 
one more... don't say thank you to your drills.
 
Guys, thank you for your support and advice. My biggest concern is my drive to be the best (please dont read the wrong way, I push to be best and take it hard sometimes when Im not). I love my country and my family and am proud to have the opportunity to serve them both.

BarberFobic, I live in Florence, dont know if I know you or not. I didnt think there were any forumites in the area. good to know Im not alone :D
 
Mtn_Guy_79 said:
Guys, thank you for your support and advice. My biggest concern is my drive to be the best (please dont read the wrong way, I push to be best and take it hard sometimes when Im not). I love my country and my family and am proud to have the opportunity to serve them both.

BarberFobic, I live in Florence, dont know if I know you or not. I didnt think there were any forumites in the area. good to know Im not alone :D
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actuallly, right now i live in oklahoma, but ft thomas is just in campbell county, so like a 20 minute drive. so i guess i do not know you, but we are from a just about the same part.
 
j williams said:
Dude all I have to say is Pararescue!!! Airforce gets a name for not bein that tuff, but man PJs are what seals and green berets aspire to be!:cool:
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Yeah those dudes are the real deal:eek: The physical test you have to pass just to make it to that school is sick:eek: 340 of us tried and 1 made it through, just to turn it down, as he didn't want to be away from his family that long.:eek: Needless to say, the instructors were pissed.
 
j williams said:
Dude all I have to say is Pararescue!!! Airforce gets a name for not bein that tuff, but man PJs are what seals and green berets aspire to be!:cool:
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Security Forces training wasn't that easy either. The AF gets overlooked most of the time. There's a couple of jobs in the AF that are tough :D
 
i wnet throught a little less than two years ago, its alot different even after just two years. 30th ag will be the hardest part of the whole experience. dont be lazy be a team player. if you have trouble witha guy just take it to the shower or laundry room dont do it in front of a ds or youll all get corrective training.

i personally loved it.

whats your MOS?

11B is where its at. and do yourself a favor and go airborne.
 
Jenner 515 said:
...god the one thing that stands out.
Never put your hands in your pockets.
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Unless you're around the Air Force:D

j williams said:
Dude all I have to say is Pararescue!!! Airforce gets a name for not bein that tuff, but man PJs are what seals and green berets aspire to be!
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There's always a lot of good-natured ribbing between the services, and I have several good friends in all of them. I will say that the Pararescue guys in the AF are studs when I was with them at Bragg in 2/7th SFG. Of course, these guys talked and walked Army better than most Soldiers...real professionals and ass-kickers! :thumbup:

DI's are DI's...it's an act, but give them the respect as they have a job to do and don't have a lot of time to do it. As an instructor, the best advice to stay on target and avoid being a target is:

Be at the right place, at the right time (that means 10 minutes early) and in the right uniform; and be in the right attitude (that means "positive").

Have fun!
Learn from the good and bad from your peers and DI's
Listen to those with combat experience
Avoid the "barracks lawyers"
Don't jump your chain of command unless it's truly a last resort
Be loyal; be honest
You were born with your integrity, and only you can give it away; NEVER jeopardize your integrity!

You will be the future defender of this Nation; it is a big burden and you will have to make personal sacrifices. Just by wearing that uniform, you will get respect, don't disgrace it! You will be a Soldier 24/7, on duty and off...your conduct will be amplified tenfold...as a PFC or SPC, your actions, positive or negative will make the headlines; it is now what we call the "Strategic Corporal" (coined by my Marine brothers/sisters). This refers to the amount of impact you will make by your decisions as a future team leader...and that impact can and will have strategic implications.

Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching. Over the past 20 years, I've seen super star troopers drop out due to stupid decisions and I've seen quite, shy troopers step up to be incredible leaders under extremely difficult and stressful circumstances. Avoid the negative and always look for the positive; don't bitch about the problems, look for solutions. It's a different Army...we still have some fluff, but hard-working, competent, quick-learning Soldiers who take initiative will become our future leaders. There is a lot to learn if you have the desire. We're not a perfect organization, but we are a profession where you can influence your surroundings, even at the lowest levels (just saw that happen today with my Battalion Commander).

Good luck and keep us updated.

ROCK6
 
Mtn Guy, if you find yourself calling your SGT's "Drill Instructors", well, you got on the wrong bus... In the Army, those who wear campaign hats and jump on your a$$ are called "Drill Sergeants".

Honestly, the movies/media have hyped Intial Entry Training (IET) aka basic training into this "survival" type scenerio. No, it's not about survival, and cutting the "weak". The purpose of IET across all services, is to turn civilians into basically trained Airmen, Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers.

I wouldn't worry about doing PT right now. They'll start the physical conditioning at the lowest possible level, and then work everyone up. You don't have to worry about showing up to Basic already a PT stud. You'll learn that the military works on the "crawl, walk, run" philosophy. That applies to all elements of IET/basic.

Attention to detail and staying motivated. That will help make basic a successful experience.

I thought Army life was much harder at my duty station/unit when compared to IET.

BTW, I believe MP's do OSUT. Which is essentially basic and AIT combined into one cycle.

One last thing. Every Soldier claims they went through "the last, really hard/difficult basic training cycle". And subsequently, all new guys had it easy.

Myself, Charlie 2-54 Inf. (Hell's Kitchen) Ft. Benning, year 2000 (the last year basic training was hard j/k) LOL
 
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j williams said:
HAHA. Dude you will be fine. Blend in, simplest explanation is do what you are told, and nothing more.

PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your gonna hate the weather here. Most DIs arent bad guys, I grew quite fond of mine.

Oh, didnt they tell ya? IF YOU AINT CAV YOU AINT SH*@!!!!:D

J/K bro...... give em hell!
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great advice!!!! yea no worries, I hear they have stress cards and stuff now. All kidding aside the better shape you are in upon arrival will make things go smooth for ya. The drill sergeants will take care of ya, thats there job. ANyhow, you will do fine, make sure you leave your knives at home cause that will cause problems, they may let you get a multitool, but im sure the knives we like will be frowned upon, save them for the sandbox!!! GL BRO!!!
 
Mtn_Guy_79 said:
I have just joined the ranks of our nations finest:D. 31b MP

Any advice on how to survive BCT would be great. I don't ship till April so I have some time to get preped. I'm mostly concerned with the psychological and emotional end of things.

(Mods feel free to move this if it in in the wrong forum)
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Am i so old school that the MP MOS is not 95B, i got off active duty in 2001 spent 5 years as a MP, 3 as a 95b20 Sergeant. Damn, I guess i am gettin OLD!!!!!!!!!!
 
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"make sure you leave your knives at home cause that will cause problems"

Great point Borderman.

Thats true about nearly everything. Bring only a personal hygene kit, shower shoes, change of clothes, and personal/relevant information, all inside a back pack.

Shortly upon arrval, all your personal items will handed over to the Drill SGTs for the remainder of basic. Don't be one of those kids bringing ten suitcase's, etc.
 
they made us hold our stuff,, u will have one duffle on front, one on back and your civilian bag with stuff u don't need, making ur arms burn holding it for a WHILE.. "go light" "No Battle Mistresses" John Wayne
 
Here is my best piece of advice from Marine Corps Boot Camp:

Break the day down into little pieces - don't think of how many weeks you have - don't think of how many days you have - don't think of how many minutes you have.

Think about getting to the next meal. Break your days down into meals and simply get to the next one - you will then get to the last one.

TF
 
Talfuchre said:
Here is my best piece of advice from Marine Corps Boot Camp:

Break the day down into little pieces - don't think of how many weeks you have - don't think of how many days you have - don't think of how many minutes you have.

Think about getting to the next meal. Break your days down into meals and simply get to the next one - you will then get to the last one.

TF
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Even more great advice, I have used a system similar to this. I always break things down and say to myself, this time tomm I will be doing this, and depending on the deployment, school etc, i will say this time next month, or year I will be doing such and such. helps me pass time. also remember your not the only one doing this training, many people have done exactly waht you will be doing. Some great advice being dished out here by some great people, get it going!!
 
Mtn_Guy_79 said:
I have just joined the ranks of our nations finest:D. 31b MP

Any advice on how to survive BCT would be great. I don't ship till April so I have some time to get preped. I'm mostly concerned with the psychological and emotional end of things.

(Mods feel free to move this if it in in the wrong forum)
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Its not too late to change to 11B, the foundation of the Army. Airborne Ranger is still an enlistment option isn't it?

Being physically fit is just one part of the prep. Be prepared to follow orders without question, even if it seems pointless. Being mentally prepared for a completely different way of life during the training phase really helps. And remembering that you and all the other trainees are in this together.

Thanks for stepping up!
 
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