Anyone Else here in the military or plan to join?

[Emma Lou]

I did a pretty brief search on google to double check my previous understanding of basic. From what i briefly found, it coincides with my original conceptions. For quite some time, you are up for long periods of time, you are woken up at odd hours of the not. You are forced to do a lot of PT, and have to take a lot of **** and the like.

However its a pretty limited amount of time, and while they demand some extensive physical time, its certainly not as awful as I feel your making it sound.

I don't mean to discredit your knowledge of basic training, but so long as you don't take the yelling personally, have the right attitude, and are in fairly good condition than you will be just fine.

*Smiles and nods* Yes, you're right. Google is so much smarter than my friend who have gone through it and the recruiters I have talked to. Mmhmm it's all easy and not awful at all.

 

[Wing]

You can't join as an WO.

Basic is different depending on MOS. Most MOSs only have a 9 week BCT portion with drill sergeants, then do their AIT depending on their MOS at another installation with platoon sergeants, and get passes on weekends and night.

People who were OSUT like me (MP, CBRN, infantry, engineer, cavalry scout) get drill sergeants the entire ride and a full control environment. I had that shit for 19 weeks, six weeks longer than Marines. The shite ****ing sucked. I went in January 2011 and graduated June 2011. I had one 8 hour pass during that time, and I came on here briefly.

There were a million times in the beginning, honestly, I just wanted to ****ing quit. Kept asking myself, what the **** I got myself into. There were people who tried to kill themselves. I got broke 6 times during the training. One period, my playoon got smoked for 5 hours straight, 4 days in a row for the shite we did not even do. It's not ****ing easy.

 

[Saint]

People who were OSUT like me (MP, CBRN, infantry, engineer, cavalry scout) get drill sergeants the entire ride and a full control environment. I had that shit for 19 weeks, six weeks longer than Marines. The shite ****ing sucked. I went in January 2011 and graduated June 2011. I had one 8 hour pass during that time, and I came on here briefly.

My question to you Hunter, is why does the Army have to go through Marine Corps Boot Camp if they switch services, but the Marines don't have to go through Army Basic Training if they do? ;) Also, Marines who are combat arms have to go to their specific MOS schools as well, so you adding Basic Training and AIT together since it's essentially executed as one course by the Army is a rather unfair comparison when you don't do the same for the Marines. For the Marines, Boot Camp is just that, Boot Camp, THEN they go on to Infantry school where they either train in their combat arms MOS (shortest being five weeks for basic infantryman), or go through a shortened version (two weeks) for those pursuing MOS's not in the combat arms arena (ie Communications Specialist); THEN those go to their MOS school.

For advice on boot camp or basic training, whichever, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. You'll make it just fine. Trust me. At the end, you'll look down the row of fellow servicemen/women and realize that it must not have been that bad if Jonesy and Smitty made it.

You'll get enough sleep most nights. They schedule you for eight hours of sleep. Granted, you'll probably pull firewatch/duty for an hour in there somewhere, but not every night. You'll pull it for two hours if you're stupid, and not always consecutive hours, so yeah, that sucks, but just don't be stupid.

There are days where you are up for extended periods and they deprive you of sleep, but it's not for the entire length of the course. Usually only a few days tops, and at that, not often at all.

Just know that it's mostly mental. Your body can go farther than you realize. It's typically your mind that is weak. Well, for most anyway. Some are just weak period. :/

 

[The Stray]

My question to you Hunter, is why does the Army have to go through Marine Corps Boot Camp if they switch services, but the Marines don't have to go through Army Basic Training if they do? ;) Also, Marines who are combat arms have to go to their specific MOS schools as well, so you adding Basic Training and AIT together since it's essentially executed as one course by the Army is a rather unfair comparison when you don't do the same for the Marines. For the Marines, Boot Camp is just that, Boot Camp, THEN they go on to Infantry school where they either train in their combat arms MOS (shortest being five weeks for basic infantryman), or go through a shortened version (two weeks) for those pursuing MOS's not in the combat arms arena (ie Communications Specialist); THEN those go to their MOS school.

For advice on boot camp or basic training, whichever, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. You'll make it just fine. Trust me. At the end, you'll look down the row of fellow servicemen/women and realize that it must not have been that bad if Jonesy and Smitty made it.

You'll get enough sleep most nights. They schedule you for eight hours of sleep. Granted, you'll probably pull firewatch/duty for an hour in there somewhere, but not every night. You'll pull it for two hours if you're stupid, and not always consecutive hours, so yeah, that sucks, but just don't be stupid.

There are days where you are up for extended periods and they deprive you of sleep, but it's not for the entire length of the course. Usually only a few days tops, and at that, not often at all.

Just know that it's mostly mental. Your body can go farther than you realize. It's typically your mind that is weak. Well, for most anyway. Some are just weak period. :/

I like this post a lot. I'm not disagreeing with you (Hunter and Emma) that basic isn't hard, but I think calling it one of the hardest things that a human being will do in their entire lives might be a little dramatic. From the stories I've heard, being a single mother is a lot like basic, minus the PT. You hardly ever sleep, and get yelled at constantly.

I know basic is hard, but my brother is a pilot, and my other buddy was force recon, and my other used to be a ranger. So its not like google is my only source on this. In fact, I mainly used google to make sure there wasn't something pretty glaring in my argument. I more just used it to confirm my understanding so I didn't make a fool of myself.

 

[Wing]

All I like is now I'm high speed

 

[Cisco]

Joining the military has been on my mind for a while. But I've always been on the fence about it.

 

[Saint]

Joining the military has been on my mind for a while. But I've always been on the fence about it.

You could always go National Guard or Reserves.

MUCH easier to go full-time from the Guard or Reserves than it is to go from full-time TO the Guard or Reserves, heh.

 

[Kaeb]

While I enjoy the theatre of war, within the realm of cinema, literature and gaming I despise it in reality and can't wait till we surpass it as a practice of getting what we want or securing what we have.

I hate it.

 

[Guardian Six]

honestly I've never thought about it, the war in the east isn't Canada's war, let alone the UK, France, or anyone else fighting in it; why join to fight a war that's not yours?

 

[Saint]

honestly I've never thought about it, the war in the east isn't Canada's war, let alone the UK, France, or anyone else fighting in it; why join to fight a war that's not yours?

Just because someone joins the military doesn't mean that they 'want' to fight in that war. It's more of a by-product of joining.

The military has a -lot- of great benefits.

 

[Wing]

I did not join solely to go fight off in some distant battlefield.

That earlier argument about who had the hardest basic, should not have happened. A lot of people in the West claim to be manly and badass, but how many actually show it? With a nation of 380,000,000+ people, less than 1% wear the uniform and say they will fight and risk death. Some people are so ****ing unappreciative.

 

[Tsar Fire]

Enrolling in the AFROTC this fall as a transfer student; so I'll be doubling up all my ROTC classes.:bitchez

 

[Travis]

earlier argument about who had the hardest basic, should not have happened. A lot of people in the West claim to be manly and badass, but how many actually show it? With a nation of 380,000,000+ people, less than 1% wear the uniform and say they will fight and risk death. Some people are so ****ing unappreciative.

America just broke 300 million people a few years ago. We have a LONG way to go before we hit 380 million.

Hey, why don't you consider that a lot of people tried to get in the military but were rejected for various means? The way the military has its entry standards set up, most of the country couldn't join even if it wanted to. I know because I tried. I tried all four branches multiple times and spent hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours trying to get in.

 

[Brand]

Eyesight, disabilities, even broken bones (to name just a few) often lock people out of service.

 

[Travis]

Definitely. For me, it was a medical issue because anyone who has been admitted under suicide watch (even though I made no attempts) is pretty much SOL for getting into the military. Yes, it is possible to get a waiver (and God knows I tried for months) but it is very, very hard.

Despite that, I definitely respect the military and those who actually did or are serving. What I can't stand are those in uniform who are arrogant assholes about it thinking they know everything and are better than everyone else and everyone who didn't serve should bow to their great wisdom. I am not at all saying Hunter or anyone specific on this site is like that, but I have seen it before and those guys lose all respect from me just as anyone else who did that does.

I agree with Hunter in that many who talk the talk would never walk the walk, however, for a lot of people, it is through no fault of their own. People get broken bones and don't want to lie about it to get in. Some people have sicknesses, conditions, or syndromes beyond their control (no, I don't necessarily consider weight/being out of shape as beyond their control) that prevent them from getting in. For those that actually do try and show themselves willing to do it but are prevented due to medical or other standards beyond their control, I don't think they deserve the ire of those who made it in. I don't think they deserve the respect that those who served do, but they definitely don't deserve to be looked down upon.

 

[The Stray]

I wonder if the government had a better reputation in how they used their mliitary, if more people would be willing to put themselves in positions where they might die for their country, and protect their loves ones. I get the impression that most people don't think that if they joined the military, that they'd be serving the best interests of the US.

 

[Cisco]

I'm not in the military but the thought of joining is always so damn tempting.