BCT

[Jasmine Perez]

what are the first two weeks like? what do they ask u and what type of questions do they ask u? if u have any sort of debts at home does that effect u?

[sockpuppet]

Well I can't completely answer questions about debt and the army, but I'm quite sure they won't be much interested in such things during training.

What base are you training at?

The first two weeks...

When you ship out, you'll arrive at reception. Reception will be a bit of a shock, but trust me, you'll be used to it after a day or two. The whole "arriving" at reception and basic training seems like a huge deal, but it's really not. Reception is just paperwork, shots, medical stuff, getting issued uniforms, PT clothes, boots, assorted gear, and having to go to the shopette to buy running shoes, personal stuff, and various things you'll need for training. Reception varies from base to base. It's pretty easy going at FLW, where I went to basic (and am stationed now), it's a little harder elsewhere, but reception isn't that big a deal.

Basic training...

The hardest part about the first two weeks varies for each person.

For many, it's the sudden cutoff from their family and friends. You won't have any way to talk to your family for anywhere from about four to eight weeks when you arrive at basic training (depends on your unit). The only contact I had with the outside world was snail mail letters. Arrange for people to mail you, and mail them frequently! I got a bunch of postcards (and lots of stamps) and sent them out almost every day, even if it was just a short note about how I was, what we did that day, etc. Getting mail back while you're cut off from the world feels really good, so make sure you get some! Do not expect to be able to use the phone more than a couple times during basic training.

For me, the hardest part about basic training... was the LACK OF CAFFEINE. Many years of drinking coffee and tea in the morning, NO MORE. You'll drink nothing but water or milk for about eight weeks. No candy either, no donuts (D'oh!), no ice cream, just good healthy DFAC food, MREs and field chow. If you're consuming a lot of caffeine now, get rid of it NOW, before you go in.

PT - you'll have to do PT very early in the morning, probably 420am or so, five or six days a week. Run, do push-ups, and do sit-ups before you go in to get your body ready. The PT seems hard at first, but it's really not that hard and not designed to "break" you. It's designed to build you up. If your push-ups are weak, start practicing now. If you can't run well, start running now. Don't hurt yourself by overdoing it too much too soon, but slowly build yourself up so you'll be ready when the time comes.

Here's another hard part about the first two weeks of basic... you'll do PT in the morning, then GO TO CLASS for hours on end afterwords. There's a bunch of boring stuff you'll have to learn, and the classes aren't always super-fun, if you know what I mean. Don't despair tho, things will get much more exciting soon enough. Oh, and BTW, don't fall asleep in class! I did once and had to do exercises during class!!

The gas chamber - you'll have to learn about chemical masks and go into the CS gas chamber during the first couple weeks. Yeah, CS gas kinda sucks, but it's not the end of the world. You'll have to breathe some in and it will pretty much suck, but it's over quickly and you'll recover fast. Many people panic while in the chamber, but you don't need to panic. Follow the instructions on clearing your mask and trust your equipment. Also accept that you'll have to take your mask off at the end and breathe in some gas, but you won't die and you'll be joking and laughing about it later that day. I ain't gonna lie, teargas is not fun, but some handle it better than others. If you know what to expect, you'll be better off for it.

Foot care - get and use foot powder. Put it on your feet after you dry your feet following a shower. Put it in your boots and running shoes every day. Basic is hard on your feet so take care of them. Get some "moleskin" when you're in reception! You might not understand what it is or why you're gonna need it, but you will need it! Also get a "military sewing kit" if you can because you can't have knives or scissors in basic, except the ones in the military sewing kit are probably allowed, and you need scissors to cut moleskin. A nail clipper will work in a pinch tho. Make sure your nail clipper doesn't have a pointy nail file on it tho, that's probably not allowed. (I had to break mine off in reception).

Shipping from reception to your basic training company...

This is a highly dramatic event that's a lot more drama than you'll realize when it's you getting on the bus. There will be a lot of drill sergeants, and they'll all be yelling at you and everyone!! You might get "smoked" at this time, just expect it. You'll have heavy bags and they might make you hold them over your head, or else do push ups or whatever, just know this is likely to happen, there will be a lot of yelling, and it'll seem like all hell has broken loose, with you stuck right in the middle.

However, we discussed this with the drill sergeants near the end of basic, and they basically said it's all a show, and they have their buddies secretly taping the whole thing so they can laugh at us later!! It's hilarious!! So know that much of what goes on is more show than substance, and when a drill sergeant is yelling at you, it's probably not at all personal. They yell at everybody. I got yelled at a few times too. Whatever, it's not that big a deal. Some people think getting yelled at in the army is so terrible... really it's not. If you mess up, you get yelled at, it's over, no biggie. You might have to occasionally do push-ups too, whatever, it's making you stronger, so roll with it.

Getting smoked - this is when your whole platoon has to do exercises as a punishment. It's going to happen, so be prepared. The more you train physically before you get there, the less you'll even worry about getting smoked. It can even be fun sometimes!!

Overall, just be ready for a very intense and fun experience. It's overwhelming, especially at first, but you'll get used to it and it should wind up being a helluvalotta fun for you! It seems like it's going to last forever, but it doesn't. You graduate and move on.

Hope this helps. Send me a PM or post a reply if you need more info!!

al

[Karen Stafford]

Sockpuppet- I'm Glad you posted your reply. My husband is in the Army but its been...23 years since he went to BCT so what he does still remember is still a bit different. Either way I am MORE than ready to head out. Many of my friends think I'm crazy but I can't wait to go. I have waited too long already.